President Donald Trump criticized establishment media outlets Monday over their coverage of Iran, saying major news organizations would portray events as a win for Tehran even if Iran fully surrendered to the United States, as reported by Breitbart.

Trump made the remarks in a Truth Social post Monday morning, targeting the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and other outlets.

His comments followed an exchange days earlier with New York Times Chief Washington Correspondent David Sanger aboard Air Force One during the return flight from China on Friday.

“If Iran surrenders, admits their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us, and if their entire Military walks out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting “I surrender, I surrender” while wildly waving the representative White Flag, and if their entire remaining Leadership signs all necessary “Documents of Surrender,” and admit their defeat to the great power and force of the magnificent U.S.A., The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close. The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote.

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The post came after Trump confronted Sanger on Air Force One when the reporter asked about military operations involving Iran.

“Mr. President, what would the use be of repeating the bombing? You did it for 38 days, and you did not get the political changes in Iran,” Sanger said before Trump interrupted.

“I had a total military victory, but the fake news guys like you write incorrectly. You’re a fake guy, and guys like you write about it incorrectly. We had a total military victory,” Trump said.

“We knocked out their entire navy, we knocked out their entire air force, we knocked out all of their anti-aircraft weaponry, we knocked out all of their radar.”

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Trump continued by saying U.S. action had struck multiple layers of Iran’s leadership.

“We knocked out all of their leaders, number one, and then we knocked out all of their leaders in the second division, and we knocked out numerous of their leaders in the third division, and they’re very confused. We’ve had a total victory except by people like you that don’t write the truth,” Trump continued.

“I actually think it’s sort of treasonous, what you write, but you and the New York Times, and CNN, I would say, are the worst,” he concluded.

Trump’s criticism centered on what he described as media coverage that minimizes American military success while giving political cover to U.S. adversaries.

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In his Truth Social post, he argued that even a hypothetical full surrender by Iran would be framed by major outlets as a defeat for the United States.

The remarks added to Trump’s long-running dispute with legacy media organizations, particularly the New York Times and CNN. His Monday statement also singled out the Wall Street Journal by calling it “The China Street Journal (WSJ!).”

The exchange with Sanger aboard Air Force One and Trump’s later Truth Social post both focused on the same point: Trump said his administration had achieved a “total military victory,” while accusing establishment media outlets of refusing to report it that way.

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