The New York Times opinion cover accusing Trump of betraying America was published before the assassination attempt

A photo shared on X allegedly shows the front page of The New York Times, published July 14, criticizing former President Donald Trump the day after the assassination attempt against him. 

The New York Times just published this about Trump today.

They are truly callous and despicable human beings. Not a shred of empathy. pic.twitter.com/zPmP4pj0bC

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 14, 2024

Verdict: Misleading

The cover seen in the image was already printed and finalized before the assassination attempt, according to the opinion editor for the outlet. The original article online has a date of July 11.

Fact Check:

Investigators are working to determine the motive of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who is suspected of attempting to assassinate Trump last Saturday, according to ABC News. It was circulated that a message left on the gaming platform Steam may have been authored by Crooks, which reads, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” but doubts have been casted on the validity of the message, USA Today reported.

An X photo posted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk appears to show the Sunday opinion section of the New York Times. It shows a image of Trump in low lighting along with the words, “He failed the tests of leadership and betrayed America. Voters must reject him in November.”

“The New York Times just published this about Trump today,” the post reads. “They are truly callous and despicable human beings. Not a shred of empathy.”

The op-ed was originally written and published on the Times website before the assassination attempt, however. The Sunday print edition of the New York Times reaches newsstands on the Saturday prior, according to Curbed, a New York Magazine site that covers urbanism.

The URL link leading to a web copy of the op-ed lists the date of publication as July 11. Archived versions of the page confirm that the Article was first uploaded on that date. (RELATED: Did Trump Enter The RNC To A Song By 50 Cent?)

A New York Times spokesperson referred Check Your Fact to an article addressing the topic written by Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury. “The print edition of Sunday Opinion is prepared days before it shows up on newsstands, and the July 14 section was finalized and printed before the events of Saturday evening,” it reads, in part. “There is no connection between our prior decision to run this editorial package in print and Saturday’s incident — we would have changed our plans if we could have.”