Criticism Surrounds New York Times Columnist Over Trump Remarks

The New York Times faces criticism after columnist Michelle Cottle linked President Donald Trump to a cultural environment contributing to an alleged sexual assault at Cornell University. During an ABC News appearance, Cottle stated, “What this is, is it’s a fundamental disrespect for women. You can’t send those messages no matter how drunk you are as a frat boy without having some kind of misunderstanding about what women are there for and whether this is a real person you’re dealing with.” She suggested that this mindset could be traced back to Trump, explaining, “We are in a moment in this culture where the glorification of being thuggish and swaggering and mistreating women is kind of making you a cool kid.”

The incident in question involved a woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filing a civil lawsuit against seven men for an alleged gang rape involving ketamine and alcohol at Cornell in 2024. At that time, Joe Biden was the sitting president. The men involved have denied any wrongdoing, with some claiming the acts were consensual and others asserting non-participation. No criminal charges have been filed.

Critics of Cottle’s comments, such as Fox News contributor Joe Concha, highlighted that the incident occurred while Biden was in office, questioning Cottle’s understanding of the timeline. CNN contributor Scott Jennings humorously remarked, “Latest edition of ‘Trump turned me into a newt!’ brought to you by a very intelligent person.” Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security criticized the media and pundits for repeatedly tying issues to Trump, calling it “embarrassing and so incredibly lazy.” Conservative commentator John Ziegler described the perspective as disconnected from reality, and the Media Research Center, which disseminated the clip, sarcastically added, “Of course, it’s Trump’s fault.”

Trump commented on the case, now investigated by New York Attorney General Letitia James, attacking her credibility. In a statement, he said, “Well, Letitia James is a corrupt person. She’s totally corrupt, and I can’t imagine it— I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake. Letitia James is a corrupt person.”

Fox News Digital reached out to The New York Times and the White House for responses. Peter D’Abrosca is a politics reporter at Fox News Digital.