The Wall Street Journal refused to correct its reporting that President Donald Trump’s top foreign policy lieutenants are steering him away from striking Iran, leading to prominent conservative calls to boycott the paper.
The report, which suggested Vice President JD Vance was leading an effort to steer President Trump toward further diplomacy first before his alleged preference of military strikes on Iran, has drawn a correction from Vance’s office and criticism from Republicans who say the outlet distorted the administration’s unified approach in presenting all options — diplomatic and military alike — to the president.
The Wall Street Journal on Monday published a story reporting that “some senior administration aides, led by Vice President JD Vance,” are urging President Trump to try diplomacy before authorizing military action against Iran. The article cites unnamed officials claiming Trump “currently favors attacking Iran,” and may even “strike first and then seek serious talks.”
Yet even within the same report, Trump is quoted saying “a meeting is being set up,” showing a clear interest in negotiation. Despite this, the Journal emphasized internal divisions — downplaying that the White House had not yet made a final decision and was actively weighing a range of options.
In a statement to the Journal after the article’s publication, William Martin, communications director to Vice President Vance, said: “The Wall Street Journal’s reporting is not accurate. Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio together are presenting a suite of options to the President, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military actions. They are presenting those options without bias or favor.”
The Journal added a snippet of Martin’s correction but excluded the most pertinent parts, leaving its initial characterization of Vance’s position unchanged and suggesting distance between Trump and his team on the issue.
This framing drew immediate backlash for inventing a rift between Trump and Vance that doesn’t exist. Donald Trump Jr. responded: “Why would any conservative ever trust the Wall Street Journal to tell the truth at this point? They’ve become one of the biggest pushers of leftist lies and fake news in all of the media. SAD!!!”
“You would think that after President Trump sues these idiots for $10 billion they’d get the picture,” said one Republican operative to Breitbart News. “The Wall Street Journal has become a piece of shit rag based on pure fiction. Everybody knows it. It’s high time conservatives stop working with these losers who actively undermine the MAGA movement at every opportunity they get.”
Commentator ALX pushed back on the story’s premise, calling it “false” and pointing to the updated quote from Vance’s office reaffirming that “Vance and Rubio together are presenting a suite of options to the president.”
Commentator CJ Pearson dismissed the narrative as “FAKE NEWS,” saying: “The blatant attempts by those in the left-wing media to create the illusion of division between President Trump, Vance, and Secretary Rubio couldn’t be more obvious. Vance and Rubio are working in LOCKSTEP to carry out the President’s foreign policy priorities.”
Even as the administration faces high-stakes decisions regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions and a regime crackdown that has reportedly killed over 500 protesters and injured thousands more, the White House maintains that no single option is being prioritized prematurely. Breitbart News reported that Trump is keeping “all options on the table,” with Leavitt emphasizing that “airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the Commander in Chief,” and that “diplomacy is always the first option for the president.”
Meanwhile, the president has moved forward with economic pressure, announcing on Monday that “any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America.” This marks a significant escalation in Trump’s multi-pronged approach to weakening Iran’s regime amid the unrest.
