The New York Times Can’t Take Left-Wing Violence Seriously

The New York Times is ringing alarm bells. In a sprawling feature with no fewer than five bylines, the paper of record revealed that the Trump administration is leaning on its European allies to take “far-left terrorism” seriously. The Times fears that the initiative is a thinly veiled effort by the Trump administration to persecute its domestic political adversaries.

The Times’ and its sources’ concerns are not entirely unfounded, but the outlet’s larger political mission — questioning the scale, if not the very existence, of the violent left — is not well disguised. And if it were to succeed in its advocacy, the Times would leave Americans exposed to the violence that it refuses to recognize as violence.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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The New York Times is ringing alarm bells. In a sprawling feature with no fewer than five bylines, the paper of record revealed that the Trump administration is leaning on its European allies to take “far-left terrorism” seriously. The Times fears that the initiative is a thinly veiled effort by the Trump administration to persecute its domestic political adversaries.

The Times’ and its sources’ concerns are not entirely unfounded, but the outlet’s larger political mission — questioning the scale, if not the very existence, of the violent left — is not well disguised. And if it were to succeed in its advocacy, the Times would leave Americans exposed to the violence that it refuses to recognize as violence.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.