Proving that President Donald Trump really can stimulate business—as long as it’s the business of calling him out as a dangerous, would-be totalitarian—The New York Times has apparently registered its highest uptick in subscriptions in several years. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Times’ recent growth stands in contrast to Trump’s frequent Twitter assertions that the paper is failing or “dwindling.” “Not so much, Mr. President,” said Times CEO Mark Thompson, who boasted that the paper recently rose above the 3 million subscriber mark.
Thompson was diplomatic about the likely reasons for the paper’s recent growth, which showed the largest increase in subscriptions over a three month period since 2011. “There’s plenty of kinetic energy in the news cycle, and it’s likely to continue for many years,” he noted, while referring to Trump’s administration as an “activist” White House. (Said activities including much-hated cabinet picks, liberty-encroaching executive orders, and a bunch of other issues likely to keep regular Times’ readers blood all angried up and subscribing for the next four years.)
