Trump’s extreme rhetoric against the press is ‘dangerous’: NY Times CEO

Oliver Contreras | Bloomberg | Getty Images

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.

As for Trump’s complaints that he can’t get positive news coverage in his hometown of New York, Thompson said the paper has said plenty of positive things about the economy and job growth. But, he added, it’s not the paper’s job to be positive or negative.

Instead, its job is to “report the facts, reach objective, impartial judgments about what’s going on and to hold power to account,” he said. “Our job with the president of the United States and with other powerful private-sector, public-sector individuals and institutions is to be — on behalf of the user, the reader — someone who tells the truth.”

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

— CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.