“Richard Grenell” by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0
President Trump’s handpicked warrior, Ric Grenell, just delivered a brutal smackdown to one of the New York Times’ most notorious left-wing propagandists.
As The Gateway Pundit has reported, Grenell was installed at the helm of the Kennedy Center to drain the swamp after years of Biden-era corruption and left-wing rot.
He uncovered $26 million in phantom “fake revenue,” exposed the center’s catastrophic financial collapse with zero cash reserves and massive debt, and stood up to woke Hollywood elites and artists who boycotted performances in a temper tantrum against Trump’s vision. It was a year of real results and real pushback, exactly what the radical left despises.
President Trump announced Friday that Grenell will step down from the role, while Matt Floca, the center’s vice president of facilities operations, is set to take over as chief operating officer and executive director.
Amid speculation that Grenell had been fired, President Trump flatly rejected the claims, calling them false and politically motivated. According to the President, not only was Grenell never fired, but he remains a valued figure within the administration.
“There was a story he got fired; he didn’t get fired,” Trump clarified. “He was here for a short period of time, for a year, figuring it out with Matt and everybody else. And Matt now is going to take over.”
Now that Trump is transitioning the center (including major renovations and a new leader), the failing New York Times sent their resident hack, Elizabeth Williamson.
Grenell publicly blasted Elizabeth Williamson on X, accusing her of pushing a partisan narrative and attempting to manipulate his responses for a pre-written hit piece.
He wrote:
“Elizabeth Williamson isn’t a journalist. She is a left wing hack who lies about Republicans. All the time.
I’m not falling for her agenda-drive tactics. I’m exposing her.
Here is the text exchange I just had with her proving she lies.
@NYTLiz should be fired.
Can you imagine putting in writing that you will just say I declined the comment because you don’t like my comment?
The New York Times should launch an investigation into her previous work.”
The screenshots Grenell shared are pure gold and damning.
Williamson initially reached out requesting comment after Trump announced Grenell’s replacement by Matt Floca ahead of the center’s two-year renovation:
“Hi Ric, it’s Elizabeth Williamson from the New York Times. I’m writing about your being replaced at the helm of the Kennedy Center. I know the president said he’s looking for your next venture, but any ideas what you’ll do next? Any general comment on what has proven a turbulent year for you in the administration? Thanks.”
Grenell hit her with the truth bomb on the record:
“Here’s my on the record comment. ‘You are such a left wing hack who is not interested in the truth, but interested in attacking Republicans and manipulating the news for your own far left agenda. Anyone looking at your body of work realizes that you’ve just got an agenda that includes anything against conservatives.’”
She fired back, claiming she “watched it live” and threatening to write that Grenell “declined to answer” if he didn’t play along with her narrative:
“I watched it live. It would be great if you would answer the questions I sent. Or we’ll write you declined to answer them. Your choice. Thanks.”
Grenell clapped back instantly:
“I didn’t decline to answer them. Lol. You just don’t get to approve the answers.”
She doubled down, repeating her loaded questions. Grenell’s final reply exposed the entire corrupt game:
“It’s quite shocking to see that you would say that I declined to answer simply because you didn’t like my answer. Do you think your Editor would approve of that? Do you think the public would approve of that?”
Elizabeth Williamson isn’t a journalist. She is a left wing hack who lies about Republicans. All the time.
I’m not falling for her agenda-drive tactics. I’m exposing her.
Here is the text exchange I just had with her proving she lies. @NYTLiz should be fired.
Can you imagine… pic.twitter.com/OCQntJ4aLZ
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 16, 2026
In her published article, Williamson wrote:
Mr. Grenell did not respond to a question on whether he will remain in government. In his remaining administration role, special missions envoy, including to Venezuela and North Korea, administration officials say he has repeatedly clashed over Venezuela policy with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who won out over Mr. Grenell in his quest to be America’s top diplomat.
Mr. Grenell also did not respond to questions about his future and his turbulent year. Instead, he sent a text message criticizing The New York Times’s coverage of Republicans and conservatives.
Gateway Pundit has previously reported on multiple instances where conservative figures claimed their statements were mischaracterized, omitted, or buried entirely when they didn’t align with the outlet’s narrative.
The post Ric Grenell EVISCERATES New York Times Left-Wing Hack in Explosive Text Exchange: “You Are Such a Left Wing Hack… Interested in Attacking Republicans” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.