The claim: New York Times backing Harris is paper’s first presidential endorsement since Eisenhower
A Sept. 30 Threads post ( direct link archive link) includes a screenshot of the New York Times editorial board’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
“Not since Eisenhower has the NYT endorsed a candidate, that’s how dangerous (former President Donald) Trump is to the world,” reads the post.
It was shared more than 100 times in three days. Another version of the claim spread widely on X, formerly Twitter .
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Our rating: False
The newspaper has been endorsing presidential candidates since Abraham Lincoln in 1860, including in each election since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.
Editorial board endorsed Biden in 2020
The claim came on the same day the New York Times editorial board endorsed Harris in the 2024 presidential race. Its editorial described Harris as the “only patriotic choice for president,” citing Trump’s many criminal charges and other factors the board deemed to be disqualifying.
But it's far from the first time the New York Times has endorsed a candidate since Eisenhower in 1956.
The paper's editorial board has done so in every presidential election since then, according to the newspaper itself and the American Presidency Project , an online presidential document archive from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
That includes candidates from John F. Kennedy in 1960 to President Joe Biden in 2020 . Eisenhower was, however, the last Republican presidential candidate the board endorsed. The newspaper has endorsed presidential candidates since 1860 .
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USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims related to endorsements in the 2024 presidential race, including false assertions that Taylor Swift said she regrets endorsing Harris, that Usher refused to endorse Harris on “The View” and that the Philadelphia Eagles endorsed Harris .
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
- The American Presidency Project, accessed Oct. 3, General Election Editorial Endorsements by the New York Times
- New York Times, Oct. 6, 2020, Elect Joe Biden, America
- New York Times, Sept. 24, 2016, Hillary Clinton for President
- New York Times, Sept. 23, 2016, New York Times Endorsements Through the Ages
- New York Times, Oct. 27, 2012, Barack Obama for Re-election
- New York Times, Oct. 23, 2008, Barack Obama for President
- New York Times, Oct. 17, 2004, John Kerry for President
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York Times has endorsed candidates in every election since Eisenhower | Fact check
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