Having already moved from the prime minister’s office to the new presidential palace, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to have assumed a new, unofficial role this week as Turkey’s chief press critic, according to the New York Times.

Enraged by perceived slights in the domestic news media and critical foreign editorials, Mr. Erdogan borrowed a page from the playbook of American conservatives this week by railing for three consecutive days against The New York Times, calling its employees “paid charlatans” in a campaign speech on Wednesday.

“All their stories on Turkey during critical times reek of provocation,” Mr. Erdogan reportedly said of The Times, whose editorial board criticized him last week for a crackdown on press freedom in Turkey.