in 2016 and 2017, the "journal" leadership under baker came under fire from critics, both from the outside and from within the newsroom, who viewed the paper's cover of president donald trump as too timid. particularly controversial was the "journal"s november 2016 front-page headline that repeated trump's false claim that "millions of people" had voted illegally in the election, without noting that this statement was inaccurate. also controversial was a january 2017 note from baker to "journal" editors, directing them to avoid using the phrase "seven majority-muslim countries" when writing about trump's executive order on travel and immigration; baker later sent a follow-up note "clarifying that there was 'no ban'" on the phrase, "but that the publication should 'always be careful that this term is not offered as the only description of the countries covered under the ban.'" at a town-hall-style meeting with journal staff in february 2017, baker defended the paper's coverage, saying that it was objective and protected the paper from being "dragged into the political process" through a dispute with the trump administration.