Trump accuses news media of trying to make reelection more difficult

“Before I arrived in France, the Fake and Disgusting News was saying that relations with the 6 others countries in the G-7 are very tense, and that the two days of meetings will be a disaster,” Trump said on Twitter amid the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in France. “Just like they are trying to force a Recession, they are trying to ‘will’ America into bad Economic times.”

….bad Economic times, the worse the better, anything to make my Election more difficult to win. Well, we are having very good meetings, the Leaders are getting along very well, and our Country, economically, is doing great – the talk of the world!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2019

{mosads}”The worse the better, anything to make my Election more difficult to win,” Trump added, before asserting that G-7 nations were getting along and that the U.S. economy was the “talk of the world.” 

Trump later claimed that world leaders asked him why the media is “rooting” for the U.S. to fail.

The question I was asked most today by fellow World Leaders, who think the USA is doing so well and is stronger than ever before, happens to be, “Mr. President, why does the American media hate your Country so much? Why are they rooting for it to fail?”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2019

The comments from Trump came after a tumultuous week in which the tit-for-tat trade war between the U.S. and China escalated further. The president on Friday triggered a drop in U.S. stock markets and ignited deeper concerns about an economic downturn after calling on American companies to stop doing business with China.

“We don’t need China,” Trump tweeted after the Chinese government announced it would impose new tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. automotive parts, farm products and other goods. “This is a GREAT opportunity for the United States.” 

Trump later said that he was exploring using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that would allow him to declare a national emergency related to China in order to block U.S. firms from making some transactions in the country. Economic experts have said that Trump does not have the power to order companies to stop doing business with China. But he would have the authority to prevent future transfers of funds to Beijing under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. 

Trump then took aim at the press for questioning his authority to order businesses out of China, tweeting, “For all of the Fake News Reporters that don’t have a clue as to what the law is relative to Presidential powers, China, etc., try looking at the Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. Case closed!”

The Trump administration late Friday announced tariffs on $500 billion in Chinese goods in response to the government’s latest action. 

As the economy has shown signs of a potential recession, Trump has repeatedly directed his ire toward the media. After stocks suffered their biggest drop of the year earlier this month, Trump tweeted that the “the fake news media is doing everything they can to crash the economy because they think that will be bad for me and my re-election.”

UPDATED 1:41 p.m.