President Trump laid into CNN on Saturday morning, claiming that the news network “has finally been exposed” as “fake news” and “garbage journalism.”
“It’s about time!” Trump added in a tweet, one of several rapid-fire Saturday morning missives on Twitter going after media outlets and personalities.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper responded on Twitter, saying that at least 10 percent of Trump’s tweets have been him attacking journalists, more than those discussing troops or other major topics.
“[A]ttacking media does nothing for the troop in harm’s way, the hungry child in Appalachia or inner city, the unemployed factory worker,” Tapper wrote.
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While the president didn’t mention it by name, his tweet came the morning after Page Six reported that CNN “flew into a panic” on Friday after it accidentally aired a fake National Enquirer cover during an afternoon segment on Tapper’s show involving Trump.
CNN came under fire last week after publishing a story alleging ties between Trump transition official and ally Anthony Scaramucci and Russia. The story was retracted, with the network saying it didn’t meet their editorial standards. Scaramucci accepted the network’s apology.
The president and his aides this week also sought to draw attention to undercover videos filmed by a conservative group showing employees of the network saying disparaging things about Trump. And during a speech on energy this week, Trump veered into blasting CNN as “fake news.”
The Washington Post reported Friday night that some White House advisers were “frustrated” that Trump’s feuding with MSNBC “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski this week – which involved crude tweets on the female co-host’s appearance – had overtaken his fight with CNN because they viewed the CNN feud “to have clearer villains and heroes.”
Trump’s tweet Saturday maintaining his longtime feud with CNN came shortly after he sent another message claiming that MSNBC host Greta Van Susteren “was let go by her out of control bosses at @NBC & @Comcast because she refused to go along w/ ‘Trump hate!'”
MSNBC this week parted ways with Van Susteren, a former longtime Fox News anchor, after only roughly six months.
Updated: 10:02 a.m.