‘The Fake News Doesn’t Tell the Truth’
It took President Donald Trump less than 30 seconds to attack what he called the “dishonest media” as he began his speech at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Convention Friday morning. The President told the cheering crowd of about 4000 conservative activists that he never called the news media the “enemy of the people,” but he called “fake news” the enemy of the people.
That’s false, as evidenced by his own tweet he posted last week:
Trump then called the news media dishonest, saying they lied about his claim that fake news, not them, being the enemy.
“In fact, in covering my comments, the dishonest media did not explain that I called the fake news ‘the enemy of the people,’ the fake news. They dropped off the word ‘fake,’†Trump said.
UPDATE: A lot has happened in the few hours since Trump’s speech –
Hours After Trump Attacks ‘Dishonest Media’ White House Blocks CNN, NY Times From Press Briefing
WATCH: CNN’s Jake Tapper Slams ‘Petulant’ Trump White House for Barring News Outlets
“All of a sudden the story became the media is the enemy. They take the word ‘fake’ out. And now I’m saying, ‘Oh, no, this is no good.’ But that’s the way they are,” Trump claimed, despite having specifically called out The New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, and CNN. And even though he did not mention Fox News, Fox News anchors have insisted they were included in his attack on the media.Â
“So I’m not against the media, I’m not against the press. I don’t mind bad stories if I deserve them, and I tell you, I love good stories but we won’t talk – I don’t get too many of them.”
“A few days ago I called the fake news ‘the enemy of the people’ — and they are. They are the enemy of the people, because they have no sources, they just make them up, when there are none.”Â
The President went on to say, “I’m not against the media, I’m not against the press.”
“I’m against the people that make up stories and make up sources. They shouldn’t be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name,” Trump said. That’s a violation of the First Amendment. It would also end whistleblowing.
“I love the First Amendment. Nobody loves it better than me. Nobody. Who uses it more than I do?” he quipped.
“But the First Amendment gives all of us, it gives it to me, it gives it to you, it gives it to all Americans the right to speak our minds freely,” Trump said. “It gives you the right, and me the right, to criticize fake news.”
“The fake news doesn’t tell the truth,” Trump said, refuting his previous claim.
UPDATE:
Talking Points Memo makes this astute observation:
Trump failed to mention that his own White House has used unnamed sources to refute the media, including in their denial of a CNN story Thursday that said the White House asked the FBI to tamp down on stories about contact between the Trump campaign and Russian nationals. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, on Sunday, referenced unnamed intelligence officials when he said the original New York Times story about the campaign’s contacts with Russians was “grossly overstated.â€Â