President Trump threatened to remove new networks’ press credentials Wednesday over negative coverage, suggesting that recent negative comments about his presidency were “fake” news.
In a tweet, the President said “The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?”
The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018
Trump has referred to the “fake news” since his presidential campaign in 2016 and taking away press credentials wouldn’t be without precedent. During that campaign, Trump took away press credentials from a few outlets that published uncomplimentary coverage. That removal allowed those news outlets to continue to cover his rallies, but they were not allowed at Trump’s press conferences, The Hill reports.
Trump’s latest tweets seem to be in response to several news outlets publishing stories about his personal lawyer allegedly receiving a $500K payout from a Russian oligarch during the 2016 election, money that potentially could have been used to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels to remain silent about her alleged affair with Trump.