President Donald Trump went on an early morning tirade against the media on Saturday, calling out White House reporters for “fake news” and blasting the endless use of nameless sources supposedly revealing inside information.
“So much of the Lamestream Media is writing and broadcasting stories with facts that are made up and knowingly wrong. They are doing it by quoting unnamed sources that simply do not exist. These are very dangerous & corrupt people, who will do anything to win. NAME YOUR SOURCES!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
So much of the Lamestream Media is writing and broadcasting stories with facts that are made up and knowingly wrong. They are doing it by quoting unnamed sources that simply do not exist. These are very dangerous & corrupt people, who will do anything to win. NAME YOUR SOURCES!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
“One of the reasons that Fake News has become so prevalent & far reaching is the fact that corrupt ‘journalists’ base their stories on SOURCES that they make up in order to totally distort a narrative or story. When you see, ‘five sources say,’ don’t believe the story, it is….
“…. very often FAKE NEWS. Lamestream Media should be forced to reveal sources, very much as they did in the long ago past. If they did that, the media would be trusted again, and Fake News would largely be a thing of the past!” Trump wrote.
One of the reasons that Fake News has become so prevalent & far reaching is the fact that corrupt “journalists” base their stories on SOURCES that they make up in order to totally distort a narrative or story. When you see, “five sources say”, don’t believe the story, it is….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
….very often FAKE NEWS. Lamestream Media should be forced to reveal sources, very much as they did in the long ago past. If they did that, the media would be trusted again, and Fake News would largely be a thing of the past!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
Trump’s tirade came after a slew of stories citing unnamed sources, including one in which Trump supposedly called former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez to seek advice on how to tackle the coronavirus crisis, citing “multiple sources.”
“During marathon day of meetings earlier this week, President Trump continued outreach across the country regarding coronavirus & phoned former Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez. Multiple sources tell ABC, the president spoke to ARod from the Oval Office via me & @KFaulders,” wrote John Santucci, senior editorial producer at ABC News.
“More Fake News!” Trump wrote.
More Fake News! https://t.co/URewvfAUDl
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
Trump also ripped journalists for using only parts of his remarks and omitting others. For instance, there was this Associated Press story that said: “’I want them to be appreciative,’ Trump said Friday after the White House announced that he would be using the powers granted to him under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to try to compel auto giant General Motors to produce ventilators.”
The president blasted other liberal outlets for editing his remarks.
“Such Fake reporting by the @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @CNN & others. They use a small portion of a sentence out of a full paragraph in order to demean. They really are corrupt and disgusting. No wonder the media is, according to polls, record setting low & untrusted. #MAGA,” he tweeted.
Such Fake reporting by the @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @CNN & others. They use a small portion of a sentence out of a full paragraph in order to demean. They really are corrupt and disgusting. No wonder the media is, according to polls, record setting low & untrusted. #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
Trump singled out a New York Times reporter for tweeting, “‘I want them to be appreciative,’ the president says of governors who are criticizing the federal response.”
He retweeted a post in which Greg Price of the Daily Caller wrote: “Why don’t you use the full quote you hack: ‘I want them to be appreciative. We’ve done a great job. And I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about Mike Pence, the task force, I’m talking about FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers.'”
Why don't you use the full quote you hack:
"I want them to be appreciative. We've done a great job. And I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Mike Pence, the task force, I'm talking about FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers.” https://t.co/9LfYwYB7Av
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 27, 2020
A few theories emerged on Twitter as to why so many are bashing Trump, whose approval rating has reach record highs, according to Gallup.
“Trump-haters clearly frustrated that the American people-many of whom did not vote for him-approve of the epic job @realDonaldTrump is doing to mitigate the #coronavirus catastrophe. He’s flamboyant & unrestrained, but he’s like General Patton, the right warrior for the fight,” wrote Fox contributor Gerald Rivera.
Trump-haters clearly frustrated that the American people-many of whom did not vote for him-approve of the epic job @realDonaldTrump is doing to mitigate the #coronavirus catastrophe. He’s flamboyant & unrestrained, but he’s like General Patton, the right warrior for the fight.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) March 28, 2020
“They’re not happy because @realDonaldTrump is speaking directly to American people during a crisis and getting strong approval ratings for his handling of this,” wrote Fox host Laura Ingraham.
They’re not happy because @realDonaldTrump is speaking directly to American people during a crisis and getting strong approval ratings for his handling of this. pic.twitter.com/92xmMrPPXr
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 27, 2020