It’s no secret Donald Trump has a very tenuous relationship with the media. At best. Trump made media bashing one of the centerpieces of his campaign and Trump goes further than other politicians in that he’d call out reporters by name at rallies and press conferences. He’d routinely call journalists “liars” and made it so that supporters at his rallies would yell, scream (and yes sometimes spit on) and curse at reporters who were there to do their jobs.
According to the New York Post, Trump, in a meeting held with media executives, hit at them in a major way:
“Trump started with [CNN chief] Jeff Zucker and said ‘I hate your network, everyone at CNN is a liar and you should be ashamed,’ ” the source said.
“The meeting was a total disaster. The TV execs and anchors went in there thinking they would be discussing the access they would get to the Trump administration, but instead they got a Trump-style dressing down,” the source added.
A second source confirmed the fireworks.
“The meeting took place in a big board room and there were about 30 or 40 people, including the big news anchors from all the networks,” the other source said.
“Trump kept saying, ‘We’re in a room of liars, the deceitful dishonest media who got it all wrong.’ He addressed everyone in the room calling the media dishonest, deceitful liars. He called out Jeff Zucker by name and said everyone at CNN was a liar, and CNN was [a] network of liars,” the source said.
“Trump didn’t say [NBC reporter] Katy Tur by name, but talked about an NBC female correspondent who got it wrong, then he referred to a horrible network correspondent who cried when Hillary lost who hosted a debate – which was Martha Raddatz who was also in the room.”
On the one hand, I can’t say this is very productive on his part. Assuming it happened. On the other, if it did happen, it’s pretty damned funny.
Kellyanne Conway wasn’t talking:
Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway told reporters the gathering went well.
“Excellent meetings with the top executives of the major networks,” she said during a gaggle in the lobby of Trump Tower. “Pretty unprecedented meeting we put together in two days.”
I am sure we have not heard the end of this story.
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