Sarah Huckabee Sanders spars with reporter, says Trump is 'not placing blame' on media for violence
- White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparred with reporters during Monday's press briefing over President Donald Trump's recent criticism of the media.
- Sanders rejected the notion Trump has blamed the media for recent violence.
- Trump has made a number of statements in recent days suggesting the media is adding to "anger and outrage" in the US.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sparred with reporters during Monday's press briefing over President Donald Trump's recent criticism of the media.
Sanders rejected the notion Trump has blamed the media for a spate of recent violence, including a massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday and a series of attempted bombings against high-profile Democrats and other public figures.
On Monday morning, Trump tweeted that there is "great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news."
"The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People, must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly. That will do much to put out the flame of Anger and Outrage and we will then be able to bring all sides together in Peace and Harmony. Fake News Must End!" he said.
The president has made a number of similar statements as the country has grappled with disturbing acts of violence or attempted violence.
During the White House press briefing Monday, a reporter said to Sanders that it seemed as though Trump has been "blaming" the media for recent events.
"No, the president's not placing blame," Sanders said.
"The only person responsible for carrying out either of these heinous acts were the individuals who carried them out," Sanders added in relation to the attempted bombings, accusing the media of blaming Trump. She said it was "outrageous" to put any of the responsibility on Trump.
The man accused of mailing the explosive devices to prominent Democrats and other Trump critics is a registered Republican and avowed supporter of the president whom Trump has denounced.
Sanders on Monday declined to state which outlets the president believes are the "enemy of the people."
"I think those individuals probably know they are," she said.