Trump clarifies that only a 'large percentage' of media is 'enemy of the people' after rebuke from Ivanka
- President Donald Trump on Thursday said only "Fake News," not the entire media as a whole, qualifies as an "enemy of the American people."
- Trump has repeatedly referred to some of the most prominent media outlets in the country as "fake news" and routinely suggested the press is the "enemy" of the US public.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said only "Fake News," not the entire media but a "large percentage" of it, qualifies as an "enemy of the American people."
"They asked my daughter Ivanka whether or not the media is the enemy of the people. She correctly said no. It is the FAKE NEWS, which is a large percentage of the media, that is the enemy of the people!" he tweeted.
The president was referencing comments made by his eldest daughter, Ivanka, during an event hosted by the news website Axios earlier in the day.
Trump has referred to some of the most prominent media outlets as "Fake News" at one point or another, including NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Back in February 2017, Trump drew ire from the media and beyond when he tweeted that "the FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"
Since that time, the president has referred to media as the "enemy" on multiple occasions.
During Thursday's press briefing hours before Trump's tweet, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused multiple chances to say the media is not the "enemy of the people." It came during an impassioned exchange with CNN's Jim Acosta, who was recently heckled by Trump supporters at an event for the president in Tampa, Florida, earlier this week.
"I appreciate your passion, I share it," Sanders said to Acosta. "I've addressed this question. I've addressed my personal feelings. I'm here to speak on behalf of the president, he's made his comments clear."