President Trump launches unprecedented attack on media

After a fast-paced and at times turbulent four weeks, President Trump rejected the idea of a White House in chaos, describing his administration as a “fine-tuned machine”.

But hours later Mr Trump suffered another setback when his choice of replacement national security adviser, Robert Harward, turned down the role.

The dynamics of the presidential news conference were unusual, but it gave him a chance to take control and address his supporters and the nation directly.

He used it to defend his record and reflect on his election win – highlighting recent poll numbers, emphasising his victory over Hillary Clinton and discussing cable TV ratings.

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Mr Trump launched an extensive attack on the US media, saying “the level of dishonesty is out of control”.

The White House has criticised the press plenty of times, but the length and unfiltered nature of this was unusual.

Reporters had initially gathered to hear him announce his pick for secretary of labour. But he swiftly moved on to attacking them.

He said: “The media is trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges we made and they’re not happy about it.

“But a lot of people are happy about it.

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“I turn on the TV, open the newspapers, I see stories of chaos. Yet it is the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine.”

This was a president who seemed frustrated at how he is being portrayed.

He said: “Many of our nation’s reporters will not tell you the truth. And will not treat the wonderful people of this country with the respect they deserve.

“I hope, going forward, things can be a little bit different and maybe get along a little bit better. Maybe it’s not. That’s okay too.

“Much of the media in Washington DC, along with New York, Los Angeles, in particular, speaks not for the people but for those profiting off an obviously very broken system.

“The press has become so dishonest and if we don’t talk about it we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people, because the press is out of control. The level of dishonesty is out of control.

“I am here to change the broken system so it serves their families well. I am talking about this entrenched power structure.

“Too oftentimes the media distort. And some of the media’s fantastic, but much of it is not.

“But we’re not going to let it happen.”

President Trump also highlighted the challenges he faced: “Our administration inherited many problems. I inherited a mess. At home and abroad, a mess. Jobs are pouring out of the country, mass instability overseas.”

His unvarnished speech was targeted at the large number of disgruntled voters who put him in power, echoing his campaign message about job generation and taking on the establishment.

The president dismissed a growing controversy about ties between his aides and Russia as a “ruse” and “scam” perpetrated by a hostile news media, and denied that any of his associates had contacts with Moscow before last year’s election.

President Trump said he asked his national security adviser General Flynn to step down because he had failed to explain his dealings with Russia to vice president Mike Pence.

He added: “I didn’t direct him, but I would’ve directed him because that’s his job.”

The president flatly denied that he or anyone in his administration colluded with the Russians before he entered the White House.

He attacked the leaks that had come from inside his administration because of their “classified” nature, much of which, he claimed, was “fake news”.

When pressed by a reporter, he said: “I have nothing to do with Russia. Haven’t made a phone call to Russia in years. Don’t speak to people in Russia. Not that I wouldn’t, I just have no one to speak to.”

When asked about an incident with a Russian ship miles off the US coast and four planes buzzing an American military vessel, President Trump said he would not tell the press whether he would respond.

On the issue of disclosing phone calls, he said: “I called, as you know, Mexico. It was a very confidential, classified call. All of a sudden it’s out there for the world to see. It’s supposed to be secret. Same thing with Australia.

“All of a sudden people are finding out exactly what took place. The same thing happened with General Flynn.

“The first thing I thought when I saw this was how does the press get this classified information? You know why, because it’s an illegal process. And the press should be ashamed of themselves.

“What happens when I’m dealing with North Korea? What happens when I’m dealing with the Middle East? Are you folks going to be reporting all that?

“We are going to stop it. That’s why it’s a criminal penalty.

“The leaks are real, but the news is fake because so much of the news is fake.”

He was then asked by a reporter from CNN, another target of his attacks, whether he accepted that his earlier campaign calls for Russia to release hacked Hillary Clinton emails and admissions that he worked with WikiLeaks had left him with little credibility.

Mr Trump replied: “In one case you are talking about highly classified information. In the other you are talking about what John Podesta (Mrs Clinton’s campaign chairman) said, but it wasn’t classified.

“The public, they read newspapers and watch television, they don’t know if it’s true or false because they are not involved. I’m involved.

“I know when you are telling the truth and when you’re not and I see tone. The tone is hatred. I’m really not a bad person.”

Addressing his comments directly to the CNN reporter, he added: “You look at your 10 o’clock show. The panel is almost exclusive anti-Trump and the hatred and venom coming from his mouth. The public gets it. They turn around and want to throw their placards at CNN.

“Tomorrow they will say ‘Donald Trump rants and raves about the press’. I’m not ranting and raving. I’m just telling you, you are dishonest people.

“The public doesn’t believe you anymore. If you were straight and told it like it is, I would be your biggest fan in the world, including stories about me.”

The president also lashed out at coverage of his temporary travel ban on nationals of seven mostly Muslim nations that caused a weekend of chaos at the nation’s airports before being suspended by a federal court.

“We had a very smooth roll out of the travel ban. But we had a bad court,” President Trump said.

“We had a bad decision that is the only thing that is wrong with the travel ban.”

He also promised a new executive order on immigration would be announced next week.

It is understood President Trump wanted this news conference. It was far reaching and unfettered. On Saturday he will hold a rally in Florida, a chance to return to the people who put him in the White House. news.sky.com