Donald Trump has ramped up his feud with the press in recent days, and on Saturday, the president pushed his attacks even further. He started the day by calling two Washington Post reporters “nasty” and musing that they should be banned from the White House, according to The Hill .
“The Washington Post’s @PhilipRucker (Mr. Off the Record) & @AshleyRParker, two nasty lightweight reporters, shouldn’t even be allowed on the grounds of the White House because their reporting is so DISGUSTING & FAKE. Also, add the appointment of MANY Federal Judges this Summer!” Trump tweeted .
Trump included a link to a recent Washington Examiner article, titled “The ‘Washington Post’s’ Lost Summer.” The Examiner article is an op-ed criticism of the Post’s coverage of Trump over the past few months and is in response to an article written by the Post called “Trump’s Lost Summer.” It was written by White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley, and states that the Post didn’t include most of the 26 things on the list of accomplishments that they provided.
“Media bias comes in two forms. It plays a role in deciding what news is , and is not, covered, and also in deciding how that news is covered. In this instance, the Post’s ‘reporters’ are guilty of both,” the op-ed says.
Grisham and Gidley say that the article didn’t include Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, nor did it include his negotiations for a trade deal with Japan.
“The truth is, Trump racked up many well-documented victories that directly benefited the American people at home and abroad,” the White House employees wrote.
Trump’s Saturday tweet prompted a spirited defense from other journalists and Post employees. Carlos Lozada called for readers to support the work of Rucker and Parker and commended them for their “careful” journalism in a tweet .
In another tweet , Josh Dawsey praised the reporters as good colleagues. Hadas Gold also tweeted a defense, calling them hardworking and considerate.
“The Washington Post’s Lost Summer” https://t.co/jHkZyiJwZL
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2019
It’s far from the first time that Trump has attacked the press, and specific reporters individually. He frequently calls the mainstream media “fake news,” and tells his followers not to believe what the press tells them, according to CNN . On Monday alone, he blasted The Washington Post and said that the media is his “primary opponent.”
It’s also not the first time that the White House has threatened to remove press credentials from reporters. In August, Brian Karem’s credentials were suspended for a month after he clashed with Trump supporters at an event. CNN’s Jim Acosta was also barred from the White House last year. A judge ordered his credentials returned.
