John Moore—AFP
Media outlets respond by directing U.S. president’s attention to rising subscriptions.
U.S. President Donald Trump attacked two major American newspapers in a Twitter blast during a busy Saturday in which he was scheduled to speak with five world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Trump criticized The New York Times and The Washington Post as being dishonest in a typo-laden series of tweets. The reason for the early morning tirade was not immediately clear.
Rather than touch on his fast-paced first week, or prepare for the frenetic day ahead—including talks with Putin plus the leaders of Japan, Germany, France and Australia—Trump laid into two of the most prestigious daily newspapers in the United States.
The new president has made a habit of attacking the media, which he accuses of treating him unfairly.
Trump wrote on Saturday that the two papers “got me wrong right from the beginning and still have not changed course, and never will. DISHONEST.”
“The failing @nytimes has been wrong about me from the very beginning. Said I would lose the primaries, then the general election. FAKE NEWS!” he added.
Both papers shot back in kind on Twitter. “.@realDonaldTrump Fact check: @nytimes subscribers & audience at all-time highs. Supporting independent journalism matters,” the paper’s communications team posted.
The Post’s media columnist Margaret Sullivan retweeted the Times’ comments and added: “Subscriptions also spiking at now-profitable @washingtonpost, where the audience is bigger than ever (and the facts aren’t alternative).”
Twitter is one of Trump’s preferred conduits for communication. He has more than 22.5 million followers on the messaging platform.