On First Full Day as President, Trump Attacks the Press
Trump called reporters "the most dishonest human beings" during speech at CIA headquarters—and later, White House presser hammered the point home
In a foreboding speech at CIA headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, President Donald Trump attacked press coverage of his inauguration, characterizing reporters as "the most dishonest human beings" and saying that they would "pay."
The president wrongly claimed that the crowd had stretched to the Washington monument, despite photos showing the opposite, and that the press had lied about the size of the event. He repeatedly made these claims despite a multitude of photos that showed a relatively paltry crowd.
Trump also specifically named and condemned Zeke Miller, a reporter for Time, who reported Friday that Trump had removed a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Oval Office--an error the reporter swiftly acknowledged and corrected. "Zeke, Zeke, Zeke," Trump repeated, falsely claiming that the mistake was never corrected.
Later in the day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated Trump's earlier attacks on the media:
On Twitter, observers responded to the attacks with fear and outrage:
During Trump's meandering speech to the CIA, in which the president also spent long tangents bragging about the size of his campaign rallies, he also appeared to hint that his administration may loosen restrictions on torture.
"We haven't used the abilities we've got. We've been restrained," Trump said.
Trump also told the intelligence community crowd "I'm so behind you."
Trump attacked the CIA throughout his campaign, and it remains to be seen what relationship the agency will have with the Trump administration.
FINAL DAY! This is urgent.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just hours left in our Spring Campaign, we're still falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
In a foreboding speech at CIA headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, President Donald Trump attacked press coverage of his inauguration, characterizing reporters as "the most dishonest human beings" and saying that they would "pay."
The president wrongly claimed that the crowd had stretched to the Washington monument, despite photos showing the opposite, and that the press had lied about the size of the event. He repeatedly made these claims despite a multitude of photos that showed a relatively paltry crowd.
Trump also specifically named and condemned Zeke Miller, a reporter for Time, who reported Friday that Trump had removed a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Oval Office--an error the reporter swiftly acknowledged and corrected. "Zeke, Zeke, Zeke," Trump repeated, falsely claiming that the mistake was never corrected.
Later in the day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated Trump's earlier attacks on the media:
On Twitter, observers responded to the attacks with fear and outrage:
During Trump's meandering speech to the CIA, in which the president also spent long tangents bragging about the size of his campaign rallies, he also appeared to hint that his administration may loosen restrictions on torture.
"We haven't used the abilities we've got. We've been restrained," Trump said.
Trump also told the intelligence community crowd "I'm so behind you."
Trump attacked the CIA throughout his campaign, and it remains to be seen what relationship the agency will have with the Trump administration.
In a foreboding speech at CIA headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, President Donald Trump attacked press coverage of his inauguration, characterizing reporters as "the most dishonest human beings" and saying that they would "pay."
The president wrongly claimed that the crowd had stretched to the Washington monument, despite photos showing the opposite, and that the press had lied about the size of the event. He repeatedly made these claims despite a multitude of photos that showed a relatively paltry crowd.
Trump also specifically named and condemned Zeke Miller, a reporter for Time, who reported Friday that Trump had removed a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Oval Office--an error the reporter swiftly acknowledged and corrected. "Zeke, Zeke, Zeke," Trump repeated, falsely claiming that the mistake was never corrected.
Later in the day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated Trump's earlier attacks on the media:
On Twitter, observers responded to the attacks with fear and outrage:
During Trump's meandering speech to the CIA, in which the president also spent long tangents bragging about the size of his campaign rallies, he also appeared to hint that his administration may loosen restrictions on torture.
"We haven't used the abilities we've got. We've been restrained," Trump said.
Trump also told the intelligence community crowd "I'm so behind you."
Trump attacked the CIA throughout his campaign, and it remains to be seen what relationship the agency will have with the Trump administration.