CNN: Trump lied to anchors about immigration to get 'positive press coverage' in run-up to speech

CNN's White House correspondent Sara Murray said Wednesday that the White House pulled a "bait-and-switch" with anchors from the network at a meeting on Tuesday regarding the topic of immigration.

"Let's just change gears entirely and talk about the bait and switch that the president pulled when it came to immigration yesterday. He had this meeting with the anchors, he talked about a path to legal status," Murray said, according to Media Matters.

"Basically they fed us things that they thought these anchors would like, that they thought would give them positive press coverage for the next few hours. A senior administration official admitted that it was a misdirection play. And you will note that when the president was actually out there speaking to the American public, he didn't talk about a path to legal status," she explained.

"He talked about reforming the legal immigration system so it's merit-based," Murray said. "That means fewer low-skilled workers, fewer people coming on family ties, more people coming on high-skilled visas. That is still closer to a Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon framework of the world than Gang of Eight, who pushed comprehensive immigration reform."

Anchor John King said, "Interesting twist, although it does make you wonder, so we're not supposed to believe what the senior-most official at the lunch says, who then they allowed it to be the president's name says, we're not supposed to believe what they say, maybe we shouldn't believe what they say."

Trump has singled out CNN and the New York Times as two nemeses of his administration. He has declared all media to be "the enemy of the American people," but he and his supporters have a particular antipathy toward CNN.

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