President Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter in the Oval Office on Friday as she pressed him about his newly announced ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
“Are you trying to intimidate the press from doing its job?” the female reporter asked, pointing to the First Amendment.
“No, no, no, no,” Trump replied. “I dislike dishonest press — like you. I think you’re terrible.”
The reporter noted that the Trump administration attempted a similar restriction against CNN during his first term and asked why he believed the new ban would survive a court challenge.
“I don’t think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day," Trump said.
Trump announced the restrictions shortly before the exchange, accusing the three outlets of reporting “FAKE NEWS” and warning that other media organizations could be targeted next. He said in the Oval Office that it was “sick” that the country allows journalists to write what he called “purposely negative stories.”
“If they want to write them, that’s fine,” Trump said Friday. “But I don’t have to let them into the people’s house.”