A former White House official's description of how President Donald Trump feels about the press floored CNN anchor Erin Burnett.
On Wednesday, former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham gave an anecdote about press access in dictatorships. She illustrated Trump's feelings about the press by revealing what he said while meeting with leaders of those countries.
"Speaking of Russia and North Korea and China, I heard him on two different occasions, in a [bilateral discussion] with China and in a [bilateral meeting] with North Korea ... he told them on both occasions, the dictators, 'That is the press. Aren't they animals?'" Grisham said.
When Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Grisham said she "actually physically fought those guards to get the press into that room."
Trump told leaders of China and North Korea that the press are "animals" and "they're crazy," Grisham continued. "You have the right idea," Trump told leaders of those countries, Grisham said.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is visiting Trump in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, and Trump personally greeted him at Joint Base Andrews, had the military literally roll out a red carpet, and gave him a bouquet of flowers.
The visit has drawn criticism about Trump's special welcome for a leader with Xi's record, which includes silencing critics and members of the press. However, it's also drawn comparisons to China's restrictions on the press, as major TV networks were absent from the event. Major networks withdrew from covering it in solidarity with CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which were affected by Trump's media ban.
Grisham stressed that Trump telling leaders of China and North Korea that they "have the right idea" about the press reveals he wants to silence the free press like those countries.
"He absolutely wants to have a presidency more on the side of dictators," Grisham said.
Burnett reacted, saying, "That's incredible, wow," and described Grisham's story as "sobering."