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President Donald Trump also told the CIA "I'm behind you" and hinted that his administration would loosen restrictions on torture. (Screenshot)
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
Jan 21, 2017
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:
\u201c"We're going to hold the press accountable, as well...[Trump] will take his message directly to the American people," @PressSec says.\u201d— CBS News (@CBS News) 1485038773
On Twitter, observers responded to the attacks with fear and outrage:
\u201cInteresting how Trump tells the CIA today how he is going to make the press \u201cpay\u201d. Just what is he saying?\u201d— neil pessall (@neil pessall) 1485031488
\u201cTrump's comments about media in CIA speech are disgraceful. He appears to have a real problem with a free press. Genuinely concerning.\u201d— Duncan Flynn (@Duncan Flynn) 1485031609
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.
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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:
\u201c"We're going to hold the press accountable, as well...[Trump] will take his message directly to the American people," @PressSec says.\u201d— CBS News (@CBS News) 1485038773
On Twitter, observers responded to the attacks with fear and outrage:
\u201cInteresting how Trump tells the CIA today how he is going to make the press \u201cpay\u201d. Just what is he saying?\u201d— neil pessall (@neil pessall) 1485031488
\u201cTrump's comments about media in CIA speech are disgraceful. He appears to have a real problem with a free press. Genuinely concerning.\u201d— Duncan Flynn (@Duncan Flynn) 1485031609
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:
\u201c"We're going to hold the press accountable, as well...[Trump] will take his message directly to the American people," @PressSec says.\u201d— CBS News (@CBS News) 1485038773
On Twitter, observers responded to the attacks with fear and outrage:
\u201cInteresting how Trump tells the CIA today how he is going to make the press \u201cpay\u201d. Just what is he saying?\u201d— neil pessall (@neil pessall) 1485031488
\u201cTrump's comments about media in CIA speech are disgraceful. He appears to have a real problem with a free press. Genuinely concerning.\u201d— Duncan Flynn (@Duncan Flynn) 1485031609
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.
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