Washington: Describing journalists as the most dishonest human beings on Earth, US President Donald Trump has said he has been “running a war” with the media and warned them of consequences for falsely reporting that less number of people attended his inauguration.
“We had a massive field of people. You saw them. Packed.
I get up this morning, I turn on one of the networks, and they show an empty field,” Trump said.
“I say, wait a minute, I made a speech. I looked out, it looked like a million, million and a half people. They showed a field where there were practically nobody standing there.
They (media) said, Donald Trump did not draw well. I said, it was almost raining, the rain should have scared them away, but God looked down and he said, we’re not going to let it rain on your speech,” he said.
“Then I walked off and it poured right after I left. It poured. But, we have something that’s amazing because, it looked like a million and a half people. Whatever it was, it was. But it went all the way back to the Washington Monument.
And I turn on — and by mistake I get this network, and it showed an empty field. And it said we drew 250,000 people,” he said.
“Now, that’s not bad, but it’s a lie. We had 250,000 people literally around in the little bowl that we constructed. That was 250,000 people. The rest of the 20-block area, all the way back to the Washington Monument, was packed.
So we caught them, and we caught them in a beauty. I think they’re going to pay a big price,” Trump warned.
Trump was speaking at the CIA headquarters.
He told his top spy agency that this is the reason for him visiting the CIA headquarters as the media has portrayed that he has differences with the intelligence community.
“The reason you’re my first stop is that, as you know, I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth,” Trump said amidst applause and laughter from the CIA officials attending his maiden address to them.
“They sort of made it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. And I just want to let you know, the reason you’re the number-one stop is exactly the opposite.
They understand that, too,” he said and then said that the crown strength of his inauguration was being accurately being written by the media.
Then Trump listed out another incident.
So a reporter wrote that Trump took down the bust, of Martin Luther King.
“It was right there. But there was a cameraman that was in front of it. So a reporter writes a story about I took down. I would never do that because I have great respect for Martin Luther King. But this is how dishonest the media is,” Trump alleged.
“I only like to say that because I love honesty. I like honest reporting. I will tell you, final time — when you let in your thousands of other people that have been trying to come in — because I am coming back — we’re going to have to get you a larger room,” Trump said indicating that he would have a bigger room for the White House press corps.
PTI
