Earlier today, Donald Trump tweeted about an off-the-record meeting he had with the New York Times publisher, A.G. Sulzberger last week.
"Had a very good and interesting meeting at The White House with A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, 'Enemy of the People.' Sad!" it reads.
The NYT head published a statement of his own about the meeting between himself and Trump.
"I told him that although the phrase 'fake news' is untrue and harmful, I am far more concerned about his labeling journalists 'the enemy of the people.' I warned that this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence," reads the statement. "I repeatedly stressed that this is particularly true abroad, where the president’s rhetoric is being used by some regimes to justify sweeping crackdowns on journalists. I warned that it was putting lives at risk, that it was undermining the democratic ideals of our nation, and that it was eroding one of our country’s greatest exports: a commitment to free speech and a free press."
Sulzberger continued to say that he didn't tell Trump to "soften his attacks on The Times," but rather to "reconsider his broader attacks on journalism." It seems like Trump only heard some of those words.
