Trump: NBC News ‘may be worse than even CNN’

by Brooke Seipel - 10/12/17 8:23 PM ET

President Trump late Thursday doubled down on his criticism of NBC News, warning in a tweet that the news outlet “may be worse than even CNN.”

“People are just now starting to find out how dishonest and disgusting (FakeNews) @NBCNews is. Viewers beware. May be worse than even @CNN!” Trump tweeted.

People are just now starting to find out how dishonest and disgusting (FakeNews) @NBCNews is. Viewers beware. May be worse than even @CNN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2017

Trump, a frequent critic of so-called fake news, has directed his ire at NBC News this week after it reported that Trump suggested dramatically expanding the country’s nuclear capabilities — from roughly 4,000 to 32,000 warheads — after seeing data that showed the U.S. weapons stockpile decreasing from that level since the 1960s.

The request was what reportedly led Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to call Trump a “moron.” A State Department spokesperson later denied Tillerson used that word to insult Trump.{mosads}

Defense Secretary James Mattis in a statement hit back at the NBC report, saying Trump never “called for” an increase in the nuclear arsenal.

Trump himself has attacked the network over the report on Twitter.

“Fake @NBCNews made up a story that I wanted a ‘tenfold’ increase in our U.S. nuclear arsenal. Pure fiction, made up to demean. NBC = CNN!” Trump tweeted.

“With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!” he said in another tweet.

Tags James Mattis Rex Tillerson