President Trump on Thursday reiterated his belief that journalists are the “enemy of the people” after his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump distanced herself from those remarks.
“They asked my daughter Ivanka whether or not the media is the enemy of the people. She correctly said no. It is the FAKE NEWS, which is a large percentage of the media, that is the enemy of the people!” Trump tweeted.
{mosads}Trump is trying to tamp down talk of internal divisions by claiming his daughter did not contradict his views on the news media, the focus of his attacks since the 2016 campaign.
Ivanka Trump was asked at an event earlier on Thursday whether she believed the news media is the “enemy of the people,” and she flatly replied, “No, I do not.”
“I’ve certainly received my fair share of reporting on me personally that I know not to be fully accurate, so I have some sensitivity around why people have concerns and gripes, especially when they sort of feel targeted,” she continued. “But no, I do not consider the media the enemy of the people.”
Tensions between the Trump White House and the news media have once again reached a boiling point, which was on display during Thursday’s press briefing.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused to say the media is not the enemy of the people during a pointed exchange with CNN’s Jim Acosta, who has been at the center of Trump’s attacks on the press corps.
“I think the president has made his position known,” Sanders said, before turning back to Acosta. “It’s ironic, Jim, that not only you and the media attack the president for his rhetoric when they frequently lower the level of conversation in this country.”