President Trump on Saturday praised the shuttering of The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine critical of him, one day after the publication announced that it would close and lay off staff.
“The pathetic and dishonest Weekly Standard, run by failed prognosticator Bill Kristol (who, like many others, never had a clue), is flat broke and out of business. Too bad,” Trump tweeted. “May it rest in peace!”
The Weekly Standard was co-founded by Bill Kristol, one of Trump’s most outspoken critics from the right, and Fred Barnes, a contributor on the Sunday political affairs program “The McLaughlin Group.”{mosads}
Kristol brushed off Trump’s comments on Saturday, responding that the president should tag him in future tweets going after him.
The conservative news outlet announced on Friday that it would shut down after 23 years. Employees were notified at a staff meeting on Friday.
They were told they would be paid through the end of the year and could obtain a severance package if they agreed to sign a strict nondisclosure and nondisparagement agreement, CNN reported.
Editor-in-chief Stephen Hayes sent a note to employees referencing difficulties maneuvering the Trump presidency in announcing the magazine and news site would close.
“This is a volatile time in American journalism and politics,” he wrote in the note obtained by CNN. “Many media outlets have responded to the challenges of the moment by prioritizing affirmation over information, giving into the pull of polarization and the lure of clickbait.”
“I’m proud that we’ve remained both conservative and independent, providing substantive reporting and analysis based on facts, logic and reason.”