President Donald Trump lambasted the “dishonest” media for overplaying his supposed “feud” with the Central Intelligence Agency when he made his first public appearance during his first full day as president Saturday afternoon in the agency’s Virginia headquarters.
Speaking before a crowd of more than 300 CIA employees, the 45th president expressed his support for the intelligence community while taking shots at a hostile press corps. Professing that he wanted to have a good relationship with the intelligence community, Trump told those gathered before him that he wanted to set the record straight and denounce the mainstream media’s attempts to malign him.
“And 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.”
“So I can only say that I am with you 1,000 percent. And 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 as spectators cheered and clapped. “And 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 [my] No. 1 stop is exactly the opposite.”
Trump proceeded to outline “dishonest” reports that arose out of Friday’s inauguration ceremony and the hours afterwards. As the president noted, the media were all too keen to compare the crowd gathered at Trump’s inauguration with the record-breaking 1.8 million attendees at former President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
“And I turn on, by mistake I get this network, and it showed an empty field. And it said we drew 250,000 people. Now that’s not bad. But it’s a lie,” Trump said, noting that the mainstream media wanted to characterize his inauguration as negatively as possible. “So we caught them, and we caught them in a beauty. And I think they’re going to pay a big price.”
White House press secretary Sean Spicer also called the media to account for their slanted reporting on Inauguration Day during a blistering first White House briefing later Saturday afternoon.
“Secondly, photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally framed in a way — in one particular tweet — to minimize the enormous support that had gathered on the National Mall,” Spicer said, noting this was the first inauguration where white protective grass coverings — which highlighted gaps between attendees — were used. Spicer also noted that no official attendance numbers have been published by the National Park Service, which controls the National Mall.
“Yesterday at a time when our nation and the world was watching the peaceful transition of power … some members of the media were engaged in deliberately false reporting,” Spicer said. “These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm with the inauguration are shameful and wrong.”
But Trump and Spicer also addressed the controversy that arose over what happened to the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oval Office.
A tweet surfaced Friday from TIME Magazine White House reporter Zeke Miller that the president had allowed the bust of the iconic civil rights leader to be removed. Miller later corrected his mistake by tweeting, “Correction: The MLK bust is still in the Oval Office. It was obscured by an agent and door.”
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In response, Spicer tweeted, “A reminder of the media danger of tweet first check facts later.” Later in his White House briefing, Spicer called Miller’s reporting “irresponsible and reckless.”
“But this is how dishonest the media is,” Trump lamented. “I only like to say that because I love honesty and I like honest reporting.”
Spicer, noting that over 1,000 CIA employees requested to attend Trump’s speech in the Virginia headquarters and only approximately 400 could attend, said those gathered in the “overflow crowd” were “raucous” and “ecstatic” to be there.
“I’d also note that it’s a shame the CIA didn’t have a CIA director to be with him today when he visited because the … Senate Democrats are stalling the nomination of Mike Pompeo and playing politics with national security,” Spicer said. “That’s what you guys should be writing and covering instead of sowing division about tweets and false narratives.”
“There’s been a lot of talk in the media about the responsibility to hold Donald Trump accountable. And I’m here to tell you that it goes two ways. We’re going to hold the press accountable, as well,” Spicer concluded. “The American people deserve better. And as long as he serves as the messenger for this incredible movement, he will take his message directly to the American people where his focus will always be.”
Because of the media’s “dishonest” reporting, Trump vowed to the CIA employees that he respects and backs the intelligence community — despite any reports they may hear to the contrary.
“I am so behind you,” Trump said. “And I know sometimes you haven’t gotten the backing that you’ve wanted. And you’re going to get so much backing.”
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