President Donald Trump “has a healthy respect for the press” despite his continual attacks on the media, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday.
In a tweet posted Friday, Trump claimed that the “FAKE NEWS media” is “the enemy of the American People.” On Thursday, Trump scolded members of the media during a White House press conference.
“He has deep respect for the First Amendment, for the role of the press,” Spicer said during his daily press briefing Tuesday. “But I think that it’s a two-way street.”
He said Trump “has been very clear that certain outlets have gone out of their way to not represent his record accurately.”
“It is a concern to him,” Spicer said. “I think that the President understands that certain outlets have gone out of their way to not be completely accurate and fair in their coverage of what’s going on.”
Prominent members of Trump’s administration voiced less extreme stances toward the media in recent days. Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis said on Sunday that he does not “have any issues with the press.”
And on Monday, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters that he and Trump “strongly support a free and independent press.”
