After spending the morning tweeting about how the “Fake News is working overtime,” President Donald Trump acknowledged that not all media is “fake” during a discussion about the Republican tax reform plan with CEOs at the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
“All of you have done a tremendous job mobilizing members and talking to the members of Congress, which is very important and making a strong case for tax reform in the media,” he said. “The media is not all fake, therefore, we can get a fair shake.”
He said members of his cabinet would be traveling around the country while he’s in Asia next week, talking directly to taxpayers about the new plan and giving interviews to local media, which Trump apparently prefers over national news outlets.
Cabinet officials will be “focusing on the regional media, which we find to be a much more credible media to be honest with you. In fact, I found it to be incredible how good they are,” he said.
On Tuesday morning, Trump took to Twitter to complain about the “Fake News” being “weak!” and the recent media coverage of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was indicted Monday on multiple counts of money laundering, among other crimes, some of which spanned through the time Manafort was working for the Trump campaign.
Trump was also frustrated with the attention being paid to George Papadopoulos, one of his campaign’s foreign policy advisers who recently plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, whom he was encouraged to meet with during the campaign, according to court documents.
He claimed that the “biggest story” from Monday was that Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager’s brother, Tony Podesta, is leaving his Washington lobbying firm after becoming part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to win.
The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was "no collusion" and events mentioned took place long before he…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
….came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
The biggest story yesterday, the one that has the Dems in a dither, is Podesta running from his firm. What he know about Crooked Dems is….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
….earth shattering. He and his brother could Drain The Swamp, which would be yet another campaign promise fulfilled. Fake News weak!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
As reporters were ushered out of the Roosevelt Room where Trump was hosting the tax reform discussion, the President refused to answer shouted question about the Mueller indictments or presidential pardons.
