President Donald Trump on Monday railed against the media on Twitter not long after the New York Police Department confirmed that a pipe bomb detonated in the New York City subway.
Trump’s tweet pushing back on a the New York Times story about his television-viewing habits came after the White House confirmed he had been briefed on the explosion, but before Trump made any public comment about the incident.
The President claimed that the New York Times story was “false” and that he rarely watches CNN or MSNBC.
Another false story, this time in the Failing @nytimes, that I watch 4-8 hours of television a day – Wrong! Also, I seldom, if ever, watch CNN or MSNBC, both of which I consider Fake News. I never watch Don Lemon, who I once called the “dumbest man on television!” Bad Reporting.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2017
The New York Times reported over the weekend that Trump begins his days by watching cable news and spends at least four hours each day, and sometimes as much as eight hours, watching the news on television.
The Times defended its reporting on Monday in response to Trump’s tweet.
We stand by our reporting, sourced from interviews with 60 advisers, associates, friends and members of Congress. https://t.co/Zj9pN2Hcv2
— The New York Times Communications (@NYTimesPR) December 11, 2017