Trump Calls Out CNN and MSNBC

President Donald Trump has again seized the opportunity to once again criticize one of his most frequent targets: the mainstream news media. In a lengthy diatribe Friday during a press event, the president specifically called out cable news channels CNN and MSNBC, accusing them of fabricating stories and engaging in dishonest reporting.

Trump went so far as to predict that the networks' allegedly declining ratings would soon lead to their demise, suggesting that they would be "turned off" as a result of their poor performance.

Despite his harsh critique, Trump acknowledged the importance of truthful reporting, stating, "We do need honest journalism." He went on to claim that significant progress had been made in the past two months, but lamented that the lack of integrity in journalism continued to hinder further advancements. "When you have CNN — you have to watch these people every once in a while just to see where they are coming from, and it’s so dishonest," Trump remarked. "MSNBC is I think probably worse. They are both doing horribly in the ratings. I think they’re going to be turned off. They’re not doing any ratings."

NEW: Trump calls out MSNBC and CNN: "I think they're gonna be turned off. We need honest journalism.” pic.twitter.com/4cs98zyIKS

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The press event, which took place during a meeting with newly appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also saw President Trump address a recent story published by The New York Times. The article in question claimed that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk had been granted approval to attend a classified briefing regarding a potential military conflict with China. According to the report, Musk was set to join military leaders in a secure conference room for the sensitive discussion. However, Trump swiftly dismissed the story as "fake," asserting that no such briefing had been authorized.

Elon Musk himself took to X, the social media platform he owns (formerly known as Twitter), to denounce The New York Times' report. In a strongly worded post, Musk labeled the outlet as "pure propaganda" and emphatically denied the story's validity. "How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies," Musk wrote, echoing the president's sentiments about the state of modern journalism.