President-elect Donald Trump invited members of the mainstream media to Trump Tower Monday for an off-the-record pow-wow some described as an “f-ing firing squad.”
Believing they were in for a discussion about the media’s access to Trump, the presidents of NBC News, MSNBC and CNN, in addition to various other media figures, were treated instead to a brutal tongue-lashing.
“It was like a f–ing firing squad,” a source told The New York Post, adding that Trump specifically singled out CNN boss Jeff Zucker saying, “I hate your network.”
“Trump started with [CNN chief] Jeff Zucker and said ‘I hate your network, everyone at CNN is a liar and you should be ashamed,’ ” the source said.
“The meeting was a total disaster. The TV execs and anchors went in there thinking they would be discussing the access they would get to the Trump administration, but instead they got a Trump-style dressing down,” the source added.
Another source confirmed the version of events, claiming Trump also slammed two other female NBC correspondents.
“The meeting took place in a big board room and there were about 30 or 40 people, including the big news anchors from all the networks,” the other source said.
“Trump kept saying, ‘We’re in a room of liars, the deceitful dishonest media who got it all wrong.’ He addressed everyone in the room calling the media dishonest, deceitful liars. He called out Jeff Zucker by name and said everyone at CNN was a liar, and CNN was [a] network of liars,” the source stated.
“Trump didn’t say [NBC reporter] Katy Tur by name, but talked about an NBC female correspondent who got it wrong, then he referred to a horrible network correspondent who cried when Hillary lost who hosted a debate – which was Martha Raddatz who was also in the room.”
Those in attendance included “NBC News President Deborah Turness, MSNBC President Phil Griffin, CNN President Jeff Zucker and network anchor Wolf Blitzer, Fox News Co-Presidents Bill Shine and Jack Abernethy and Executive Vice Presidents Jay Wallace and Suzanne Scott, and CBS News anchors John Dickerson and Charlie Rose,” according to Politico.
According to The Post, “Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, plans to meet with Trump Tuesday” – yet another publication Trump has frequently slammed as dishonest.
The failing @nytimes is truly one of the worst newspapers. They knowingly write lies and never even call to fact check. Really bad people!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2016
Watch: Trump Goes Nuclear on Fake News Anchors & Execs
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