Trump: CNN Interview Would be “Disloyal” to Supporters

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On Thursday, the president expressed the following hesitations about interviewing with CNN:

“[CNN is] begging me to do an interview, and I just think it would be disloyal to my followers. I think it would be very disloyal to people that are Trump fans and people that voted for me and people that are going to vote again.”

President Trump and CNN have sparred with one another since the former’s time in the White House. Many supporters of the president also remain critical of CNN and the manner in which the network covers stories regarding Trump and conservatives. Despite pushback from his critics, the president regularly brands CNN and other left-leaning networks as “fake news.”

Pushback Against Claims of Fake News

Over the past year or so, critics of the president have stated that his censure of the press is not supportive of the First Amendment. This claim increased in frequency after Trump branded certain press outlets as “the enemy of the people.”

When challenged, the Trump administration has pushed back against criticism. During Sarah Sanders’ time as White House press secretary, she directly addressed these concerns. Sanders affirmed that the media has a responsibility to report fairly and accurately.