After Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 presidential election, he vowed to break records at his inauguration. After only 200,000 people showed up in person to watch him be sworn in, the new president blasted the media for reporting the numbers to the pubic.
Trump on Twitter
Over the last year and a half, Donald Trump has used Twitter as his top form of communication to the American people. Trump's relationship with the press has only continued to deteriorate, prompting the billionaire real estate mogul to increase his use of social media.
After the attendance numbers for his inauguration were announced, Trump and his administration quickly lashed out at the press. As he has in recent weeks, Trump has labeled many media outlets "fake news," including his top target CNN. As seen on his offical Twitter account on January 24, Trump is back to his social media habit of bashing the press, while also dragging the entire city of Chicago into his rant.
Congratulations to @FoxNews for being number one in inauguration ratings. They were many times higher than FAKE NEWS @CNN - public is smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
"Congratulations to @FoxNews for being number one in inauguration ratings," Donald Trump wrote on his personal Twitter feed.
Not stopping there, the new president went on to bash CNN in the process. "They were many times higher than FAKE NEWS CNN," Trump said of CNN's Inauguration Day ratings, before adding, "public is smart!"
Inauguration Day ratings: Fox triples CNN, MSNBC combinedhttps://t.co/ce5CYEZPCU pic.twitter.com/CoT3fJPTsH
— The Hill (@thehill) January 22, 2017
In a follow-up tweet, Donald Trump made a threat to the city of Chicago about the increase in crime in the city.
"If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!" Trump wrote.
If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
Press problems
Over the last week, Donald Trump and his team have engaged in a heated war of words against the mainstream media, with Fox News being an exception.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway have gotten into tense situations with members of the press, including one-on-one interviews, and during press conferences. The backlash has gotten so intense that Conway is now receiving Secret Service protection due to apparent threats, while reports have circulated that Spicer could lose his job as press secretary.
Outright Lies, Constant Tweets & "Alternative Facts": Inside Trump's Orwellian War with the Media https://t.co/H3BhVkAngv pic.twitter.com/WCYaFshk3m
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) January 24, 2017
Moving forward
During the campaign trail, Donald Trump referred to the media and journalists as "dishonest" and "terrible" people, which appears to be a theme that he is sticking with in the White House. With the relationship between Trump and the press at an all-time low, it doesn't appear like both sides will be able to get on the same page anytime soon.