Outside of Donald Trump and his inauguration, one of the biggest political stories to dominate the headlines has been Kellyanne Conway and her use of the term "alternative facts." Due to the increasing backlash against the Trump administration, Conway is now under Secret Service protection, and she has put the blame on the doorstep of the media.
Conway fires back
Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway joined Chuck Todd for an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning, and the conversation quickly grew hostile. Todd pressed Conway on why Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer were openly disputing the factual numbers about the inauguration crowd size.
Conway wasn't happy with Todd's line of questioning, and responded that the administration was just giving "alternative facts." Over the last 24 hours, the entire Trump team has come under fire, which has led to Secret Service protection for Conway. Appearing on the January 23 edition of "Hannity" on Fox News, the former campaign manager elaborated further.
.@KellyannePolls says false report about Martin Luther King Jr. bust shows "presumptive negativity" from media. #Hannity pic.twitter.com/Q8uZ57UzKn
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 24, 2017
Joining Fox News host Sean Hannity was Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway, who claimed that recent media criticism had led to dangerous situations that called for swift action.
"Because of what the press is doing now to me, I have Secret Service protection," Conway explained, while blaming the press for the threats in question. "We have packages delivered to my house with white substances," she continued, before noting, "That is a shame."
Kellyanne Conway has been assigned Secret Service protection https://t.co/fwmVQcjqyv pic.twitter.com/NC6oytgnEc
— The Hill (@thehill) January 24, 2017
Kellyanne Conway then shifted her attention to attacking the media for promoting a press pool report that claimed Donald Trump had removed a Martin Luther King bust from the Oval Office.
The report, however, was inaccurate, which was later retracted and clarified. "The darn bust was right there," Conway told Hannity. "I was next to it," she continued in anger, while adding, "It was being hidden by a guard."
Moving forward
The feud pitting Donald Trump and his administration against the news media has expanded to factual information.
Despite news outlets and fact-checkers debunking many Trump claims, the new commander in chief often accuses the press of lying when information comes out that could reflect negatively on his administration. While it's unknown if the relationship could improve, both sides haven't gotten off to the best start.