It's no secret that Donald Trump and the mainstream media aren't on the best of terms. After Chief Strategist Steve Bannon lashed out at the press on Thursday, members of the news media were quick to fire back.
Bannon backlash
Not long after Donald Trump officially locked up the Republican presidential nomination over the summer, he made big changes to his campaign. Paul Manafort was replaced by Kellyanne Conway as the campaign manager, while former head of Breitbart News, Steve Bannon, was brought on board as the campaign CEO. Bannon has come under fire in recent months, with critics going as far as accusing him of being a white nationalist and a racist.
Bannon denies the allegations, but has made it clear he is no fan of the press. In an interview with The New York Times on January 26, Bannon elaborated on his grievances.
"I want you to quote this," Steve Bannon said. "The media here is the opposition party." https://t.co/CaavOYgmT2
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 26, 2017
"The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile," Steve Bannon told the New York Times during a phone interview on Thursday. Not stopping there, the chief strategist continued. "I want you to quote this," Bannon instructed the paper, while adding "The media here is the opposition party." Bannon went on to claim hat the media doesn't "understand" the country or "why Donald Trump is the president."
‘We’re Not Supposed to be State Television’: CNN’s Gloria Borger Fires Back at Steve Bannon https://t.co/y6w10zC2Cz (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/wlHkKWD0qo
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) January 27, 2017
Media response
Steve Bannon's comments were the topic of discussion during a panel segment on CNN later in the day.
Network contributor Gloria Borger gave her response, and was critical of Bannon's remarks. "I think the role is not to be a rubber stamp," she said, before explaining, "We're not supposed to be state television here." Borger continued, urging the the press to keep "ask(ing) the hard questions."
Jake Tapper Delivers Perfect Response to Steve Bannon Telling Media to 'Keep Its Mouth Shut' https://t.co/pe7mhjuxiS (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/AgoKSpeu0w
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) January 26, 2017
Network analyst Phil Mudd described Bannon's rant as "comical," but also admitted that he was "uncomfortable" with how it might play out.
A few hours later, CNN host Jake Tapper gave a quick answer to Bannon's call for the media to "keep quiet." "No," Tapper said. While it's unknown if the relationship between Donald Trump and press will improve in the future, it doesn't appear like it will be getting better anytime soon.
