Ever since Donald Trump pulled off the upset and defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to become the new president, he's increased his war of words with the media. While the majority of the press has continued to hold Trump's feet to the fire, others are sticking by the president's side.
Newt on Trump
During the 2016 presidential election, the battle lines were drawn early on.
When Donald Trump started to gain steam in the Republican primary, many conservatives pushed back, creating the "Never Trump" movement that latest until the Republican National Convention last July. Two names that stuck by Trump were Fox News host Sean Hannity, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. After Trump won the primary and later the election, Hannity and Gingrich continued to defend the billionaire real estate mogul, especially in his feud with the media. During the March 10 edition of "Hannity" on Fox News, Gingrich took his praise of Trump and hate for the media to a new level.
While being interviewed by Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich took time praise the Fox News host for offering early criticism of Barack Obama. "I have since said many times, that Sean Hannity was the only reporter in 2008 who understood the core radical nature of Obama," Gingrich said to Hannity, before adding, "you were way ahead of anybody else in understanding the underlining motivation of radicalism that Obama was involved with."
Not stopping there, Newt Gingrich was quick to double down on the use of the term "fake news" to describe the media who attack Donald Trump. "I actually like the phrase that Trump has used before. You have 'fake news.' The fake news is created by people like the Washington Post and the New York Times," Gingrich said.
"They are waging war on the Trump administration," the former Speaker of the House went on to claim.
Newt doubles down
"This is not just bias. This is not just slanted coverage," New Gingrich continued, before adding, "These people are at war with the very survival of the Trump administration." In closing, Gingrich used a term coined by Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, referring the mainstream media as the "opposition party," while accusing government employees who voted for Hillary Clinton of helping the press in their alleged "war" on the president.