Trump's CPAC Speech Was 'Fantastic'—and Ironic

President bashes use of anonymous sources hours after using them himself
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 24, 2017 2:17 PM CST
Trump Bashes Anonymous Sources Right After Using Them
President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, in Oxon Hill, Md.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Trump opened his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday by attacking the "dishonest media." He accused the media of making up stories and sources and being "fake news." And he railed against the use of anonymous sources. Here's how people reacted to the president's newest round of media criticism:

  • It played well with those actually in the room, the Los Angeles Times reports. One 84-year-old CPAC attendee called it "fantastic, unbelievable, absolute truth."
  • The New York Times says Friday's speech was another example that the media has firmly replaced Hillary Clinton as Trump's "foil."
  • Axios points out the irony of Trump attacking the media's use of anonymous sources hours after having his aides give an anonymous briefing to the media, not to mention his history of acting as his own anonymous source.
  • Fox News also noted that irony, though it also credited Trump with "electrifying" the CPAC crowd with a "historic" speech.
  • On the other hand, Red State says Trump has a point about anonymous sources. While there can be a good reason for their use, they're now being utilized simply as an excuse to attack the president.
  • The Washington Post annotates the full text of Trump's speech, which it says proves "he's totally obsessed with the media."
  • The PolitiFact fact check of Trump's speech finds he was incorrect in claiming the media, due to its dishonesty, had a lower approval rating than Congress.
  • Finally, Slate reports Trump's war on the media isn't going that well. A poll released Friday found 53% of voters disagree with him that the media is the enemy, and 48% think Trump is a bigger threat than the media.
(More Donald Trump stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X