New York Times Publisher Hits Back At Trump: I Told Him His ‘Anti-Press Rhetoric’ Is ‘Dangerous’

New York Times Publisher Hits Back At Trump: I Told Him His ‘Anti-Press Rhetoric’ Is ‘Dangerous’

Prior to heading to the golf course this morning, President Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets as he is wont to do. One of those tweets disclosed a meeting he had with New York Times published A.G. Sulzberger that Trump described as “very good and interesting.” The way the president saw it, the two spent much of the meeting discussing “the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, “Enemy of the People.” Sad!”

Sulzberger believed that the meeting was off-the-record, but once the president spouted off on Twitter about it, the publisher released a statement revealing what the real purpose of the meeting was and why he wanted to talk to Trump.

“My main purpose for accepting the meeting was to raise concerns about the president’s deeply troubling anti-press rhetoric,” Sulzberger’s statement read. “I told the president directly that I thought that his language was not just divisive but increasingly dangerous.”

He continued, “I told him that although the phrase “fake news” is untrue and harmful, I am far more concerned about his labeling journalists “the enemy of the people.” I warned that this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence.”

Sulzberger concluded his statement by noting that he wasn’t trying to get POTUS to “soften his attacks” on the NYT if Trump felt the coverage was unfair but instead “implored him to reconsider his broader attacks on journalism, which I believe are dangerous and harmful to our country.”

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the founder/publisher of Contemptor and a contributor to The Daily Beast. He was previously the Cable News Correspondent for Mediaite and prior to starting Contemptor, he worked on the editorial staff of PoliticusUSA. During that time, he had his work quoted by USA Today and BBC News, among others. Justin began his published career as a political writer for 411Mania. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and pets.

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