United States’ president Donald Trump lashed out at the media on Wednesday over the coverage of a brief interaction between him and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
The incident occurred during Trump’s recent address to Congress, where he was seen shaking Roberts’ hand and saying, “Thank you again. (I) won’t forget it.”
The moment sparked speculation, with some suggesting it reflected how the Supreme Court has favoured Trump in recent rulings. The court recently delivered key victories for Trump, including blocking Colorado’s attempt to remove him from the ballot and ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions.
Trump, however, dismissed the controversy in a Truth Social post, writing, “Like most people, I don’t watch fake news CNN or MSDNC, but I understand they are going ‘crazy’ asking what I was thanking Justice Roberts for? They never called my office to ask, of course.”
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Since his 2016 campaign, he has frequently accused mainstream outlets of spreading “fake news,” and has even called them “the true enemy of the people,” writes The Independent. His feud with the press has only intensified during his second term, with his administration recently blocking Associated Press reporters from covering official events.
“We are seeing a multipronged attack on free speech, but not just any free speech. I think, in particular, we’re seeing a multipronged attack on the ability of journalists as well as individuals to call into question anything that Donald Trump or that the Trump administration does,” said Heidi Kitrosser, a Northwestern University constitutional law professor specialising in freedom of speech, in an interview with Al Jazeera.