BURSTPresident Trump on Tuesday tore into mainstream media outlets he says have covered the U.S. military's strike on Iran over the weekend inaccurately and unfairly.
“I think it's been completely demolished," Trump told reporters of the Iranian nuclear sites he ordered attacks on. "I think the reason we're here is because those pilots, those B-2 pilots, did an unbelievable job."
"And you know, the fake news like CNN in particular, they're trying to, you know, they're trying to say, Well, I agree that it was destroyed, but maybe not that destroyed," he added in remarks ahead of his departure for the NATO summit.
Trump added that news networks and major newspapers like the New York Times, which have cast doubt on the extent of the damages to Iran's facilities, are "really hurting great pilots who put their lives on the line.”
The president went a step further, calling journalists at CNN "scum," and saying "so is MSDNC."
"They're all, and frankly, the networks aren't much better," he continued. "It’s all fake news. They should not have done that. These pilots hit their targets, those targets were obliterated, and the pilots should be given credit.”
The strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities have sparked global concerns of a wider war, though Trump has said a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Iran was agreed to before the Iranians disputed his claim.
The president has continuously ridiculed mainstream media coverage of the second term of his administration for months — suing top news outlets and threatening to use the power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to seize their broadcast licenses.