CNN media critic Brian Stelter and senior legal adviser to President Trump, Jenna Ellis, traded barbs during a segment that turned contentious on his weekly program Sunday.
“He is the first one to actually use his platform as an American citizen to be able to call out the fake news media,” Ellis said, referring to Trump.
Stelter then interrupted Ellis.
“You understand that someday you’re going to regret this, right?” he said. “Someday you’re going to regret this when your kids and your grandkids look back at this time … ”
Ellis said she took Stelter’s comment personally.
“Oh, now you’re going with personal attacks, that’s when you know you lost the debate, Brian,” she said.
Trump often attacks mainstream media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, or NBC News. He has suggested media outlets are out to paint him and members of his administration in a negative light.
“You use slurs like fake news to hurt news outlets,” Stelter said of Ellis and Trump’s defenders who attack reporters. “I think in 10 or 20 years, if we sit down to talk about this, you’re going to realize how damaging it was.”
Stelter said it is legitimate to question the unfettered attacks waged by Trump and his allies on the national media, members of which Stelter said are “just trying to do their jobs.”
“You’re not trying to do your job, you’re not a journalist, Brian, you’re an activist, that’s the problem,” Ellis responded. “You have an agenda, and your agenda is anti-Trump. … You’re an activist, you’re not reporting fact and truth.”
