The executive editor of the Washington Post decried President Trump’s treatment of the press after he singled out two journalists and called for them to be banned from the White House.
Trump lashed out at Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker early Saturday morning, calling them “two nasty lightweight reporters” for a story they wrote about Trump’s “self-inflicted controversies and squandered opportunities.”
The president said the two “shouldn’t even be allowed on the grounds of the White House because their reporting is so DISGUSTING & FAKE.”
The Washington Post’s @PhilipRucker (Mr. Off the Record) & @AshleyRParker, two nasty lightweight reporters, shouldn’t even be allowed on the grounds of the White House because their reporting is so DISGUSTING & FAKE. Also, add the appointment of MANY Federal Judges this Summer! https://t.co/7d33tzKxXq
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
The tweet followed an op-ed in the Washington Examiner by White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who is also Trump’s communications director and the first lady’s spokeswoman, and deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley claiming the story was an “opinion article.”
Marty Baron, the executive editor of the Washington Post, said the newspaper stands behind Rucker and Parker.
“Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker have consistently demonstrated their integrity in covering the White House,” he said in a statement. “We stand fully behind them and their important work. The president’s statement fits into a pattern of seeking to denigrate and intimidate the press. It’s unwarranted and dangerous, and it represents a threat to a free press in this country.”
Statement from WaPo Executive Editor Marty Baron responding to Trump’s attacks this morning on @PhilipRucker and @AshleyRParker: “It’s unwarranted and dangerous, and it represents a threat to a free press in this country.” pic.twitter.com/SfDoBYeHR3
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 7, 2019
