President Trump gave the Washington Post an unusual round of applause, commending the outlet for both a “positive” story and column published over the weekend.
“Can’t believe the @washingtonpost wrote a positive front page story,” he tweeted Sunday. “What is going on at the @washingtonpost? NOT Fake News!”
Can’t believe the @washingtonpost wrote a positive front page story, “Unity Issue Has Parties Pointing To Trump. GOP Goes All In, While Democrats Clash Over Ideology & Tactics. Mr. President, We Are With You The Entire Way. REPUBLICANS Have….Coalesced Around Trump.”…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019
….Then, on top of it all, Kathleen Parker, of all people, wrote “In Case You Were Wondering, Trump Won The Debate.” True, but what is going on at the @washingtonpost? NOT Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019
In his tweets, the president pointed to a Saturday story in the Post outlining how Republicans are going “all in” for him in 2020 “while Democrats clash over ideology and tactics.” Trump also praised a Friday column that declared he had won Thursday’s Democratic debate.
Trump’s praise stands in stark contrast to his usual criticism of the Post. Earlier this month, he lashed out at reporters Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker, calling them “two nasty lightweight reporters” for a story they wrote about Trump’s “self-inflicted controversies and squandered opportunities.”
At the time, the president said the pair “shouldn’t even be allowed on the grounds of the White House because their reporting is so DISGUSTING & FAKE.”
However, Marty Baron, the executive editor of the Washington Post, stood behind the reporters, calling Trump’s “pattern of seeking to denigrate and intimidate the press” “unwarranted and dangerous.”
