Ivanka Trump distanced herself on Thursday from her father’s criticism of the media, saying she does not view reporters as “the enemy of the people.”
“I have some sensitivity around why people have concerns and gripe, especially when they feel targeted,” Trump, also a senior White House adviser, said during an event in Washington. “But no, I don’t see [the media] as the enemy of the people.”
The difference in rhetoric comes just days after President Trump claimed the media has self-imploded, and said he has enjoyed watching it happen.
“The Fake News Media is going CRAZY! They are totally unhinged and in many ways, after witnessing first hand the damage they do to so many innocent and decent people, I enjoy watching,” Trump said in a tweet.
He added, “In 7 years, when I am no longer in office, their ratings will dry up and they will be gone!”
Widespread concerns about the president’s criticism of reporters increased after CNN White House reporter Jim Acosta was aggressively heckled during a live segment at a Trump rally on Tuesday. Some of the president’s allies have even said they’ve warned him to avoid using disparaging phrases to describe the media, which they view as a fundamental institution.
“I have likewise discouraged him from calling the press ‘the enemy of the people.’ Even with its flaws, the media is indispensable to our democracy,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, wrote in a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
[Also read: New York Times publisher: I told Trump his anti-press language is ‘increasingly dangerous’]
