President Trump slammed CNN and said “big changes” may come to the network if people began boycotting CNN’s parent company, AT&T.
AT&T took control of CNN after the telecommunications giant merged with the cable television company Time Warner earlier this year. Trump criticized CNN and AT&T in a pair of tweets on Monday after touching down in the United Kingdom:
“Just arrived in the United Kingdom. The only problem is that @CNN is the primary source of news available from the U.S. After watching it for a short while, I turned it off. All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something? … I believe that if people [stopped] using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News! Why wouldn’t they act. When the World watches @CNN, it gets a false picture of USA. Sad!”
Just arrived in the United Kingdom. The only problem is that @CNN is the primary source of news available from the U.S. After watching it for a short while, I turned it off. All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News! Why wouldn’t they act. When the World watches @CNN, it gets a false picture of USA. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
A federal judge ruled in June that AT&T could acquire Time Warner in an $85 million deal. The Trump administration sued to block the deal in November, arguing the merger violated antitrust laws, would limit competition, and raise prices.