After Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump revoked the Washington Post’s press credentials Monday, the publication issued a scathing response.
Trump announced on social media he would revoke press credentials for the “phony and dishonest” publication.
“Based on the incredibly inaccurate coverage and reporting of the record setting Trump campaign, we are hereby revoking the press credentials of the phony and dishonest Washington Post,” Trump wrote on Facebook and Twitter.
Washington Post’s editorial board ran a piece titled “Donald Trump’s Assault On Our Values,” where they blasted Trump for his rhetoric on Muslims and his ban on their publication.
“Mr. Trump capped a day of assaulting fundamental liberal democratic values by announcing he would ban Post reporters from covering his campaign events,” the piece reads. “If this is his inclination now, imagine how he might wield the powers of the presidency.”
Trump gave a speech earlier in the day criticizing Muslim immigration in light of the Orlando shooting reportedly inspired by Islamic State. Omar Mateen entered Pulse, a gay nightclub, early Sunday morning and killed 49 people and injured 53 more before police killed him.
“It had not seemed possible, but Donald Trump descended this week to a new low of bigotry, fear-mongering and conspiracy-peddling,” the editorial reads. Trump also took heat for pointing out the congratulations he received for being right about radical Islamic terrorism.
“As the country mourned the wanton slaughter of 49 people early Sunday, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee took a victory lap, hinted darkly that President Obama is an enemy of the nation, libeled American Muslims and, in grotesque punctuation, finished up with a vindictive attack on the media.”
Less than an hour before announcing the ban on Post reporters, Trump posted criticism of the publication on Facebook. He specifically attacked one article headline as “dishonest.”
“I am no fan of President Obama, but to show you how dishonest the phony Washington Post is, they wrote, ‘Donald Trump suggests President Obama was involved with Orlando shooting’ as their headline. Sad!”
After announcing the ban, Trump released a statement alleging the publication was a pawn of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns the Post.
“They have no journalistic integrity and write falsely about Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump does not mind a bad story, but it has to be honest,” the statement reads. “The fact is, The Washington Post is being used by the owners of Amazon as their political lobbyist so that they don’t have to pay taxes and don’t get sued for monopolistic tendencies that have led to the destruction of department stores and the retail industry.”
Marty Baron, Executive Editor of WaPo, responded on Twitter.
Donald Trump today revoked press credentials for @washingtonpost. My statement here. pic.twitter.com/irSKhrpYiK
— Marty Baron (@PostBaron) June 13, 2016
WaPo ends their editorial with a zinger.
“Before the Orlando shooting, Beltway analysts speculated about how a terrorist attack might affect the presidential election. Now we know at least part of the answer: Mr. Trump would reveal himself more clearly than ever as a man unfit to lead.”
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