Donald Trump has singled out a CNN journalist and demanded she be fired in a scathing attack on US media outlets.
“Natasha Bertrand should be FIRED from CNN! I watched her for three days doing Fake News,” Trump wrote on his own social media platform.
“She should be IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out ‘like a dog’.”
Trump then referred to a story Bertrand filed in 2020 about former president Joe Biden’s son Hunter titled ‘Laptop from Hell’.
“The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by seven people briefed on it,” the lede states.
“In fact, they did a GREAT job and hit “pay dirt” — TOTAL OBLITERATION! She should not be allowed to work at Fake News CNN,” he continued.
“It’s people like her who destroyed the reputation of a once great Network.
“Her slant was so obviously negative, besides, she doesn’t have what it takes to be an on camera correspondent, not even close. FIRE NATASHA!”
In a statement about Bertrand, a spokesperson for CNN said the outlet stands behind her journalism.
“We stand 100 per cent behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities,” the statement reads.
“CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence. We have extensively covered President Trump’s own deep skepticism about it.
“However, we do not believe it is reasonable to criticise CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest.”
Betrand published the story alongside Katie Bo Lillis and Zachery Cohen.
In an earlier post, Trump shared another angry rant about the “failing” New York Times and CNN, claiming both outlets had contributed to the “fake news” agenda.
He described the reporters who wrote stories about the B2 pilots as “bad and sick people”.
“You would think they would be proud of the great success we had, instead of trying to always make our Country look bad. TOTAL OBLITERATION!”
Trump has been waging a war against what he calls “fake news” since his first administration.
