Donald Trump has argued that the parent company of NBC should be investigated for “treason” in a Truth Social rant voicing his increasing frustrations with the news media.
“They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its ‘Country Threatening Treason’,” Mr Trump wrote on Sunday night, referencing his own nickname for the cable news network.
Mr Trump went on to lambast “their endless coverage of the now fully debunked SCAM known as Russia, Russia, Russia, and much else, is one big Campaign Contribution to the Radical Left Democrat Party”.
The former president has long been irked by the investigations into his 2016 campaign links to Russia.
“I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events,” Mr Trump suggested.
“Why should NBC, or any other of the corrupt & dishonest media companies, be entitled to use the very valuable Airwaves of the USA, FREE? They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!”
Later on Sunday evening, Mr Trump directed his ire at ABC, writing, “To show everyone how FAKE the News Media is, ABC WORLD NEWS on Sunday Morning, their big News Show, covered every aspect of a Poll on Crooked Joe Biden, except for the biggest and most important FACT, that he was losing to a person known as DONALD J. TRUMP by a staggering 10 Points”.
The poll by The Washington Post and ABC does show Mr Trump with a 10-point over Mr Biden, but The Post itself has cast doubts on the findings, writing that “the sizable margin of Trump’s lead in this survey is significantly at odds with other public polls that show the general election contest a virtual dead heat”.
The paper added that the “difference between this poll and others, as well as the unusual makeup of Trump’s and Biden’s coalitions in this survey, suggest it is probably an outlier”.
Donald Trump ranted about Comcast on Truth Social— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Mr Trump appeared outraged at this analysis of the poll, writing that “they spend millions of dollars on these polls, and then, if the result isn’t what they want it to be, refuse to properly report the results. This is what Fake News is all about, and the public has quickly gotten wise to it. ABC FAKE NEWS SHOULD BE ASHAMED!!!”
The poll has also been lambasted as flawed by some observers, with the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, pollster Larry Sabato, writing on X: “Ignore the Washington Post - ABC poll. It’s a ridiculous outlier (Trump up 10 over Biden—laughable). My question: How could you even publish a poll so absurd on its face? Will be a lingering embarrassment for you.”
Mr Trump’s complaint about the media came as he went on a series of rants over the weekend, including calling for all Senate Democrats to resign in the wake of the indictment on corruption charges against New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez – even as Mr Trump himself faces four criminal indictments.
“They all knew what was going on, and the way he lived,” Mr Trump claimed.
