During a discussion in the Oval Office on Monday with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, President Donald Trump accused CNN of intentionally ignoring positive developments at the southern border, claiming the network refuses to cover the progress because “they hate our country.”
While speaking with Bukele, Trump shifted the conversation to highlight recent gains in border enforcement and increased enlistment in law enforcement and military sectors. Bukele praised Trump’s administration, saying, “Actually, what you’re doing with the border is remarkable. It has dropped, what, 95%? It’s incredible.”
Trump quickly corrected the number, stating, “As of this morning, 99%, 99.1% to be exact.”
Bukele questioned the lack of media coverage, asking, “Why are those numbers not in the media?”
Trump responded by blaming media bias, particularly pointing to CNN. “Well, they get out, but the fake news, you know, like CNN — CNN over here doesn’t want to put them out because they don’t like putting out good numbers … because I think they hate our country, actually,” he said.
Turning to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Trump asked her to weigh in on the situation. She praised the administration’s efforts, stating, “It’s just been absolutely phenomenal what a great leader can do. Clear direction. Our laws matter. We should only have people in our country that love us. And our Border Patrol and our ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers and law officers have done fantastic work. So we’re proud of them.”
Noem added, “Now, we just need to get the criminals and murderers and rapists and dangerous gang members and terrorist organizations out of our country.”
After the exchange, CNN’s Dana Bash issued a rebuttal on-air, addressing Trump’s comment. “I just want to say, for the record, since we heard President Trump say in the Oval Office that CNN hates our country, CNN does not hate our country,” she said.
Bash continued, “I’ve been here for 32 years, and I see a rhetorical device in him trying to say such a thing. That said, I want to focus on the news that we heard.”
{Matzav.com}