CNN media guru Brian Stelter said how he really feels about President Trump, telling an audience at the Aspen Ideas Festival this week the the construction magnate and TV celebrity is “poisoning the American people” with anti-media venom.
“President Trump is poisoning the American people, a subset of the American people that have been infected by the poison. It is getting worse every day and we’re going to reckon with the consequences for decades,” said Stelter, who added that he is still confident citizens will “get through this” because Trump is “weak right now.”
“Some days, I’m very optimistic,” he said. “I wake up glass half full a lot of days, and I think Trump’s pretty weak right now and we’re going to get through this.”
Stelter appeared at the festival with other news heavy-hitters, including MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell, USA Today reporter Susan Page, Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart and NPR media whisperer David Folkenflik.
Stelter’s poison comments came after a question from Folkenflik about why the current era is “a moment we should be so concerned about.”
Donald Trump has long had a strained relationship with the media, with a particular distaste for CNN, which goes back long before he took office. The billionaire often derides the channel and its reporters as “fake news.”
The enmity goes beyond words.
Earlier this year, his Justice Department attempted to block a purchase of CNN by AT&T. The ensuing litigation dragged on, but ultimately failed to halt the sale. Antitrust concerns, cited by Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, have not been raised by the administration in regard to the impending sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney.
Omarosa's 11 Biggest Feuds, From 'The Apprentice' to the Trump White House (Photos)
White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman exited the Trump administration in 2017, and some reports said she had to be "physically dragged and escorted" off the premises. It's hardly the first time the "Apprentice" alum has gotten into a high-profile disagreement since coming into the public eye over a decade ago.
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During her first appearance on "The Apprentice" in 2004, Manigault-Newman frequently bragged about her experience working with then-Vice President Al Gore. However, it was later reported that she cycled through four positions in two years before finally being asked to leave altogether.
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Manigault-Newman became one of the original reality TV villains with her instantly iconic performance on "The Apprentice's" debut season. She clashed with nearly every other cast member that season, but perhaps her most memorable moment came when she accused fellow contestant Ereka Vetrini of racism over the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black."
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Not one to let her 15 minutes expire, Manigault-Newman spun her star-making turn on "The Apprentice" into lasting reality TV notoriety. When she appeared on the fifth season of VH1's "The Surreal Life," she found herself under the knife -- literally -- of Janice Dickinson. The mock-threat sent Manigault-Newman over the edge, leading her to call Dickinson "a crackhead" and threatening to hit her "in the mouth."
VH1
When Manigault-Newman returned to the Trump boardroom for "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2008, she found a new enemy in the prickly British TV personality Piers Morgan. Their feud persists even until today, but it began when Morgan pinpointed her as the biggest liability among the women and refused to pronounce her name correctly.
NBC
Radio personality-turned-daytime TV star Wendy Williams hosted Manigault-Newman on her fledgling talk show in 2008 to promote her book, "The Bitch Switch." That interview quickly devolved into a series of snide comments about each other's looks and a full-blown argument about whether or not Manigault-Newman is a good representative for the black community.
Fox
Her third and final "Apprentice" appearance was in the show's "All-Stars" season in 2013, when she again clashed with Morgan, who was brought back to judge the contestants as a past winner. But it was La Toya Jackson who took the brunt of her anger when the singer dared to try and tell her what to do during one of the weekly challenges.
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Manigault-Newman and "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel held animosity for each other for years, but the pair tried to turn their beef into ratings when the "Apprentice" alum appeared on Frankel's daytime talk show in 2013. Manigault-Newman slammed Frankel as "mediocre," saying she'd had an easier path to fame and success because of her race.
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Michael Clarke Duncan's family hired a lawyer in 2013 to investigate the late actor's decision to rewrite his will to make Manigault-Newman, his then-fiancee, his main beneficiary a year before his death. The "Green Mile" star's sister also took issue with Manigault-Newman's decision to sell some of his belongings without their knowledge.
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Shortly after taking on her position as a communications official in the Trump White House, Manigault-Newman made headlines for a verbal altercation with veteran reporter -- and former friend -- April Ryan. Witnesses said the two got into a heated argument outside the Oval Office, and Ryan later said Manigault-Newman claimed to have "dossiers" of damaging information about a number of reporters.
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Manigault-Newman returned to her reality TV roots after leaving the Trump administration, entering the "Big Brother" house for the CBS competition show's first celebrity edition. One of her first acts as a born-again TV star was to tearfully warn that the country's "not going to be okay" with Trump in office. The White House fired back at a press briefing, boasting about how many times Manigault-Newman was fired on "The Apprentice."
CBS
While promoting her book "Unhinged" on NBC's "Meet the Press," Manigault-Newman played a recording of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly firing her. She also hinted at the existence of other recordings, including of Trump himself. The president has fired back, repeatedly calling his former aide a "lowlife."
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The reality TV villain has made more than her fair share of enemies over the years
White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman exited the Trump administration in 2017, and some reports said she had to be "physically dragged and escorted" off the premises. It's hardly the first time the "Apprentice" alum has gotten into a high-profile disagreement since coming into the public eye over a decade ago.
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