Trump accused of inciting violence against journalists

Donald Trump has been accused of inciting violence against journalists after tweeting a doctored video showing him "assaulting" a man with a CNN logo superimposed on his head.

Politicians from all sides of the spectrum joined human rights groups and media organisations in condemning the clip.

"It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters," CNN said in a statement. "Instead of preparing for… his first meeting with Vladimir Putin and working on his healthcare bill, he is instead involved in juvenile behaviour far below the dignity of his office."

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The broadcaster added: "We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his."

"As is often the case, the President's surrogates were left scrambling to explain or justify an inflammatory Twitter outburst," says the Los Angeles Times.

Trump's homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, told ABC News: "No one would perceive that as a threat. I hope they don't."

The video is the latest in a string of attacks against individual journalists and media outlets.

Last week, Trump was criticised for tweeting that MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski had asked him for an interview while "bleeding badly from a facelift".

CNN, which Trump regularly dismisses as "fake news", has borne the brunt of his Twitter outbursts, particularly since it was forced to retract a story on his campaign's alleged ties to Russia.

Shawn Donnan in the Financial Times says the latest Twitter storm opens a new front in Trump's media war.

"Trump's social media use has drawn increased uproar and repeated polls show a majority of Americans are uncomfortable with his Twitter attacks on critics," he writes.

However, "there are also signs that his combativeness plays well with his most ardent supporters and the President argues his use of social media remains an effective channel".

Speaking during a rally in Washington on Saturday, Trump said the "fake" media was trying to silence his administration.

"But we will not let them because the people know the truth," he added. "The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I'm president and they're not."