Leaked audio from Trump's re-election fundraiser catches the president threatening to sue CNN
President Trump's re-election campaign already sounds a whole lot like his 2016 campaign, judging by his single-minded focus on trashing CNN, The Intercept reports. While the press was not allowed at his D.C. fundraiser (which took place, to no one's surprise, at his own hotel), attendees could get a spot at the event for $35,000 a pop.
What that money bought them: A seat to witness a signature Trump media rant, caught on tape published by The Intercept. "It's a shame what they've done to the name CNN, that I can tell you," Trump told the crowd. "But as far as I'm concerned, I love it. If anybody's a lawyer in the house and thinks I have a good lawsuit — I feel like we do. Wouldn't that be fun?" The threats to sue, for what it's worth, are also a signature Trump campaign line.
Trump also slammed CNN's staff as being "horrible human beings" and gloated, "Boy, did CNN get killed over the last few days," a reference to three reporters resigning over a story that did not meet CNN's editorial standards. Listen below via The Intercept. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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