Trump blames ‘purposely false and inaccurate reporting’ by media for anger in society amid bomb threats

The bombs and suspicious packages were delivered to the homes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other prominent Democrats

Just a day after bombs were delivered to the homes and offices of CNN and prominent Democratic leaders, President Donald Trump has blamed the media for a “big part of the Anger we see today in our society”.

The president made the claim in a tweet on Thursday morning, the message coming after a number of top Democrats called the bomb threats a symptom of the type of hardline rhetoric promoted by Mr Trump.

“A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News,” Mr Trump tweeted. “It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!”

The president’s latest attack on the news media is a return to a favourite tactic of his, and comes just after he made a call for unity and civility in the media after suspected pipe bombs were delivered to the homes of former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Another suspicious package was also delivered to CNN headquarters in New York, forcing an evacuation.

Mr Trump has been briefed on the latest suspicious packages found on Thursday, including at least one sent to former Vice President Joe Biden and one sent to actor Robert De Niro, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Mr Trump has frequently criticised CNN and the broader news media for its critical coverage of him and his administration, and has labelled news he does not like as “fake news” in an attempt to discredit the industry tasked with reporting on the actions of the US government.

“The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories,” Mr Trump said on Wednesday during a rally in Wisconsin.

Former CIA Director John Brennan, who was the target of the explosive device sent to the CNN offices in New York, hit back at the president on Twitter.

“Stop blaming others. Look in the mirror. Your inflammatory rhetoric, insults, lies, & encouragement of physical violence are disgraceful. Clean up your act ... try to act Presidential. The American people deserve much better. BTW, your critics will not be intimidated into silence,” Mr Brennan said.

The FBI is investigating the pipe bombs that were delivered to Democratic leaders and CNN, and no injuries were reported and it is believed that none of the devices exploded.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attempted bombings so far.