Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

'Is that what you want?': Trump claims Biden presidency would mean low ratings for media outlets in bizarre tweet

President continues ramping up attacks against presumptive Democratic nominee as polls show him trailing in his bid for re-election

Chris Riotta
New York
Monday 13 July 2020 20:24 BST
Comments
Donald Trump says Joe Biden should take cognitive test, but would not pass it not

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump has claimed a Joe Biden presidency would result in low ratings for media outlets covering the White House — an issue he suggested would cause the end of "our great USA" in a tweet.

The president attacked his presumptive Democratic opponent in the 2020 presidential elections on Monday, retweeting a highly-edited video of Mr Biden posted by Dan Scavino, a White House communications official.

“Is this what you want for your President???” Mr Trump wrote in a caption. “With no ratings, media will go down along with our great USA!”

The latest attack comes as Mr Trump has sharpened his frequent criticism of Mr Biden in recent weeks, as his re-election campaign released advertisements questioning the 77-year-old former vice president’s mental fitness. Mr Trump is 74-years-old.

Mr Biden’s campaign fired back at what they called “desperate” and “false attacks” from Mr Trump in a memo sent to its surrogates, saying in a statement earlier this month: “Despite the breathless coverage each new Trump attack gets, this endless rotation of the same debunked smears isn’t the product of strategic genius, it’s a sign of myopia and desperation as each successive attempt backfires, re-elevating a massive Trump liability while leaving his campaign scrambling to find something new.”

Recent polling shows Mr Biden pulling above the Republican incumbent, with notable increases in support throughout the coronavirus pandemic in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Mr Biden was leading Mr Trump with at least a 10 per cent advantage in all three states, which helped the president secure his 2016 victory, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

The president has often celebrated his ratings while in office, boasting inaccurately about everything from the size of his crowds to the viewership of his rallies on television networks.

Mr Trump, a former reality TV star, celebrated in March when it was reported his coronavirus task force briefings were receiving viewership on par with the season finale of The Bachelor.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in