Trump on foreign disinformation: 'They do it and we do it'

From the March 30 edition of Fox News’ “Fox & Friends”:

BRIAN KILMEADE, Fox News: According to the Washington Post, Russia, Iran, and China are going through a sophisticated disinformation campaign, essentially blaming us around the world for our bad response and for actually causing the virus, using the same principles they used to infiltrate our 2016 election.

 

We’re the best at this. How long we going to let these countries get away with that? And do we have a counterstrategy like the truth to tell the rest of the world?

 

DONALD TRUMP: Number one, you don’t know what they’re doing and when you read it in the Washington Post, you don’t believe it, I don’t — I believe very little of what I see. I see stories in the Washington Post that are so fake —

 

KILMEADE: Well, I believe they do.

 

TRUMP: — so phony, I have stories that are such fake stuff and that’s number one —

 

KILMEADE: Mr. President, you know China, but you know China has already done this.

 

TRUMP: They do it and we do it and we call them different things and, you know, I make statements that are very strong against China including the “Chinese virus,” which has been going on for a long time, I mean, I wouldn’t say they were thrilled with that statement. When they said our soldiers did it — they said our soldiers did it, I said, “You mean the Chinese virus?”

 

KILMEADE: That’s what I’m talking about.

 

TRUMP: And all of a sudden, they call and say, “Let’s talk nicely.” Yeah, sure that’s — hey, every country does it, but they build it up and — we handle that and they probably handle it, but countries do that and, but, when I read things in the Washington Post, I mean I could tell you stories that they write that are just the opposite.

 

They will do anything they can to hurt this presidency. And yet here we are with the best numbers we’ve ever had.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.