Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has lashed out at critical media outlets, calling them the “enemy camp” in a speech in which he claimed victory in the 2024 presidential race.
Speaking to supporters in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Trump introduced his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as “vice-president elect”.
“He is a feisty guy, isn’t he?” Trump mused. “You know, I’ve said: ‘go into the enemy camp’ – and the enemy camp is certain networks. A lot of people don’t like that, [they say] ‘Sir, do I have to do that?’ He just goes OK.”
Trump named CNN and “MSDNC” – a slur for MSNBC that hints at its political alignment with the Democratic Party. Vance is “the only guy I know who looks forward” to confrontational interviews, he claimed.
Vance responded with brief remarks, saying he appreciated the trust that Trump placed in him by picking for the Republican ticket. He called the campaign “the greatest political comeback in the history” of the country.
During his first term in office, Trump had an acrimonious relationship with a significant portion of the press corps, which he accused of bias. In particular, he claimed critical media perpetrated the “Russia hoax” – allegations that he won the 2016 election thanks to “Russian interference” in “collusion” with Moscow.
A multi-year investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller had resulted in no charges being issued over the purported link. Trump’s supporters claim that the Russiagate narrative was invented by Hillary Clinton’s campaign to explain away her surprise loss in 2016.