CNN said it is boycotting the White House Christmas party for the media this year in light of President Donald Trump’s continued attacks on the network. In a reaction retweeted by Trump, the White House press secretary called it “good news.”
“CNN will not be attending this year’s White House Christmas party,” a CNN spokesperson told Politico, which first reported on the boycott Tuesday evening. “In light of the president’s continued attacks on freedom of the press and CNN, we do not feel it is appropriate to celebrate with him as his invited guests. We will send a White House reporting team to the event and report on it if news warrants.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted back: “Finally, good news from CNN.”
President Trump seemed amused by the boycott, retweeting Sanders’s comment and adding that dealing with “Fake News CNN” was a “waste of time.”
The annual event is scheduled for Friday afternoon. It is usually an occasion for reporters and their bosses to mingle with members of the administration they cover. CNN has been one of Trump’s favorite targets for aggressive criticism, since the moment he began his campaign for office. He has repeatedly called the network “fake news” and accused it of making up stories.
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CNN was not the president’s only target, however. On Wednesday, Trump used the firing of Today Show host Matt Lauer to call for the dismissal of top executives at NBC and its parent company Comcast, for putting out “so much fake news.”