President Donald Trump continued his attack on the "dishonest" media on Friday, telling an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference that the news has become so "phony" he doubted reporters would mention that he had just received an uproarious standing ovation.
And he added that his administration planned to "do something about" the press' "fake news" reports about him, although he did not elaborate.
"Sit down everybody! The dishonest media will say 'he didn't get a standing ovation,'" Trump began as addressed cheering supporters at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center in Maryland's National Harbor.
"You know why? Because everybody stood and nobody sat. They are the worst. They'll leave out the part, 'they never sat down.'''
Trump said the media's "fake news" onslaught began when they quoted poll after poll that concluded that he couldn't win the 2016 presidential race against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
"The media didn't think we would win, the pundits didn't think we would win, the consultants that suck up that money. They are not good at politics but they are really good at sucking up money," Trump said.
"They all underestimated the power of the people. You, the people proved them totally wrong . . . Never underestimate the people . . . We are fighting the fake news. It's fake, phony, fake."
The commander-in-chief repeated his assertion that the media is the "enemy of the people," because they "have no sources, they just make them up when there are none."
Trump said journalists even misreported his wrath by saying he was against all media.
"They are very dishonest people . . . I'm not against the press, I am only against the fake news media. I'm against the people who make up sources," he said.
"There are some great reporters, powerful honest, but there are some dishonest people, who do a tremendous disservice [to Americans]."
He said he would not name names, but then alluded to CNN, which he has repeatedly accused to reporting "fake news" about him and his administration.
"The Clinton News Network is one, totally. Take a look at their polls over the past two years" he said. "You would think they would fire the pollster, maybe they're not good at polling, but maybe they are not legit . . . It creates this false narrative."
In recent weeks, Trump has attacked the press for reports that allege his administration is in alarming disarray. He has also bristled over ongoing stories that say members of his campaign staff allegedly spoke with Russian government operatives during the presidential race.
"We have to fight it folks, they're very dishonest. They get upset when we expose their false stories . . . I love the First Amendment, nobody loves it more than me.
"But the First Amendment gives you the right and me the right to criticize fake news and criticize it strongly . . . The fake news doesn't tell the truth. It doesn't represent the people."
He added that "we're going to do something about it," although he did not say what he planned to do.
Trump's address came a day after Vice President Mike Pence, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, and chief strategist Steve Bannon spoke at CPAC.
Pence fired up the crowd of 2,500 attendees as he declared that "this is our time" and called on them to back him and Trump because "the other side is not sitting idle."
"This is the chance we've worked so hard for so long to see. This is the time to prove again that our answers are the right answers for America," Pence said.
Earlier Bannon told the CPAC audience that "it's going to get worse" for Trump as he "continues to press his agenda and as economic conditions get better" because of liberals and the "opposition" media.
"As things get better, they're going to fight," If you think they're going to give the country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken," Bannon said.
Priebus, who appeared side by side with Bannon, bashed reports that the two are in a rift.
"We're different, but we are similar. He is very determined in making sure that every day, the promises that President Trump has made that we are working on," Priebus said.
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