President Donald Trump has again thrown a verbal jab at the media outlet Politico, describing it as "gone bad."
During an impromptu meeting with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Middle East, a Politico reporter asked a question, which, in turn, led to a question from Trump.
"Who are you with?" Trump asked.
"Uh, Politico," answered the reporter.
Trump's reaction was swift: "Politico's gone bad. They've been so wrong about everything."
He continued, "Somebody [else ask] some questions. Do you mind?
"Is that all right? Because Politico is fake news."
With no obvious pushback, Trump continued with a question from another reporter.
It's the latest verbal attack on the outlet from the president.
While he did not clarify what Politico may have reported recently to draw his ire, Newsmax reported in February that in a social media post, Trump accused the outlet of raking in millions from the government treasury in subscription fees.
"THE LEFT WING 'RAG,' KNOWN AS 'POLITICO,' SEEMS TO HAVE RECEIVED $8,000,000," he wrote.
"Did the New York Times receive money??? Who else did???
"THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY! THE DEMOCRATS CAN'T HIDE FROM THIS ONE. TOO BIG, TOO DIRTY!"
Trump claimed Democrats in the administration under former President Joe Biden were secretly using government-paid subscription purchases as "payoff" funding to Politico and other media outlets in exchange for favorable reporting.
The Department of Government Efficiency, which at the time was led by Elon Musk, uncovered the transactions while it was searching for ways to reduce unnecessary federal spending.
It was confirmed on Feb. 5 by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt that the federal government spent $8.2 million on subscriptions to Politico in 2024 and added that practice was being eliminated as wasteful spending.
Leavitt told reporters during the White House briefing that day that the DOGE initiative will go "line by line when it comes to the federal government's books."
Leavitt said if auditors can't determine that spending serves the interests of the American people, the spending will be cut.
Trump pointed in his post to spending by the now shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development.
"LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN (STOLEN) AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A 'PAYOFF' FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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