Trump Says ‘Fake News’ Not as Powerful as Social Media, Predicts Industry Will Go out of Business After He Leaves Office

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on July 9, 2019. Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Donald Trump took aim at “fake news media” in a Twitter rant on July 11, ahead of a social media summit scheduled later in the day at the White House, which will discuss perceived censorship on social media platforms.

“The White House will be hosting a very big and very important Social Media Summit today. Would I have become President without Social Media? Yes (probably)! At its conclusion, we will all go to the beautiful Rose Garden for a News Conference on the Census and Citizenship,” Trump said in the first of a series of tweets.