President Trump bashes media ahead of Columbia visit

President Donald Trump’s common refrain of “fake news” is a staple of many rallies. He often gestures to the rows of cameras that carry his every word, sometimes with a chorus of cheers backing the criticism.

The president repeated his criticism on Wednesday in Ft. Myers, Florida.

“Thirty-three percent of the people think the fake news media is in fact, and I hate to say this, in fact, the enemy of the people,” President Trump said.

He might be referring to an Ipsos poll from August. Out of the 1,000 respondents in the pool, 29 percent of them–almost a third–said the media was the enemy of the American people. Eighty-five percent of them said that freedom of the press was essential for American democracy.

Jon Stewart, former host of the Comedy Central show “The Daily Show,” said journalists often take the attacks too seriously. He said the criticism often only serves as a distraction from the president’s other policies.

“They are personally wounded and offended by this man,” Stewart told CNN’s Christiane Amanpor. “He baits them, and they dive right in. What he’s done well, I thought, is appeal to their own narcissism, to their own ego.”

President Trump could bring these comments to a town with several journalistic ties. The University of Missouri oversees several news outlets in print, broadcast and digital. The Investigative Reporters and Editors are headquartered in Columbia, as well.

The president did not spend his entire rally on Wednesday criticizing reporters.

“You have some very good people that are reporters and journalists,” he said. “I know some incredible people. You have some that are not good at all. You have some very good people, too. I just want to say that.”