About 80 percent of the media are ‘the enemy of the people,’ Trump says

President Trump speaks during an event honoring U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection personnel Monday at the White House. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Trump on Wednesday sought to clarify how much of the press he sees as “the enemy of the people.” He put it at about 80 percent.

The president has repeatedly derided the media with the term but also allowed that he believes some reporters do their jobs to his satisfaction.

During an interview at the White House on Wednesday with Fox News — one outlet Trump frequently praises — he was asked: “Is the press the enemy of the people?”

“No, not at all. But the fake news is,” Trump told Ainsley Earhardt of “Fox & Friends.” “And the fake news is comprised of — it’s a lot. It’s a big chunk, okay? Somebody said, ‘What’s the chunk?’ I said, ‘80 percent.’ It’s a lot. It’s a lot. If I do something well, it’s not reported. Other than in the 20 percent.”

Hours after Ivanka Trump said the press was not the "enemy of the people," President Trump broke with her and doubled down in his attacks on the media. (Video: JM Rieger/The Washington Post)

The president went on to disparage the New York Times, saying the publication “cannot write a good story about me.”

“They’re crazed. They’re like lunatics,” Trump said.

Trump has singled out other media outlets by name, including The Washington Post.

Earlier this month, more than 300 U.S. newspapers ran editorials on the same day in an attempt to counter Trump’s frequent attacks on the media.

The full interview with Earhardt is scheduled to air Thursday morning.