Donald Trump: ‘The Press Makes Me More Uncivil than I Am’

President Donald Trump challenged the media when asked if he was responsible for making politics more uncivil.

“Well I think the press makes me more uncivil than I am,” Trump said, pointedly reminding reporters that he went to an Ivy League college. (He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.)

He argued that the media tried to paint a negative picture of him that wasn’t accurate.

“I was a nice student. I did very well. I’m a very intelligent person,” he said.

When asked about the ongoing disputes between Trump and his critics, he responded that he would always fight back.

“I think it’s always okay when somebody says something about you that’s false,” Trump said. “I think it’s always okay to counterpunch or to fight back.”

He also blamed the media for contributing to the hostile political enviroment by focusing on “fake” news.

I think the media causes a lot of it. Fake stories are being reported. A lot of bad things are being reported that aren’t true,” he said. “I think to a certain extent maybe I can blame the media, but politics is a rough business.”