Trump blasts media for reports on Churchill, MLK statues

esident-elect Donald Trump took his generalized attack on the 'dishonest media' to a more personal level by launching a direct swipe on a reporter who sent out an erroneous report that he had removed a statue of Martin Luther King from the Oval Office.

Trump delivered a monologue about Oval Office statuary during remarks at the CIA headquarters, where he blasted the media as 'the most dishonest human beings on earth' in meandering comments where he also talked about the size of his inaugural crowd.

After saying he supports the intelligence community '1,000 per cent' and saying he sometimes feels like he's 30 years old, Trump brought up reports from Friday night that he had reinstalled a bust of Winston Churchill inside the office.





Then he mentioned a false pool report from a White House correspondent who sent out incorrect information that a statue of MLK, prompting stories in several outlets. A pool report said the statue had been removed from the Oval Office, when in fact the reporter later said it was merely being obscured by a door and an agent when Trump brought in media members in while he signed documents



'We had another yesterday which was interesting. In the Oval Office. There is a beautiful statue of Dr. Martin Luther King,' Trump said. 'And I also happen to like Churchill, Winston Churchill, I think most of us like Churchill. He doesn't come from our country but had a lot to do with it, helped us,' Trump said.

'And the Churchill statue was taken out – the bust – and as you also probably have read, the prime minister is coming over to our country very shortly. And they wanted to know if I'd like it back. And I said, "absolutely," but in the meantime we have a bust of Churchill,' Trump continued.

Then me mentioned that he had been on the cover of Time Magazine '14 or 15 times' which he called 'an all time record,' as he made his way to bashing Time reporter Zeke Miller, who had authored the report.

'They said, and it was very interesting, that "Donald Trump took down the bust, the statue, of Dr. Martin Luther King." And it was right there! But there was a cameraman that was in front of it,' Trump said.



'So Zeke – Zeke – from Time magazine writes a story about, [saying] I took down. 'I would never do that because I had great respect for Dr. Martin Luther King.'

'But this is how dishonest the media is,' Trump complained. 'Now, big story. But the retraction was like, where? Was it a line?'

Trump's attack on the press was echoed by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who mentioned the same incident and accused reporters of 'sowing division about tweets and false narratives.'

Spicer took to the White House briefing room Saturday to rail against what he called ' a particularly egregious example in which a reporter falsely tweeted out that the bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. had been removed from the Oval Office.'

'After it was pointed out that this was just plain wrong, the reporter casually reported, tweeted out, and tried to claim that a Secret Service agent must have just been standing in front of it. This was irresponsible and reckless,' Spicer said.

Meanwhile, as DailyMail.com reported Saturday morning, the bust that was on view inside the Oval Office is not the one owned by the British government.

Trump's remarks appear to confirm that it is an identical version that was already on display in the White House residence. He said that 'in the meantime, we have a bust of Churchill.'

Although Churchill's return to the Oval Office may send an immediate signal about the new president's inclinations or worldview, Trump has yet to reinstall a bust that the British Government loaned to President George W. Bush in 2001.

That bust was returned when President Obama took office. Trump's transition requested that the bust be loaned once again after British foreign secretary Boris Johnson visited Trump Tower to meet with Trump advisor Steven Bannon and son-in-law Jared Kushner following the elections. But the loan, authorized by Prime Minister Theresa May, has not yet taken place.

In fact, the sculpture is still on display in the library of the British Ambassador's residence in Washington.



'The prime minister has said she is happy for us to loan the Churchill bust to the White House in response to a request from President Trump's transition,' and embassy spokesman told DailyMail.com. 'We are still working on the details of the loan,' the spokesman added.

Having inside the Oval Office a bust of Britain's wartime leader, who President Franklin Roosevelt hosted at the White House for extended visits, carries significance in whatever its form by demonstrating the close ties and 'special relationship' between the two nations.

The sculpture has attracted scrutiny and comment, along with some misinformation, throughout its recent history.