Trump Unwittingly Compliments ‘Fake News,’ Says They ‘Keep Me Extremely Honest’

President Donald Trump took the opportunity to rail against one of his favorite targets — the press — while speaking at the David S. Mack Center for Intelligence and Training Friday. While he jabbed the press, he also unwittingly gave them a compliment by saying that “they keep him extremely honest” by making headlines out of anything he says that is inaccurate.

The president told attendees, “They don’t want to write it, but they know. You know who knows how well we’re doing? Iran.”

He continued:

Think of it. They have no Navy. It’s totally gone. 159 ships. They had a total of 159 ships. 159 ships are right now at the bottom of the sea. They had 212 very nice airplanes. Some bought from the United States brilliantly through Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him? Barack Hussein Obama, and every one of their airplanes is shot down. It’s gone. They have no leadership. Their leadership is gone. Their first tour is gone. Their second tour is gone. Their third tour is half gone. That’s one of my problems, is there is nobody to negotiate with. It is a problem … it’s the only country in the world where nobody wants to be president.

Their radar is gone. All of their high intelligence equipment is gone. Their manufacturing of missiles is 82%. They still have missiles but not a lot. They still have drones, but just a fraction of what they had, but their manufacturing is largely gone, and I read an article, in one of the fake newspapers the other day, ‘Iran is in very good position’. They have 350% inflation. Their currency is valueless. I read today where their currency is of no value. And The New York Times said Iran is doing quite well in the war. These guys, fake news, it’s just fake news. There is nothing you can do about it. They are sick. Just as sick as their partners, the Democrats.

On Tuesday, The Times published an article titled “How Iran Adapted Its Attacks as U.S. War Munitions Dwindled.” Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper wrote in part, “Using advanced missiles that can suddenly change course, Iran pummeled the bases’ defensive systems, forcing the Americans to burn through scarce supplies of Patriot interceptors.”

They also noted, “Most of Iran’s missiles and launchers were stored in vast underground facilities that U.S. and Israeli forces heavily bombed during the first five weeks of the war. But Iran dug out many of those sites and resumed firing, bringing shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill and threatening American troops in the region.”

Trump riffed about the “fake news” at another point in the rally and veered off course somewhat and actually seemed to compliment the press: “I have to be very careful. Because if I’m wrong by half a point, it’s headlines all over the place. When other presidents or Democrats make mistakes, that’s okay. But if I make a mistake, something slightly, just a little bit, like half a point, a quarter of a point, it’s headlines all over the world. Which keeps me extremely honest; I must be honest with you.”

Watch the above via Fox News.

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