Biden Camp Torches Trump’s ‘Existential Attack’ On MSNBC For ‘Not Being Nice To Him’

President Joe Biden’s campaign torched ex-President Donald Trump’s threat to MSNBC “for not being nice to him,” calling it an “existential attack” on democracy.

Trump ranted about MSNBC late Tuesday night in a factually ignorant and unhinged Truth Social post threatening to “make them pay”:

MSNBC (MSDNC) uses FREE government approved airwaves, and yet it is nothing but a 24 hour hit job on Donald J. Trump and the Republican Party for purposes of ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Brian Roberts, its Chairman and CEO, is a slimeball who has been able to get away with these constant attacks for years. It is the world’s biggest political contribution to the Radical Left Democrats who, by the way, are destroying our Country. Our so-called “government” should come down hard on them and make them pay for their illegal political activity. Much more to come, watch!

Even the most basic details of the post are false (MSNBC does not use public airwaves, Roberts is not MSNBC’s CEO, news and commentary are not illegal, etc.), but the post drew widespread condemnation more for the threat aspect.

The Biden-Harris campaign torched Trump in a memo that included a scathing statement from campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa:

Trump Demands Government Punish MSNBC for Not Being Nice to Him

A new Donald Trump agenda item just dropped.

Rounding up Latinos into detention camps. Banning Muslims. Ripping health care away from millions of people.

And now, weaponizing the government to punish the free press for not flattering Trump enough. Biden-Harris 2024 spokesperson Ammar Moussa released the following statement:

“Donald Trump suggesting locking up and punishing journalists for keeping the electorate informed flies in the face of everything our country stands for. Though we may sometimes disagree with our friends in the media on the nature of specific coverage, we can be honest and direct while also respecting the critical role the free press plays in our democracy. Donald Trump has such little respect for our country’s ideals that he’d turn the government into his personal retribution force to go after his enemies. Last year’s midterms made clear the American people will not accept these kinds of overt and existential attacks on our democracy.”

The White House referred Mediaite to an earlier comment about Trump’s previous promise to investigate Comcast.

“President Biden swore an oath to uphold our Constitution and protect American Democracy. Freedom of the press is a fundamental Constitutional right,” White House senior communications adviser Andrew Bates said at that time. “To abuse presidential power and violate the Constitutional rights of reporters would be an outrageous attack on our democracy and the rule of law. Presidents must always defend Americans’ freedoms – never trample on them for selfish, small, and dangerous political purposes.”