President Donald Trump went after one of his favorite media punching bags on Thursday morning, calling out the “failing” New York Times on what he called a “big lie” regarding the New England Patriots visit to the White House on Wednesday.
Failing @nytimes, which has been calling me wrong for two years, just got caught in a big lie concerning New England Patriots visit to W.H.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2017
It appears Trump was referencing a Twitter spat that began with a @NYTSports tweet on Wednesday showing a comparison between the number of players who visited former President Barack Obama in 2015 and yesterday’s crowd size.
The tweet quickly went viral, generating thousands of retweets and snarky comments.
However, the Patriots’ own Twitter account quickly got in on the action, saying the Times’ photos “lack context,” adding that 40 staff members were on the stairs in 2015 but were seated on the South Lawn in 2017.
The team’s Twitter account also tweeted another picture from Wednesday that showed people posing for a photo on the steps, and upper balcony, of the White House.
These photos lack context. Facts: In 2015, over 40 football staff were on the stairs. In 2017, they were seated on the South Lawn. https://t.co/iIYtV0hR6Y
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 20, 2017
Thanks @realDonaldTrump & @WhiteHouse for the gracious hospitality today honoring the Super Bowl Champion New England #Patriots! pic.twitter.com/7AU8XsA5Xk
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 20, 2017
Several members of the Patriots declined to attend Wednesday’s ceremony at the White House, including star quarterback Tom Brady.
This isn’t the first time Trump has been fixated on the size of his crowd. A frenzy occurred when Trump was apparently angry with photos that compared the size of the crowds at Obama’s inauguration and his own earlier this year.