Trump escalates anti-media rhetoric after wave of violence

WASHINGTON (AP) — Grappling with a wave of election-season violence, President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against the news media on today even as he made plans for a somber visit to Pennsylvania to mourn a synagogue massacre that left 11 dead.

Days after the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue and a mail-bomb scare targeting prominent Democrats and CNN, Trump argued that "fraudulent" reporting was contributing to anger in the country and declared that the press was the "true Enemy of the People."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders continued in the same vein at a press briefing, saying: "The very first action that the president did was condemn these heinous acts. The very first thing that the media did was condemn the president, go after him, try to place blame."

While Trump has condemned the Pennsylvania shootings as an anti-Semitic act and has decried political violence, he also has continued his political schedule over the past week and largely kept up his criticism against Democrats and the media. The White House has rejected any suggestion that the president's harsh rhetoric contributed to the toxic moment.

And Sanders made clear Trump was unlikely to change course, saying the president will "continue to fight back" against critics.

Trump will travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday with first lady Melania Trump. Sanders said Trump would go "to express the support of the American people and to grieve with the Pittsburgh community."

The White House did not immediately provide further details on Trump's trip, which drew mixed reactions in Pittsburgh.

Leaders of a liberal Jewish group in Pittsburgh penned an open letter to Trump before the White House announced the plans, saying he was not welcome in the city until he denounced white nationalism. But Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, of the Tree of Life synagogue, made clear he would be welcome, telling CNN: "The President of the United States is always welcome. I am a citizen. He is my president. He is certainly welcome."

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat, told reporters ahead of the announcement the White House should consult with the families of the victims about their preferences and asked the president not come during a funeral.

"If the president is looking to come to Pittsburgh, I would ask that he not do so while we are burying the dead. Our attention and our focus is going to be on them, and we don't have public safety that we can take away from what is needed in order to do both," Peduto said.