Trump says media is ‘critical’ to making America ‘great again’, vows to work with ‘free, fair and open’ press

EXCLUSIVE: PALM BEACH, Fla. – President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that to make America great again, it is “critical” to have a “free, fair and open media.” has “an obligation” to the American people to cooperate with the press, even those who had treated him “incomprehensibly badly.”

In an exclusive interview Monday morning, the president-elect said he is transforming America into “the greatest and most powerful country in the world.”

Trump discussed his relationship with the media and how he plans to handle the press in his second term.

“To make America great again, it is very important, if not essential, to have a free, fair and open media or press,” Trump said.

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Trump met with MSNBC “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski in Palm Beach on Friday — his first meeting with the two in seven years.

Then-former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

“I received a call from Joe Scarborough requesting a meeting for him and Mika, and I agreed that it would be a good thing if such a meeting took place,” Trump said. “We met at Mar-a-Lago at 8 a.m. Friday morning.”

Trump called the meeting “extremely cordial.”

“A lot of things were discussed and I really appreciated that they wanted to have open communication,” he said. “In many ways it’s a shame it wasn’t done a long time ago.”

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Trump added that they “congratulated me on running a ‘great and flawless campaign, one for the history books,’ which I think it really was, but it was also a campaign I worked long and hard on — maybe longer and louder than any presidential election. candidate in history.”

“We talked about various cabinet members – both announced and yet to be announced. As expected, they like some very much, but not all,” Trump said. “The meeting ended on a very positive note and we agreed to speak in the future.”

Trump added: “I expect this will happen to others in the media, even those who have been extremely hostile.”

The president-elect said he believes he has “an obligation to the American public, and to our country itself, to be open and available to the press.”

“However, if it is not treated fairly, it will end,” Trump said. “The media is very important to the long-term success of the United States of America.”

Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump told Fox News Digital that he will “do whatever it takes to take our country to the highest level it has ever seen.”

“We are off to a good start and I will be open and forthcoming about further developments as they occur, including media relations,” he said.

Trump said he clearly has the upper hand at this point.

“And while many others are calling for rallies, I am not seeking retaliation, grandstanding or destroying people who have treated me very unfairly or even incomprehensibly,” he said. “I’m always looking for a second and even third chance, but never willing to give a fourth chance. That’s where I draw the line.”

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Trump, however, thanked “the many reporters, journalists, shows and new media sources, of which there are many, who have been truthful, honest and professional throughout the years of both my presidency and my candidacies.”

“They were the ones who kept me in the game, and they were the ones who gave me a victory – the likes of which our country has rarely seen before,” Trump said. “These people and organizations, and they know who they are, should be and are, are very proud of themselves, and they have a right to be proud. And I have a right to say to them, congratulations.”

Meanwhile, Trump has gained a majority of his top Cabinet officials in just a week and a half since his huge election victory.

President-elect Donald Trump looks on during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

His transition team will leave Palm Beach, Florida, before returning to Washington, DC on January 20, 2025.

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“I will soon begin the process of transforming America into the greatest and most powerful country in the world,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “But at the same time, it must be a fair and just country – one that others around the world will look up to and emulate.”

The president-elect added: “Hopefully our success will make the world itself a much better and safer place.”