CNN reporter responds to Trump’s suggestion of AT&T boycott: ‘Completely norm-shattering’

CNN reporter Hadas Gold said President Trump’s call for a boycott of CNN’s parent company, AT&T, because he doesn’t like the network’s news coverage is “completely norm-shattering” in an interview Monday afternoon.

The perspective comes after the president slammed CNN upon his arrival to London early Monday, calling its coverage of him in the U.K. “all negative” and “so much Fake News” and asking, “Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?”

{mosads}Gold, who works in CNN’s London bureau, pushed back at Trump for the boycott call.  

“A president calling for an economic boycott of one of the largest telecommunications companies because he doesn’t like their news network or that this network is available all over the world is completely norm-shattering,” Gold told anchor John King on “Inside Politics.”

“But not only is this norm-shattering; these tweets only further bolster all of these accusations and theories that were flying around that when the administration first sued to stop AT&T from merging with CNN’s parent company — that was then called Time Warner — that it was all about politics.” 

“A president calling for an economic boycott of one of the largest telecommunications companies because he doesn’t like their news network … is completely norm-shattering,” says @Hadas_Gold, as President Trump suggests a boycott of AT&T for carrying CNN. https://t.co/JSCy2AGhhF pic.twitter.com/iNcP2W94dW

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) June 3, 2019

Gold was responding to a pair of tweets Trump had posted earlier in the day.

“Just arrived in the United Kingdom. The only problem is that @CNN is the primary source of news available from the U.S. After watching it for a short while, I turned it off,” Trump tweeted to his nearly 60 million followers. “All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?”

Just arrived in the United Kingdom. The only problem is that @CNN is the primary source of news available from the U.S. After watching it for a short while, I turned it off. All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019

In a subsequent tweet, Trump claimed CNN paints a “false picture” of the U.S. to the world. 

“I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News! Why wouldn’t they act. When the World watches @CNN, it gets a false picture of USA. Sad!” the president wrote. 

I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News! Why wouldn’t they act. When the World watches @CNN, it gets a false picture of USA. Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019

Trump often rails against CNN and hasn’t appeared on the network since August 2016, dating back to his time as a candidate.

In April, Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale also took aim at AT&T over CNN.

“AT&T now owns ⁦@CNN⁩ and is positioning themselves as a weapon of the left,” he wrote at the time.

AT&T completed its acquisition of Time Warner, which owns Warner Bros. and CNN, in 2018.