Jake Tapper: My Son Does a ‘Fake News’ Impression Whenever I Annoy Him

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Katherine Rodriguez

CNN anchor Jake Tapper says his 7-year-old son has started using President Trump’s term “fake news.”

“[He] now does an impression where whenever I’m bothering him he says, ‘fake news,’ ” Tapper said with a laugh during a talk at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“I’ve got two kids,” Tapper said. “They’re going to someday read back about this period in our history and I want them to be proud of me.”

Tapper, the host of CNN’s “The Lead” and “State of the Union,” dismissed criticism that he was too tough on the Trump administration, responding that he treated the Obama administration the same way.

“To be completely candid, I did fact checks about [former President] Barack Obama, too,” he said. “Not at the same rate, nor was there a need for them at the same rate.

“I know people that hated me then back then but now like the fact checks I’m doing about Donald Trump. I feel like I’m being consistent.”

Tapper even named three instances of what he thought was “fake news” in the Trump administration.

“I call ‘fake news’ three recent things: When Trump said nobody in his campaign spoke to Russia, and they did; when Michael Flynn said he didn’t have contact with the Russians, and he did; and now our Attorney General said he didn’t speak to the Russians. … The White House wants to delegitimize any checks and balances,” Tapper said, according to Deadline.

Trump and other figures in his administration have called CNN, the New York Times, and any news report that they consider biased “fake news.”

Recently, Trump railed against “fake news” reports about infighting in the Trump administration.

“Don’t let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin. We are getting along great, and getting major things done!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

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