WASHINGTON: Donald Trump, clearly angered by news reports that he has grown depressed and sullen over his fading presidential prospects, has issued some of his sharpest attacks on the media.
"I am not running against Crooked Hillary Clinton," the Republican presidential candidate said in a speech late Saturday in Fairfield, Connecticut. "I'm running against the crooked media."
Trump seemed particularly upset with a New York Times article that quotes unnamed associates of his as saying that in private "his mood is often sullen and erratic." Republicans close to his campaign were quoted as saying he was "exhausted, frustrated and still bewildered" by the political process.
The real estate tycoon returned to his message on Sunday, tweeting: "My rallies are not covered properly by the media. They never discuss the real message and never show crowd size or enthusiasm."
Later, amid a flurry of further tweets on the subject, he added: "It is not 'freedom of the press' when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!"
Trump has complained for months about media coverage. He has stripped a long list of news organizations -- including the New York Times, BuzzFeed, Politico and The Washington Post -- of their credentials, and vowed that as president he would make it easier to sue news outlets.
"Trump is right that most of the media want him to lose," wrote The Wall Street Journal editorial board Sunday, noting that is "true of every Republican presidential nominee. The difference is that Mr Trump has made it so easy for the media and his opponents."
The national news outlet recommended the Republican party "write off the nominee as hopeless" if Trump fails to act more presidential by Labor Day, in which case it said Trump should "turn the nomination over to Mike Pence," the Republican candidate's running mate.
Despite Trump's complaints media monitors say he has received more extensive coverage than any candidate in years.
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