Trump Still Salty Over 'Fake News' Report About MLK Bust Removal
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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami/AP) -- President Donald Trump is continuing to slam an incorrect report that he removed a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. from the Oval Office.
Trump held a listening session dedicated to African-American History Month Wednesday. He praised the civil rights icon and called the report on Inauguration Day that he had removed a bust a "disgrace."
"Somebody said I took the statue out of my office. And it turned out that that was fake news. Fake news," Trump said. "The statue is cherished. It was never even touched, so I think it was a disgrace, but that's the way the press is. Very unfortunate."
The reporter acknowledged the error, saying he didn't see it.
Time magazine editor Nancy Gibbs shot back after White House aides later deemed it an example of "deliberately false reporting."
"It was no such thing," Gibbs wrote in a statement. "We regret that the error occurred, and believe it is important to share some detail about how it happened."
She continued to explain that a door and agent stood in front of the bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., blocking reporter Zeke Miller's view. Two minutes later, he retracted his mistake.
Tweeting again: wh aide confirms the MLK bust is still there. I looked for it in the oval 2x & didn't see it. My apologies to my colleagues
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 21, 2017
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer responded in kind.
Apology accepted https://t.co/dYqwRv1p0f
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) January 21, 2017
During Trump's listening session, he noted that he did better in the African-American community than candidates in previous years.
Among blacks, Trump got 8 percent of the vote, slightly better than Mitt Romney's 6 percent against President Barack Obama, according to national exit polls.
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