Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Fairfield, Conn., Aug. 13, 2016. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Donald Trump continues to rail against the New York Times over a report that details his campaign’s failed attempts to change the tone of its Republican nominee.

“The failing @nytimes talks about anonymous sources and meetings that never happened,” Trump tweeted early Sunday morning, a day after Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman’s story, “Inside the Failing Mission to Tame Trump’s Tongue,” was published by the newspaper. “Their reporting is fiction. The media protects Hillary!”

“The failing @nytimes, which never spoke to me, keeps saying that I am saying to advisers that I will change,” he continued. “False, I am who I am — never said.”

The failing @nytimes talks about anonymous sources and meetings that never happened. Their reporting is fiction. The media protects Hillary! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016





The failing @nytimes, which never spoke to me, keeps saying that I am saying to advisers that I will change. False, I am who I am-never said — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016





The piece cites four unnamed sources who described a June 20 intervention staged by the real estate mogul’s daughter, Ivanka; her husband, Jared Kushner; Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort; and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie urging the candidate to “stick to a teleprompter and end his freestyle digressions and insults.”

“Mr. Trump bowed to his team’s entreaties, according to four people with detailed knowledge of the meeting, who described it on the condition of anonymity,” the paper said. “It was time, he agreed, to get on track.”

But “the effort to save Mr. Trump from himself has plainly failed,” the Times concluded:

Story continues

He has repeatedly signaled to his advisers and allies his willingness to change and adapt, but has grown only more volatile and prone to provocation since then, clashing with a Gold Star family, making comments that have been seen as inciting violence and linking his political opponents to terrorism.

In private, Mr. Trump’s mood is often sullen and erratic, his associates say. He veers from barking at members of his staff to grumbling about how he was better off following his own instincts during the primaries and suggesting he should not have heeded their calls for change. He broods about his souring relationship with the news media, calling Mr. Manafort several times a day to talk about specific stories.

At a rally in Fairfield, Conn., on Saturday, Trump talked repeatedly about one in particular.

“We have a newspaper that’s failing badly. It’s losing a lot of money. It’s gonna be out of business very soon. The New York Times, OK? I love it,” Trump said. “And they wrote a story today — anonymous sources have said, three anonymous sources, anonymous this, anonymous that. They don’t use names. I don’t really think they have any names, OK?”

He continued: “There are no anonymous, you know, with my campaign, I’ll be honest with you, it’s me. It’s me.”

“I’m not running against crooked Hillary,” Trump added. “I’m running against the crooked media.”

“Contrary to the ‘New York Times” nameless sources story,” Manafort said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, “the campaign is moving to get forward and is very strong.”

A spokeswoman for the New York Times declined to comment, but said the Trump campaign had not asked for a correction.

The attack on the news media comes on the heels of several rough weeks for his campaign — marred by a string of controversies that have apparently resulted in Clinton’s rise in the polls. According to RealClearPolitics’ most recent average of national polling data, the former secretary of state has opened up a 7-point lead over Trump (48 percent to 41 percent) among likely voters. Following last month’s Republican National Convention, Trump held a 1-point lead over Clinton in RCP’s poll average.

And Trump blames the media for that too.

If the disgusting and corrupt media covered me honestly and didn't put false meaning into the words I say, I would be beating Hillary by 20% — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016





In an interview with Time magazine last week, Trump said he has been taking the advice of GOP leaders, including Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, to stay on message.

“I am now listening to people that are telling me to be easier, nicer, be softer,” he said. “And you know, that’s OK, and I’m doing that. Personally, I don’t know if that’s what the country wants.”

On Thursday, Trump said he would continue his fiery approach while acknowledging it may ultimately cost him the election.

“I’ll just keep doing the same thing I’m doing right now,” he said on CNBC. “And at the end, it’s either going to work, or I’m going to, you know, I’m going to have a very, very nice, long vacation.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s tirade against the media continued Sunday afternoon.

Crooked Hillary Clinton is being protected by the media. She is not a talented person or politician. The dishonest media refuses to expose! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016





I am not only fighting Crooked Hillary, I am fighting the dishonest and corrupt media and her government protection process. People get it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016





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! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016



