Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a press conference at the European Commission in Brussels on Feb. 20. | Getty Pence: Trump White House supports 'free and independent press'

Vice President Mike Pence affirmed the White House’s support for a “free and independent press” during a news conference in Brussels on Monday, just days after President Donald Trump called the media “the enemy of the American people.”

Pence did go on to say that Trump and the administration “continue to call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts.”


“The truth is that we have in President Trump someone who has a unique ability to speak directly to the American people,” Pence said. “And when the media gets it wrong, I promise you President Trump will take his case straight to the American people to set the record straight.”

Those comments came after Trump, who as a candidate relished in attacking the media, has escalated those attacks as president, recently saying in a speech at the CIA that he had a “war” with the press. He has since taken to calling mainstream media outlets “fake news.”

The comments have troubled some Republican leaders, with Sen. John McCain comparing the language to that of dictators.

