President-elect denies reports he plans to remain an executive producer amid widespread concern over spread of fake news on social media

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

President-elect Donald Trump has accused CNN of reporting “fake news” regarding his reported intention to maintain an executive producer credit on The Celebrity Apprentice after moving into the White House.

Fake news: an insidious trend that's fast becoming a global problem Read more

He would not be working on the series at all, he said in two tweets sent before dawn on Saturday, “even part time”.

MGM said on Thursday Trump would not remove his name from the titles of the forthcoming season of The Celebrity Apprentice. On Friday, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway told CNN the president-elect’s ties to his reality show were being reviewed for potential conflicts of interest.

Trump’s charge against CNN is an emotive one, both regarding potential clashes between the president-elect’s business empire and his new role and as debate continues over the impact of “fake news” on the election and Russia’s likely involvement in its spread.

On Friday night, reports in the New York Times and Washington Post said US intelligence agencies including the CIA believed Russia had interfered with the election in favour of Trump. The Trump transition team flatly rejected the reports.

Trump has long been accused of using controversial tweets to distract attention from troublesome press attention.

He made his new charge against CNN a little before 6.30am on Saturday, after a Friday night rally in Michigan and before a scheduled appearance and interview at the Army v Navy football game in Baltimore.

He also used Twitter to confirm that the former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani was no longer in the running to be secretary of state. Debate continues over Trump’s cabinet picks, including climate sceptics for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.



Trump said: “I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B[urnett] & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME!



He added: “Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are rediculous & untrue [sic] – FAKE NEWS!”

The spread of “fake news” on social media has caused widespread and growing concern.

Last Sunday, the potential consequences of such stories became clear when a conspiracy theorist “self-investigating” fake news stories about a Washington pizza restaurant and a child sex ring run by senior Democrats walked into the restaurant and fired shots from an assault rifle.



In a speech at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday, Trump’s presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, called for action.

“This is not about politics or partisanship,” she said. “Lives are at risk. Lives of ordinary people just trying to go about their days to do their jobs, contribute to their communities.

“It is a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly.”

The Washington pizza restaurant in question, Comet Ping Pong, was this weekend being supported by a “Stand With Comet” event. More than 2,000 people said on Facebook they would support the pizza place and other neighbourhood restaurants.

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On Friday at Comet Ping Pong, people waited an hour and a half for a table and carry-out took 45 minutes. Local restaurants sent wait staff to help. Others sent food for employees.



A GoFundMe page set up to help the restaurant pay for legal expenses and extra security had passed $15,000, with a goal of $28,000.

Interim District of Columbia police chief Peter Newsham visited the restaurant, and had a message for peddlers of fake news.

“It’s not funny,” he said. “It’s serious. It can have very, very serious consequences.”

The man police arrested last Sunday at Comet Ping Pong was 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury, North Carolina. He has a court hearing next week.

Welch surrendered peacefully “when he found no evidence that underage children were being harbored in the restaurant”, police said.