Sen. John McCain has said a free press is vital "to preserve democracy as we know it", saying efforts to muzzle the media is "how dictators get started."

The Arizona senator was asked in an interview for NBC's "Meet the Press" how he felt about President Donald Trump's tweet criticising "the fake news media" that said "it is the enemy of the American people."

McCain tells "Meet the Press," "The fact is we need you."

He added: "When you look at history, the first thing dictators do is shut down the press."

McCain said he was not saying Trump is trying to be a dictator but "we need to learn the lessons of history."

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President Trump has frequently attacked the media but had not called it an enemy of the American public until Friday. In a rally on Saturday evening he said the media was "part of the problem" and "part of the corrupt system". "Many of our greatest Presidents fought with the media and called them out on their lies," he said. "When the media lies to the people I will never let them get away with it."

Earlier in the week Mr Trump attacked newspapers for publishing stories based on a series of leaks from within his administration.