U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the U.S. government start its own global television network to combat what he called CNN's "unfair and false" portrayal of the U.S. abroad.

"Throughout the world, CNN has a powerful voice portraying the United States in an unfair and false way. Something has to be done, including the possibility of the United States starting our own Worldwide Network to show the World the way we really are, GREAT!"

The U.S. launched a global news network, the Voice of America, in 1942 to combat foreign propaganda campaigns - the network is still active today and receives government funding.

Trump critics immediately slammed his move as "another step toward dictatorship" and "just like Pravda, the Reich Propaganda Ministry and other fine examples of state run media."

The Kremlin said in March 2018 it was studying a move by cable and digital TV providers in the United States to take Russia's RT TV channel off the air in Washington, saying the move looked illegal and discriminatory.

U.S. intelligence agencies have called Kremlin-backed RT "Russia's state-run propaganda machine" and accused it of contributing to Moscow's campaign to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, something Russia denies.

The U.S. Department of Justice forced RT to register as "a foreign agent" in November 2017, a designation that requires it to disclose financial information. Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chief, said on social media that the channel was being "kicked off the air" in Washington because of its status as "a foreign agent."

Reuters contributed to this report