Avid TV-Watcher Trump Claims He Has "Very Little Time for Watching TV"

The President has long denied watching television channels that he regularly pans on Twitter.

President Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend his administration and say that he has "very little time for watching TV," a claim that's a bit hard to believe to the many political journalists who know the President as an avid television watcher.

"The W.H. is functioning perfectly, focused on HealthCare, Tax Cuts/Reform & many other things," he tweeted, followed by the aforementioned claim.

The W.H. is functioning perfectly, focused on HealthCare, Tax Cuts/Reform & many other things. I have very little time for watching T.V. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2017

Trump sent the tweet only hours after praising son Donald Trump Jr.'s appearance on Hannity the night prior. Trump Jr. gave an exclusive interview to Fox News' Sean Hannity to tell his side of the scandal surrounding his email communication and meeting with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!" the President tweeted earlier Wednesday morning.

Trump, who frequently tweets about TV news coverage — particularly praising Fox News and critiquing CNN — has had a light schedule this week and has been watching "plenty" of TV news, according to The Washington Post.

“White House officials tells us President Trump has been watching plenty of TV news this week, when he's had nothing on his public schedule,” tweeted the Post's Philip Rucker.

Trump has a long history as an avid TV watcher, even as he has denied in press reports that he watches some of the networks that he regularly criticizes, including CNN.

In a feature story published Tuesday, New York Times Magazine journalist Mark Leibovich wrote that the president was watching a rerun of the morning show Fox & Friends, known to be one of his favorite programs, when Leibovich came into the Oval Office to interview him. Previous profiles of Trump and his White House have included anecdotes about the President screaming at his TV to express dismay with coverage of his administration.

A THR feature story on Trump's relationship with Fox & Friends documented Trump's most retweeted media beefs, which includes a "fake news" lob at TV news outlets NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN, as well as The New York Times.

Trump also reportedly had a "a new 60-plus-inch flat-screen television" installed in the White House. "Since at least as far back as Richard Nixon, Presidents have kept televisions in this room, usually small ones, no larger than a bread box, tucked away on a sideboard shelf. That’s not the Trump way," wrote Time magazine in a profile.

In contrast to President Trump's much-documented cable TV habit, former President Obama was said to have steered clear of cable news during his time in the White House.