President Trump on Sunday escalated his rhetorical attacks on news outlets that have published critical stories about him and his administration.

He claimed outlets, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, have gone "insane," in a flurry of tweets that come just hours after he revealed a "very good" meeting he had with the publisher of the Times about "fake news."

"When the media -- driven insane by their Trump Derangement Syndrome -- reveals internal deliberations of our government, it truly puts the lives of many, not just journalists, at risk! Very unpatriotic!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

"Freedom of the press also comes with a responsibility to report the news accurately," he continued.

[More: Trump's fight against 'unpatriotic' media intensifies]



When the media - driven insane by their Trump Derangement Syndrome - reveals internal deliberations of our government, it truly puts the lives of many, not just journalists, at risk! Very unpatriotic! Freedom of the press also comes with a responsibility to report the news... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018

...accurately. 90% of media coverage of my Administration is negative, despite the tremendously positive results we are achieving, it’s no surprise that confidence in the media is at an all time low! I will not allow our great country to be sold out by anti-Trump haters in the... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018

...dying newspaper industry. No matter how much they try to distract and cover it up, our country is making great progress under my leadership and I will never stop fighting for the American people! As an example, the failing New York Times... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018

...and the Amazon Washington Post do nothing but write bad stories even on very positive achievements - and they will never change! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018



Earlier, Trump tweeted about a July 20 meeting he requested with New York Times publisher Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, which was also attended by James Bennet, the Times’ editorial page editor, per the Washington Post. The discussion was supposed to be off-the-record, a Times spokeswoman told the newspaper.



Had a very good and interesting meeting at the White House with A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, “Enemy of the People.” Sad! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018



But Sulzberger, in a statement issued in the wake of the online missive, said he warned Trump about the consequences of employing divisive, combative rhetoric to describe or engage with reporters at public events and on social media.

"I warned that it was putting lives at risk, that it was undermining the democratic ideals of our nation, and that it was eroding one of our country's greatest exports: a commitment to free speech and a free press," he wrote.

Sulzberger, however, said that he did not try to dissuade Trump from attacking the Times specifically "if he felt our coverage was unfair," but "implored him to reconsider his broader attacks on journalism, which I believe are dangerous and harmful to our country."