CNN anchor Jake Tapper opened up "The Lead" on Monday by attempting to contextualize President Donald Trump's recent tweets aimed at delegitimizing a federal judge, polling, and the news media.

Tapper targeted three of Trump's tweets in particular. The first was from Sunday, following Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge James Robart issuing a nationwide temporary stay on Trump's temporary travel ban from seven majority-Muslim countries.

RELATED: Poll - Credibility of major news sources

Tapper tried to sum up what it all meant.

"If a judge rules against the president, he's a so-called judge," the CNN anchor said. "If a poll shows that a majority of you disagree with his policies, the poll is fake. If a well-sourced news story reflects something unflattering about him, that story is fake."

"So, the judicial branch of government and the free press, two fundamental pillars of our democracy," he continued. "If we take actions he does not like, we are not legitimate."

Tapper then pointed to Trump's pre-Super Bowl interview with Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. During that interview, O'Reilly said Putin was a "killer" after asking him why he respected the Russian president.

"Lot of killers," Trump responded. "We've got a lot of killers. What, you think our country is so innocent?"

For many years, Putin has been criticized by leaders across the aisle — who were also quick to condemn Trump's remarks — for human rights abuses that include the stifling of freedom of speech and imprisonment of political opponents. A string of prominent Putin critics have also ended up dead.

After the clip played. Tapper said: "So as long as we all know where we stand, I suppose."

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Mark Cuban digs in on combating Trump and tells Democrats they are 'blowing it'

More from :

Jake Tapper scorches White House with 2-minute fact-check on Trump's immigration order

Jake Tapper grills McConnell over Trump's Putin defense: 'He just said something that could've been broadcast on RT'

Trump on immigration ban: 'Call it what you want'