Donald Trump has never made a secret of his disdain for what he has called, at turns, the "disgusting" and "dishonest" press. Now, the presumptive Republican nominee is taking that vitriol to the next level, announcing on his Facebook page that he is revoking The Washington Post's press credentials.

According to Trump, this decision is a response to a story the Post published earlier this morning that accused Trump of trying to connect President Barack Obama with the Orlando shooting. The story referenced an interview Trump did with Fox News this morning in which he said, "Look, we're led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he's got something else in mind." The Post apparently took that to mean Trump was implying that the president may be "identifying with radicalized Muslims."

On his Facebook page, Trump said that while he is "no fan of President Obama," the story is "incredibly inaccurate."

"We are hereby revoking the press credentials of the phony and dishonest Washington Post," Trump wrote.

Spurious as the Post's claims may be, it's hard not to read Trump's decision to ban the storied publication from his events as a major attack on the free press. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time either. The Trump campaign has repeatedly turned down reporters for press credentials without explanation or warning. Meanwhile, the candidate has promised that if he becomes president, he will "open up" the country's libel laws to make it easier to sue news outlets "and win lots of money."

The freedom of the press, of course, is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution, which says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." Given that Trump is already challenging freedom of religion by proposing a ban on Muslim immigrants, it's little wonder he would play fast and loose with the freedom of the press as well.

In a statement, Post Executive Editor Marty Baron said the Trump campaign's decision is "nothing less than the repudiation of the role of a free and independent press." Baron said the Post would continue to cover the Trump campaign "as it has all along – honorably, honestly, accurately, energetically, and unflinchingly."

The Post's publisher, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has yet to respond, but it's clear there's no love lost between the two billionaires either. In response to Trump's criticisms of the Post last year, Bezos Tweeted that there's always a seat for Trump on his space company Blue Origin's rocket with the hashtag #SendDonaldToSpace.