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Donald Trump met with editors and reporters for The New York Times Wednesday. | Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times via AP New York Times CEO takes on Trump's 'failing' claims

New York Times CEO Mark Thompson opened a conference call to discuss the company's latest financial results with a jab at President Donald Trump — perhaps the Times' most vocal, and prolific, critic these days.

"President Trump was once again busy tweeting this weekend that our audiences and our subscribers were, to use his word, 'dwindling,'" Thompson said Thursday morning. "Well, not so much, Mr. President."

Thompson then outlined the Times' audience growth during the final three months of 2016, when the Times was aggressively covering the election and the transition, often stoking Trump's ire.

Thompson said 220 million people visited the Times on its digital platforms in November, and that the Times saw a net increase of 276,000 digital subscribers during the fourth quarter. The Times and other news outlets have seen a post-election subscriber rush that many believe reflects a desire among readers for professional reporting as the new administration takes hold, and dubious news stories run rampant.

"For comparison, that’s more net new subscriptions in one quarter than we added in the whole of 2013 and 2014 combined," said Thompson. "But perhaps the new president was referring to the New Year and guessing that there had been a post-election lull. If so, wrong again. ... We are continuing to see remarkably strong numbers of new subscribers."

As hostility between the president and the media continues to heat up, the Times continues to be one of Trump's main targets. A Nov. 22 meeting with Times journalists and executives brought a bit of a detente. But things have since gotten ugly.

"Somebody with aptitude and conviction should buy the FAKE NEWS and failing @nytimes," Trump tweeted a few days ago, "and either run it correctly or let it fold with dignity!"