New York lawmaker: Trump's comments on press is a 'totalitarian tool of dictators

A New York lawmaker slammed President Donald Trump's comments on the media early Tuesday morning, comparing Trump's statements to "a totalitarian tool of dictators."

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler argued during an interview on CNN's "New Day" that Trump's assertion that the press is the "enemy of the people" is "not a fit thing for the president of the United States" to say.

"To label the press or anybody else [as] the enemy of the people is a totalitarian tool of dictators," Nadler said. "Not a fit thing for the president of the United States."

Democrat @RepJerryNadler: Labeling the press "enemies of the people" is a "totalitarian tool of dictators" https://t.co/CujbAv0TRD

— New Day (@NewDay) February 21, 2017

In a tweet Friday afternoon, Trump called out the New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN as "fake news" as he said the publications are "not my enemy" but instead "the enemy of the American people."

In an earlier similar tweet, which was deleted, Trump included the exclamation, "SICK!" at the end of the tweet.

Vice President Mike Pence defended Trump's war with the media during a trip to Brussels Monday as he promised that the administration would continue to "call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts."

However, Pence said, both he and Trump "support a free and independent press."