Trump blasts purveyors of 'fake news'

US President Donald Trump has told conservative activists that journalists shouldn't be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody's name.

President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has heaped criticism on what he calls purveyors of "fake news". (AAP)

US President Donald Trump has heaped criticism on what he calls purveyors of "fake news" at a gathering of conservative activists that took him back to his roots as an anti-establishment candidate.

Speaking to a large group of conservatives who packed into a hotel ballroom outside Washington on Friday, Trump sought to clarify a recent tweet in which he said some in the US news media should be considered an "enemy of the people."

"I'm against the people that make up stories and make up sources. They shouldn't be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody's name. Let their name be out there," Trump said. "Let there be no more sources."

Trump has repeatedly chosen to make criticism of the news media a central focus of his public remarks since taking office on January 20.

The speech allowed Trump to put his stamp firmly on the political movement even as some activists fret that his immigration and trade policies go too far.

Trump addressed the third day of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, which has focused on how to fulfill long-held Republican goals to revamp the US tax code, repeal federal regulations on industry and repeal former Democratic President Barack Obama's healthcare law.


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Source: AAP


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