ABC News' Jonathan Karl: Free press is a big part of what makes America great

WASHINGTON -- ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl fired back at recent comments made by President Donald Trump about the "fake news media."

Trump tweeted, "The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"

Karl closed a show on Sunday by saying, "There is nothing new about a president of the United States criticizing or even vilifying the press."

He said that Trump's criticism of the press was surprising because of his love of media attention during his business career and during the Republican primary.

Karl said, "We are not about to stop doing our jobs because yet another president is unhappy with what he reads or hears or sees on TV news." He says there's a reason the founders put freedom of the press in the very first amendment to the Constitution. "As long as American democracy remains healthy, there will be reporters willing to pursue the truth, even if that means incurring the wrath of the most powerful person in the world."

"A free press isn't the enemy of America. It's a big part of what makes America great," he said.

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Watch the full clip below.