Trump says media 'working overtime' to blame him for attack

President Trump on Monday said it is “ridiculous” that the media is blaming him for the recent mosque attacks in New Zealand.

“The Fake News Media is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand,” Trump wrote in a tweet. “They will have to work very hard to prove that one. So Ridiculous!”

In the days since the tragedy that claimed 50 lives, it has been reported that Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the alleged shooter, hails Trump in a manifesto, describing the US president as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose,” according to the Washington Post.

Trump’s acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney defended the president on Sunday.

He told Chris Wallace of Fox News: “You’ve seen the president stand up for religious liberty, individual liberty. The president is not a white supremacist. I’m not sure how many times we have to say that.”