Tells VFW convention "what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening"

Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Kansas City on July 24, 2018, Trump defended his tariff policy against a backdrop of trade-war criticism and told the audience, "Just remember, what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening." He also urged the crowd, "Don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news," as attendees booed reporters covering the event from the press pen. Commentators drew comparisons to George Orwell's novel 1984, characterizing the instruction to disregard direct observation and independent reporting as an escalation of Trump's recurring effort to have supporters substitute his own characterization of events for verifiable fact. The VFW's national organization later issued a statement saying it was "disappointed" that convention attendees had booed the press.

“Just remember, what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening.” Quote verified against source