Founder of the TMZ celebrity gossip and news website Harvey Levin blasted the media during a speaking engagement at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual conference on Monday for criticizing his meeting with President Donald Trump last month.
"It is hilarious to me and kind of sad, that I was in the waiting room in the West Wing for a half hour before I walked in there and probably saw a hundred people, including reporters, " Levin said. "So, nothing happened until a week later and then people were furious that I got in there, and actually I was in Washington for something different and went in there."
Levin said he went to the White House to discuss a project and other issues, but then pointed out the "bullying in traditional media."
"When you pretend like you are objective, but you're not, and you are angry and you are trying to kill and bully, I think that is killing and I don't think they know it yet, but I think some of the trusted names in news are not trusted anymore because of this," Levin said.
Levin said it was "so stupid" for Trump's critics to castigate individuals who meet with the president.
"I think it's so preposterous that Kanye West went to see Trump, he got trashed. Steve Harvey went to see Trump, he got trashed. They went after me for seeing Trump, so I guess the solution is nobody should see him. It should be a boycott. That is so stupid," Levin said.
Levin proposed that Trump's critics should meet with the president to try to change his mind on issues rather than continue boycotting him.
"I went in there and I voiced an opinion on some things and why would you not get in that game? If you disagree, the solution is to boycott? The guy has already shown in the last three weeks he's changed his mind on five things, so if he's willing to change his mind, why would you sit on the sidelines, bully people who go in there, It's absurd," Levin said.
"It is the dumbest thing I have ever seen," Levin added.