President Trump railed against the media on Friday, suggesting that some of the actions of the press be deemed illegal and should be investigated.

In a speech at the Department of Justice (DOJ), during which Trump railed against people and entities that he claims have targeted him, said that he views CNN and MSNBC as corrupt.

“I believe that CNN and MS-DNC, who literally write 97.6 percent bad about me, are political arms of the Democrat Party and in my opinion, they’re really corrupt and they’re illegal, what do they do is illegal,” Trump said.

He also claimed the media outlets work in coordination and that their reporting is able to influence the opinions of judges.

“These networks and these newspapers are really no different than a highly paid political operative,” Trump said.

“And it has to stop, it has to be illegal, it’s influencing judges and it’s really, eh, changing law and it just cannot be legal. I don’t believe it’s legal and they do it in total coordination with each other,” he added.

Trump’s speech at DOJ was rare for any president. During his remarks, he attacked the Biden administration, claimed he has been politically persecuted, and name-checked those that he thinks have unfairly targeted him.

The White House and the news media have sparred in recent weeks, including when the administration announced it would take over the press pool, taking that control away from the White House Correspondents’ Association.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month that moving forward, the White House press pool, a small group of reporters that travels with and covers the president’s daily activities, will now be determined by administration officials.

The White House is also in an ongoing fight with the Associated Press over the outlet’s decision not to fully adopt the name “Gulf of America” instead of Gulf of Mexico into its widely influential Stylebook, used by news media organizations across the U.S.

The White House has restricted the AP’s access to the Oval Office and Air Force One, not allowing the outlet to be in the press pool, and the AP is challenging the White House’s action in court.

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