Donald Trump on 'Good Morning America': Media Is Giving Me 'Record-Setting Bad Treatment'

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has been at the receiving end of "record-setting bad treatment" by the media since announcing his presidential bid last year.

The Republican presidential nominee, in an interview with "Good Morning America" co-anchor George Stephanopoulos that aired Thursday morning but was taped Wednesday inside Trump’s new luxury hotel near the White House, accused the media of bias against Republicans. Trump pointed to Mitt Romney's 2012 White House run, saying “it was horrible the way they were treated in the media.”

“The only thing worse is the way I’m being treated. Hey, it's record-setting bad treatment, what I'm getting,” said Trump. “It’s the greatest pile-on in American history. I go to rallies and they're starting to hate the media because they see it's all a big lie. Not all, but a lot of it’s a big lie.”

Stephanopoulos replied that Trump has benefited from a disproportionate amount of coverage in the Republican primary that he said was worth a billion dollars, to which Trump shot back: “I don't know if you call it a billion dollars free when it's bad.”

Although Trump admitted that he has, from time to time, made statements "where I could have done it a little bit differently," he complained that the media often turns "something that I say absolutely perfect" into a negative story.

"Look, I went to an Ivy League school. I was a good student. I'm a very smart person. I know what I'm saying," Trump said. "Sometimes I’ll say something that’s absolutely perfect, and I’ll get a call after an interview, like with you, ‘Oh did you say this or that?’ And they'll skew it so unfairly.”

Stephanopoulos countered: "But people see it for themselves, they make up their own minds."

"Well, they don't really because what happens is you poison their minds. You really do," Trump replied. "The media poisons the mind of the American voter. They really do. It's unfair. But the thing is, the American voter is really smart. I mean I'm going to see how smart they are, but the American voter, I think the American voter is smarter than the media."

Trump also sprung a surprise on his wife, Melania Trump, during the interview, as she said she may join him on the campaign trail in the final days before the Nov. 8 election.

“And I’m there for him every time he needs me. And I might join him,” she said, adding, “We will see.”

“She’s actually going to make two or three speeches,” the New York businessman announced.

“Oh,” a jolted Melania Trump abruptly shot out. Stephanopoulos quickly noted he “made some news right there.”

“Well, it is. It’s, it’s — she’s amazing when she speaks,” Trump said. “She’s an amazing public speaker so she’s agreed to do two or three speeches, and I think it’s going to be big speeches, important speeches, and I think it’s gonna be great.”

Should her husband take the White House, Melania Trump said she would focus on the pitfalls and impact of using social media.

"In this 21st century, what's going on, it's very hurtful to children. To some adults as well, but we need to take care of children," she said. “We need to teach them how to use it — what is right to say, what is not right to say, because it’s very bad out there.”

She added: “Children are hurt by social media, by what’s going on, by negativity.”

"I've seen so many people hurt so badly,” Donald Trump said. “Not just children, I mean, just people are hurt so badly by new social media. And she feels very strongly about it. She understands it very well.”

When asked by Stephanopoulos about his harsh use of social media, Donald Trump said, “Most of them deserved it.”

“I believe in fighting back. When people are against me, when they tell lies, you know, I have the power of this instrument, and frankly sometimes I’ll use that. And I agree sometimes it will revert back or sometimes maybe it doesn’t come out — you have to be careful with it.”

For those who have been concerned that the only reason Trump ran for the White House is to build his business ventures — or that his controversial run will have an impact on Trump Inc. — worry no more.

"I think the brand is hotter than it's ever been,” the Republican presidential nominee said during a portion of the interview where he was surrounded by his family. “But it doesn't matter to me. I don't care. It doesn't matter. I don't care about the brand. I care about the country. And fixing in this country.”

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons