Trump calls for media outlets to be ‘arrested’ over rally coverage

President Trump said Monday that reporters from The New York Times and other media outlets should be “arrested” over their coverage of his Saturday rally in Ohio.

“The Ohio Arena was already full to the brim — And yet these people were still trying to get in,” Trump wrote on Truth Social , sharing a video of people in line for the rally .

New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers wrote Sunday that “several areas of an upper deck were empty” by the time the president finished speaking at Butler High School in Vandalia.

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The school’s student center, where the event took place, has a capacity of 4,500 people, Rogers noted.

But Trump denied those details, saying there were no empty seats and “thousands of people had to be turned away” from attending the rally.

“The New York Times, and many other Artificial Media Outlets, should be arrested for their dishonesty and disservice to our Country,” the president added, accusing outlets of inflating crowds for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and downplaying how many people attend his rallies.

“The Arena was totally MAXED OUT, including all upper sections,” Trump wrote in a subsequent post. “What does happen at all of my SOLD OUT Rallies, is that the people in the upper sections tend to migrate down to the Main Floor — The ‘migration’ process always happens!”

The president also shared a video of himself taking the stage at the rally as attendees chanted “USA” multiple times.

“There are thousands of people outside [who] can’t get in. If you’d like to give up your seat, please, we can work it out, get out of here,” Trump said at the rally.

During the rally, the president stumped for Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who faces a tough reelection battle against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Former NFL coach Jon Gruden also delivered remarks, saying Husted was a friend of his who “will never quit.”

Trump has long targeted the Times and its reporters, accusing the outlet of covering him unfavorably dating to his first presidential campaign.

The Justice Department over the summer subpoenaed the phone records of multiple Times journalists and their family members after they reported on security concerns Secret Service officials had about the Qatari-gifted jet for Air Force One. The department dropped the request days later .