The publisher of the New York Times has warned the US President that his "fake news" mantra, which comes across almost like a catchphrase, is "untrue and harmful".

New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger had a meeting in the White House with Trump on 20 July. But he was prompted to release a statement to reveal exactly what he told the US President after Trump put out a misleading tweet about it.

In his Tweet, Trump stated: "Had a very good and interesting meeting at the White House with A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, “Enemy of the People.” Sad!"

But in his statement, Sulzberger now contradicts the US President's spin on their meeting. "I told him that although the phrase 'fake news' is untrue and harmful, I am far more concerned about his labeling journalists 'the enemy of the people'. I warned that this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence," the publisher now says.

"Throughout the conversation I emphasised that if President Trump, like previous presidents, was upset with coverage of his administration he was of course free to tell the world.

"I made clear repeatedly that I was not asking for him to soften his attacks on The Times if he felt our coverage was unfair. Instead, I implored him to reconsider his broader attacks on journalism, which I believe are dangerous and harmful to our country."

Had a very good and interesting meeting at the White House with A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, “Enemy of the People.” Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018