CNN fact checks Donald Trump's tweet about his presidential inauguration viewing figures

'Those are the facts'

President Donald Trump calls CNN 'fake news' (Getty)

CNN have replied to a Donald Trump tweet accusing the broadcaster of being "fake news" by showing one of the president's claims to be false.

In his tweet, Mr Trump congratulated Fox News "for being number one in inauguration ratings" and said they were "many times higher" than CNN.

"Congratulations to Fox News for being number one in inauguration ratings. They were many times higher than FAKE NEWS CNN," Mr Trump wrote.

"Public is smart!" he added.

However, CNN replied to Mr Trump's tweet by sharing the viewing numbers for the broadcaster and CNN.

CNN Communications said: "According to Nielsen cumulative numbers, 34 million people watched CNN's inauguration day coverage on television. 34 million watched Fox News. There were an additional 16.9 million live video starts on CNN Digital platforms.

"Those are the facts."

Earlier this week, Mr Trump's controversial press secretary defended his claim that record numbers watched the president's inauguration by saying "sometimes we disagree with the facts".