‘The Media Is Tamed Down’: Trump Takes Victory Lap Before Boasting He’ll ‘Take Them on Again’ If They Turn on Him

President-elect Donald Trump sent a clear signal to the political media ecosphere before ringing the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning.

Trump was on Wall Street Thursday to ring the bell and celebrate his being named Time Magazine‘s Person of the Year, fresh off of an interview that produced a number of notable headlines.

But regarding his often contentious relationship with the press that covers him, Trump seemed to admit he was getting more positive coverage while, of course, attributing the new dynamic to himself in his trademarked, self-aggrandizing manner.

“The media is tamed down a little bit,” Trump said, taking some credit for the “taming” of shrewd political reporters.  “They like us much better now I think,” he added, before promising “If they don’t, then we’ll just have to take them on again, and we don’t want to do that.”

Also at the Stock Exchange, the president-elect called being named “Person of the Year” an “honor” and said “I do want to thank Time Magazine — I’ve been on the cover many times. I don’t know who has the record.”

“It’s been an honor and every time it’s an honor — I will tell you,” he said.

One can almost hear the passive-aggressive and old-school elocution underlying that comment that ‘it would be a real shame if something were to happen to your broadcasting license or First Amendment rights,’ though, of course, that came with the sort of plausible deniability that was what was meant.

Watch above via CNBC.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.