Donald Trump has walked back his criticism of his intelligence chiefs just a day after suggesting they should “go back to school” for being “extremely passive and naive” about the national security threat he says Iran and other foreign adversaries pose to the United Stat

Trump’s initial attack came in response to congressional testimony from his intelligence chiefs this week, where they contradicted much of the president’s foreign policy views on the dangers posed by Iran, North Korea, and ISIS.

“Just concluded a great meeting with my Intel team in the Oval Office who told me that what they said on Tuesday at the Senate Hearing was mischaracterized by the media – and we are very much in agreement on Iran, ISIS, North Korea, etc. Their testimony was distorted press,” Trump tweeted on Thursday.

He continued: “I would suggest you read the COMPLETE testimony from Tuesday. A false narrative is so bad for our Country. I value our intelligence community. Happily, we had a very good meeting, and we are all on the same page!”

Just concluded a great meeting with my Intel team in the Oval Office who told me that what they said on Tuesday at the Senate Hearing was mischaracterized by the media – and we are very much in agreement on Iran, ISIS, North Korea, etc. Their testimony was distorted press…. pic.twitter.com/Zl5aqBmpjF

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019

….I would suggest you read the COMPLETE testimony from Tuesday. A false narrative is so bad for our Country. I value our intelligence community. Happily, we had a very good meeting, and we are all on the same page!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019

Trump has frequently disagreed with the intelligence community on major national security issues since taking office over two years ago.

That has included public feuding over the intelligence community’s finding that Russia had worked to tilt the 2016 presidential presidential election in the president’s favor.

However, many of us watched the testimony on TV. There is video. We can see what they are saying, whether Trump likes it or not.

Twitter was shocked:

It was on tape. It was carried live on TV. https://t.co/UhjREK3NIw

— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) January 31, 2019

Do you ever not lie? https://t.co/kXErGtIgv6

— Michael Mortensen (@beancounters516) January 31, 2019

Just concluded a great meeting with my Parents, who tell me that, even though they stopped the movie 10 minutes early, everything worked out fine for OLD YELLER in the end and he's OK! https://t.co/46aybEa0Hi

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) January 31, 2019

Interesting that someone (?) arranged for the White House photographer to be in the PDB today, presumably recognizing the inherent risks in having a POTUS being seen at odds with his intel team https://t.co/USA5u7Vkng

— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) January 31, 2019

This is next-level gaslighting. The hearing was recorded! https://t.co/RXaALQsZ1J

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 31, 2019

Yesterday, the president said "perhaps intelligence should go back to school!" Today, he says they were somehow just treated unfairly by the media. Couldn't he have reviewed transcript or talked to them or received a full briefing on what they said before posting a tweet? https://t.co/SAzO9Bq6wl

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) January 31, 2019