Donald Trump intensified his criticism of the news media amid reports of dysfunction in his 2016 presidential campaign and a decline in his poll standing. In a series of tweets, the Republican nominee accused news organizations of protecting Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, misrepresenting his words and failing to show the size and enthusiasm of his rally crowds. He claimed he would be leading Clinton by 20 percentage points if coverage were fair.

Trump particularly attacked a New York Times article that quoted anonymous associates describing him as exhausted, frustrated and bewildered by aspects of the political process. He called the reporting fiction and suggested at a Connecticut rally that the newspaper’s reporters could lose their credentials. Trump had previously denied rally credentials to several other outlets. One commentary agreed that much of the media wanted Trump to lose, while observing that previous Republican nominees had faced similar opposition.

Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also blamed the press for focusing on controversial remarks instead of Trump’s economic plan. Those remarks included Trump’s suggestion that Second Amendment supporters could “do something” if Clinton appointed liberal judges and his repeated false claim that President Barack Obama founded the Islamic State group. Running mate Mike Pence said Trump had meant that Obama’s policies contributed to the group’s rise and promised that Trump would soon offer specifics on national security.

Trump was preparing an Ohio speech in which, aides said, he would call for an end to nation building and propose a foreign policy focused on defeating the Islamic State and other terrorist groups. He was expected to advocate cooperation with countries sharing that goal, a halt to visas where adequate screening could not be performed, and an ideological test for prospective entrants covering issues such as religious freedom.

Clinton, meanwhile, planned to campaign in Scranton, Pennsylvania, with Vice President Joe Biden. Biden was expected to argue that Trump was unprepared for national security responsibilities and that Clinton offered solutions for working families. Her campaign also launched a voter-registration effort involving young undocumented immigrants protected under an Obama-era program. Although the roughly 730,000 beneficiaries could not vote, organizers hoped they would help mobilize eligible Latino voters by highlighting Trump’s promises to end the program and deport immigrants.

Separately, a New York Times investigation brought fresh scrutiny to Manafort’s work for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The report described his connections to a network that Ukrainian investigators said had been used to loot assets and influence elections, as well as his business dealings with powerful interests. Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who had clashed with Manafort before being fired, drew attention by sharing the article on social media.