Dan Rather Responds To Trump's 'Vicious' Rant Against The Press

"I felt a shudder down my spine yesterday watching Donald Trump 's fusilade against the press."

So begins the seven-paragraph Facebook post  written by legendary newsman Dan Rather about a press conference Donald Trump gave on Tuesday. 

The reality TV star and presumptive GOP presidential nominee attacked the press instead of answering questions about where the nearly $6 million he claimed he’d raised for veterans charities had gone . Essentially, Trump got angry at journalists for doing their job.

Rather shared his thoughts Wednesday on Facebook :

It's no surprise to see the 84-year-old news icon take a stand against Trump and defend the need for a free, thorough and critical press.

Rather himself was a reporter embroiled in conflict during an election season. During the 1968 Democratic convention  in Chicago, he was punched after attempting to question a Georgia delegate about police riots and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's war on antiwar protesters.

Rather and Trump have a somewhat contentious past , as the real estate mogul in 2008 called the anchor a "loser" with "low ratings."

Rather's post about Trump's "personal and vicious" rhetoric serves as a reminder to the press that they should keep asking the tough questions, regardless of Trump's insistence otherwise. It has been shared just shy of 45,000 times so far.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence  and is a serial liar , rampant xenophobe , racist , misogynist  and birther  who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.