Is The Press The People’s or Trump’s Enemy?
President Trump said, “The fake press is the enemy of the people.” Trump means the media’s relentless attacks on his administration, hostile reporters, and media that report only negative events and interpretations and omit positive news about foreign and domestic successes.
The media resents Trump’s accusations and the tweets he uses to get around them to go straight to the public and to his supporters.
Polls have shown more than 90% of the news about Trump is negative. That the economic condition of minorities has improved under Trump, and that he has gained increased support from Hispanics and Blacks goes unreported or else downplayed.
FBI agent Peter Strzok whose investigation of Hillary Clinton’s campaign follies and mismanagement of classified emails was selectively managed, and texts that showed blatant bias, was fired
Former CIA director John Brennan, who allegedly played an active role during and after Trump’s presidential campaign lost his national security clearance. Why? Because of Brennan’s Obama era role in spying on Trump, and publicly disparaging the president on TV panels and suggesting the president may have committed Treason in his relations with Russian and alleged election “collusion.”
President Obama and his Department of Justice criticized the press and some reporters critical of his administration found their phones tapped and two were removed from Obama’s aircraft.
The hostile media treatment of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in those sessions has led to extraordinary sparring between CNN’s Jim Acosta and the press secretary. Acosta complains that White House staff, the president and Huckabee are hostile to him and he is put in danger at Trump political rallies. Sanders appropriately pointed out that media hostility to her has led to public intimidation and threats to the point that she now has Secret Service protection.
NBC’s Chuck Todd personified the anti-Trump advocacy journalism when he advised House Speaker Paul Ryan to “save his legacy” by initiating impeachment for “the future of the Republican Party.” And Matt Vespa reported that Socialist congressional candidate Alexandria Occasion-Cortez banned the press from a fundraiser to “provide a safe-space” for her constituents.
Matt Vespa reported that former CNN producer David Shuster tweeted Acosta about journalistic professionalism: “Hey, Jim Acosta, the job of a true journalist is not to be sad or happy about what happens in the press room. It is to ask questions and report facts about what is said or not said. Your antics, feelings, and self-promotion are hurting journalism. Enough.”
Karen Townsend of hotair.com reported that Democrat New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio blamed Fox News for the election of Donald Trump, and he concluded America would be “more unified” and better informed if Fox News didn’t exist. Townsend said, to the contrary, “I think he’s got it backward. The socialists of the Democratic Party like Bill de Blasio (and the biased media) gave America President Trump.”
Daily Caller reporter Sharan Kumar wrote that Trump hatred by the so-called “anti-hate” Antifa groups at their violent rallies has been dismissed and even glorified by the mainstream media. That may change, as Antifa has attacked reporters at recent demonstrations.
Surely, Trump’s tweets get him in trouble and attract justifiable criticism. And his flawed character and target rich past are problematic; as have been his poor vetting of aides and advisors. Trump should pardon Paul Manafort and Gen. Flynn, victims of special counsel Robert Mueller’s “political witch hunt.”
But, given the biased members of the press and their consistent attacks on the president, his policies and supporters, it is understandable that Trump tweets about and trolls the press. The media hates it. Trump supporters love it.
Tune in New-Talk 1340 KROC-AM every Tuesday and Thursday to hear Tom on the Rochester Today Show with Andy Brownell from 11 am until Noon.