Trump raged about the media putting out fake news stories, but the point of his rage is to discredit the delivery mechanism of information as the Russia investigation closes in on him.
The President tweeted:
Very little discussion of all the purposely false and defamatory stories put out this week by the Fake News Media. They are out of control – correct reporting means nothing to them. Major lies written, then forced to be withdrawn after they are exposed…a stain on America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2017
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Trump is raging, not because he is concerned about people being misinformed. The President is blowing a gasket because the truth is still reported. Brian Ross of ABC News got the story about Mike Flynn’s plea deal wrong and was suspended. What the President left out is that tens of thousands of reporters got it right. It is not that one journalist who got it wrong that terrifies Trump. It is all the journalists who are getting it right.
The Russia investigation is closing in on Trump. Now that the Flynn domino has fallen, the next person to be charged is likely to be someone close to Trump, maybe even a member of his own family. Trump is behaving like a man who is trying to brace his supporters for a more bad news by discrediting the media before they have a chance to report it.
If Trump can’t make Robert Mueller’s investigation go away, he is trying to do the next best thing by discrediting the free press so that people won’t believe the reporting.
There is no method to Donald Trump. He is a cornered man who thinks he can save himself by shooting the messenger.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association