In early morning tweets on Thursday Donald Trump continued his assault on “fake news,” saying stories appearing in the media about him and his staff are “total fiction.” He also said he would keep complaining about the media even though doing so would “just give them more publicity.”
“The Fake News Media is going Crazy! They make up stories without any backup, sources or proof. Many of the stories written about me, and the good people surrounding me, are total fiction. Problem is, when you complain you just give them more publicity. But I’ll complain anyway!”
The Fake News Media is going Crazy! They make up stories without any backup, sources or proof. Many of the stories written about me, and the good people surrounding me, are total fiction. Problem is, when you complain you just give them more publicity. But I’ll complain anyway!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2018
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Trump did not refer to any specific media report that caused this morning’s attacks but given the barrage of negative media coverage after his news conference on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin it is not surprising that the thin-skinned president is feeling defensive.
In that news conference he seemed to discount reports of U.S. intelligence agencies while agreeing with dictator Putin’s denial that there was Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.  Addressing the tense relations between Washington and Moscow at this time he said the United States was equally to blame, which resulted in widespread condemnation of his remarks. He has since tried to do damage and control and “clarify” some of his remarks but he has succeeded only in making his views even more muddled and unclear.
From the farthest reaches of the left and right wings of American politics there is general agreement that Russia and Putin are not friends of the U.S. or our Western allies, but Trump would have us believe otherwise. Â In his second tweet of the morning he wrote:
“The Fake News Media wants so badly to see a major confrontation with Russia, even a confrontation that could lead to war. They are pushing so recklessly hard and hate the fact that I’ll probably have a good relationship with Putin. We are doing MUCH better than any other country!”
The Fake News Media wants so badly to see a major confrontation with Russia, even a confrontation that could lead to war. They are pushing so recklessly hard and hate the fact that I’ll probably have a good relationship with Putin. We are doing MUCH better than any other country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2018
He later tweeted a thank you to Fox News and “Fox & Friends” for their coverage of his comments on Russian election meddling, and asked people to focus on good economic news:
“Trump recognized Russian Meddling MANY TIMES.” Thank you to @foxandfriends and @FoxNews for actually showing the clips. The Fake News wants no part of that narrative! Too bad they don’t want to focus on all of the ECONOMIC and JOBS records being set.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2018
The president usually labels news stories that are critical of him “fake news” and several times he has called the media an “enemy of the people,” which is the exact phrase used by brutal Russian dictator Josef Stalin.
In an interview broadcast Wednesday evening he told CBS News that the media was “crazy” and “dishonest,” saying:
“It’s crazy. You do something that’s positive, and they try and make it as negative as possible. Not all. And I have to say this, some of the most honorable people I know, some great people, are reporters, journalists, et cetera. But the level of dishonesty in your profession is extremely high.”
“They didn’t cover my meeting with Putin. The important thing, frankly, was the meeting that lasted for two and a half hours, or almost two and a half hours. And in that meeting, we discussed many, many things that were very, very positive for both countries.”
The truth is that he demanded that the press NOT cover his meeting with Putin and he is now complaining about it. He may get his wish, however, since legislation has been introduced to force Trump to make the meeting translator’s notes public. If that happens then we’ll see if it’s the media or Donald Trump himself who is promoting “fake news.”
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
