Trump responded to 350 newspapers publishing editorials denouncing his war on the press by having a total Twitter meltdown.
Trump first decided that the media is the opposition party:
THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA IS THE OPPOSITION PARTY. It is very bad for our Great Country….BUT WE ARE WINNING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
The president then attacked the newspapers for publishing the editorials:
The Boston Globe, which was sold to the the Failing New York Times for 1.3 BILLION DOLLARS (plus 800 million dollars in losses & investment), or 2.1 BILLION DOLLARS, was then sold by the Times for 1 DOLLAR. Now the Globe is in COLLUSION with other papers on free press. PROVE IT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018
Trump then went back to complaining about “fake news,” which is defined as the facts or any coverage that Trump doesn’t like:
There is nothing that I would want more for our Country than true FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The fact is that the Press is FREE to write and say anything it wants, but much of what it says is FAKE NEWS, pushing a political agenda or just plain trying to hurt people. HONESTY WINS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018
Why is Trump melting down?
Newspapers around the country have been denouncing Trump war on the free press by publishing editorials about press freedom.
According to PolticusUSA’s Leo Vidal:
In Portland, Maine the Press-Herald said “a free and independent press is the best defense against tyranny.â€
In Honolulu, the Hawaii Star-Advertiser wrote about democracy’s “critical need for a free press†in order to function.
In Iowa, the Des Moines Register wrote: “The true enemies of the people — and democracy — are those who try to suffocate truth by vilifying and demonizing the messenger.â€
In St. Louis, Missouri, the Post-Dispatch called journalists “the truest of patriots.†The Chicago Sun-Times said it believed most Americans know that “Trump is talking nonsense.†In North Carolina, the Fayetteville Observer said it hoped Trump would stop his attacks on the press, “but we’re not holding our breath.â€
Trump Thinks Reporting On His Administration is “Fake News.”
Trump’s definition of fake news is any coverage that is not fawning over or supporting his administration. The Trump administration believes that the press should only cover what they think are the good things that the Trump administration is doing. They don’t want the corruption, the Russia scandals, or any other policy failure of this White House to be covered. Kellyanne Conway went as far as to say that Trump wants to control what the American people see in the news by making sure that the press only reports “relevant news.”
Trump can’t beat the Democrats, so he is trying to run against the press
Trump is losing the midterm election fight with Democrats, so he is trying to motivate the Republican base by playing into their generations-long media bias myth. Donald Trump is a man of few political talents and even fewer strategies. He is trying to demonize the press because the press is doing what he hates most. They are reporting the truth about him, his family, and his administration while holding them accountable.
Trump can’t argue the facts, so he is trying to delegitimize the reporting.
Donald Trump has lived his life in a self-created myth, and the free press is shattering that myth, which is why Trump is melting down and trying to destroy press freedom in the United States of America.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
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
