A recent survey in which 44 percent of Republican voters said that the American president should have the power to shut down unwelcome media outlets demonstrates how effective Donald Trump’s constant attacks on the free press have been. Hardly a day goes by when Trump does not attack the press. He often does this on his favorite medium, Twitter, where he likes to air his anger in capital letters. Most recently, at each of the campaign events he has attended, he has used a substantial portion of his speech to insult the press and incite his supporters. His tone is getting increasingly rougher. He alternately describes media representatives as “really bad people,” “horrendous,” and often as “enemies of the people.”
Trump supporters now insult representatives of the media at his events, their faces distorted with rage. They yell, they make obscene gestures, and it is probably only a matter of time before this rage ignited by Trump escalates further. The president will then affirm his innocence, as he always does. He will say that he does not object to the free press. He only objects to the “fake news.” As we all know, this is what he calls any form of reporting that he does not like.
The fact that on Thursday more than 350 American newspapers wrote editorials expressing how dangerous the president’s actions are sent a strong signal. Everyone took part, including newspapers from the heart of Trump country such as the Dallas Morning News and San Antonio Express News, as well as the liberal New York Times and Boston Globe, which initiated the action. It was an expression of unity in a country that Trump seeks to divide even further.
Trump’s Lashing Out Is Expressed in Increasingly Blatant Insults to the Media.
It would be easy to say that the anti-Trump press turned against the president. But that is not the whole truth. Numerous publications participated in the action, liberal as well as conservative, because what the president is doing affects everyone. Trump’s excessive attacks on the media are damaging democracy, and the worst thing is that he does not launch these thoughtlessly like many other things, but in a calculated fashion. He once told advisers that if he undermined the press at every opportunity, soon no one would believe them when they reported about his wrongdoings.
In principle, Trump loves being in the newspaper since he is vain without limit. When he was a real estate entrepreneur and reality TV star, he called editorial offices under a false name and tried to place stories about himself in the news. It is almost touchingly ridiculous. But what he hates are articles that do not make him look so good. He does not tolerate the slightest form of criticism, and immediately and uncontrollably lashes out like a child when he is criticized. Trump’s lashing out is expressed in increasingly blatant insults to the media.
The fact that so many editorial offices throughout the country have now admonished the president is a unique event. It is also an important step which will benefit all Americans. Will it cause Trump to pause, or even turn back? It is safe to assume that his next attack will be even angrier.
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