By P.S. White
This past weekend, Donald Trump claimed that he would stop his daily Coronavirus briefings (though he has actually continued them in a scaled-down format) and put the blame directly on the press:
He later tried to back away from his statement, saying that he was being sarcastic. And Fox News tried to spin it as the media misrepresenting the president's words. But the fact is that he did suggest it as a possibility (along with exposure to ultraviolet light), and that prompted Lysol, the EPA, and medical experts to issue a warning about injecting or ingesting disinfectant.
After this blew up on Trump and he faced stern criticism, he again directed the blame at the media, suggesting that their coverage was inaccurate. But the video shows that he said what he said, and his attacks on the press are just another example of him attempting to redirect attention away from himself while relying on the tools of tyranny.
Trump has waged a war against the press throughout his tenure in the executive office, calling them "Fake News" and the "Enemy of the People". These affronts should have been shut down immediately as they are a direct attack on the Constitution and a clear violation of his oath of office to uphold the laws of the land (which include the First Amendment). His attacks have been a thinly-veiled attempt to minimize and delegitimize any criticism of his actions and they are dangerously close to actions taken by Hitler in the runup to his seizure of power.
During the 1930's when Germany was in a state of turmoil, Hitler and the Nazi Party frequently attacked what they called the "Lugenpresse" or the lying press. This was their attempt to discredit any criticism as they dismantled Democratic institutions of the government and imposed absolute rule over the state.
And attacking the press is just one of several tactics that Trump has pulled straight from the Dictator 101 textbook. Add to that his demonizing of immigrants, attacks on our Constitutional system (the judiciary, separation of powers, oversight by Congress, and more), overreaches of executive power, as well as spreading fear and division.
While there is plenty to criticize about the current mainstream media, calling it the "Enemy of the People" is irresponsible, blatantly unconstitutional, and a direct threat to our free and Democratic government. We need to stand against his attacks on the press as well as his other actions that threaten our Constitutional system lest Trump lead us down the same path as other dictators and we lose our standing among the leaders of the Free World.
This past weekend, Donald Trump claimed that he would stop his daily Coronavirus briefings (though he has actually continued them in a scaled-down format) and put the blame directly on the press:
Trump's daily briefings have been a source of controversy for some time as he has used them to attack those who oppose him while also using his time in front of the camera as a stand-in for his rallies and campaigning as he tries to prop himself up as a great leader. There have been many calls for the major networks not to give full coverage to the briefings, and that came to a head last week when Trump suggested that injecting bleach or disinfectant might kill the Coronavirus.What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately. They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2020
He later tried to back away from his statement, saying that he was being sarcastic. And Fox News tried to spin it as the media misrepresenting the president's words. But the fact is that he did suggest it as a possibility (along with exposure to ultraviolet light), and that prompted Lysol, the EPA, and medical experts to issue a warning about injecting or ingesting disinfectant.
After this blew up on Trump and he faced stern criticism, he again directed the blame at the media, suggesting that their coverage was inaccurate. But the video shows that he said what he said, and his attacks on the press are just another example of him attempting to redirect attention away from himself while relying on the tools of tyranny.
Trump has waged a war against the press throughout his tenure in the executive office, calling them "Fake News" and the "Enemy of the People". These affronts should have been shut down immediately as they are a direct attack on the Constitution and a clear violation of his oath of office to uphold the laws of the land (which include the First Amendment). His attacks have been a thinly-veiled attempt to minimize and delegitimize any criticism of his actions and they are dangerously close to actions taken by Hitler in the runup to his seizure of power.
During the 1930's when Germany was in a state of turmoil, Hitler and the Nazi Party frequently attacked what they called the "Lugenpresse" or the lying press. This was their attempt to discredit any criticism as they dismantled Democratic institutions of the government and imposed absolute rule over the state.
And attacking the press is just one of several tactics that Trump has pulled straight from the Dictator 101 textbook. Add to that his demonizing of immigrants, attacks on our Constitutional system (the judiciary, separation of powers, oversight by Congress, and more), overreaches of executive power, as well as spreading fear and division.
While there is plenty to criticize about the current mainstream media, calling it the "Enemy of the People" is irresponsible, blatantly unconstitutional, and a direct threat to our free and Democratic government. We need to stand against his attacks on the press as well as his other actions that threaten our Constitutional system lest Trump lead us down the same path as other dictators and we lose our standing among the leaders of the Free World.
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