Why Liar Trump Attacks Truthful American Media
While the news reports from highly respected media outlets about Trump’s idiosyncrasies are largely correct, he keeps criticizing the media in his usual cheap, vulgar language.
By Rakesh Raman
President Donald Trump – who cannot speak even three straight sentences without telling a lie – once again said that media is spreading falsehood against him. As usual, Trump could not substantiate his claims against the truthful American press.
According to The Washington Post, Trump has already made 3,001 false or misleading claims in the 466 days of his presidency. In other words, he has told on average 6.5 lies a day.
While the American democracy is already under threat, Trump is hell-bent to attack press freedom which is an essential pillar of a democratic framework. He also threatened to divest journalists of their credentials.
“The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy and all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?,” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018
Last year Trump had threatened to cancel the licenses of news networks because they refuse to toe the line that Trump wants. He frequently threatens individual journalists who inform about his nefarious acts. Recently, for example, Trump attacked CNN anchor Don Lemon calling him the “dumbest man on television!”
Trump likes only those journalists who work as his toadies. Although Trump often says media is dishonest, he has some very good media friends – such as Sean Hannity and fired anchor Bill O’Reilly of Fox News – who support Trump by asking him questions that he wants to answer.
Acting as Trump’s personal spokespersons, they also openly attack all Trump opponents to influence the voters dishonestly. But Trump never called them dishonest. In fact, instead of working as an objective media outfit, Fox TV works as Trump’s own video production house.
While the news reports from highly respected media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and MSNBC about Trump’s idiosyncrasies are largely correct, he keeps criticizing the media in his usual cheap, vulgar language.
According to Reporters without Borders – an organization which works for the freedom of information – the U.S. press freedom has been under increasing attack during the first year of Trump’s presidency. It adds that Trump has declared the press an “enemy of the American people” in a series of verbal attacks toward journalists.
Trump’s Disturbance
Trump is largely disturbed by the truthful media reports which inform about Trump-Russia ties that allegedly helped Trump win the 2016 presidential race.
Now special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has entered the White House and he is soon expected to interrogate Trump. Many of Trump’s associates are already in Mueller’s dragnet. In all probability, Trump will soon be indicted.
The chattering classes believe that since Trump does not want his notional base to trust the news stories about Mueller’s investigation, he is raising doubts about the sanctity of newspapers and TV networks that are bringing truth in front of the people at large.
If Mueller’s investigation found that Trump is a culprit, Trump will ask his base not to trust the findings of the investigation which will then be reported aggressively by the journalists.
As Trump has indicated, it is likely that with his erratic behavior he might try to cancel the licenses of news organizations and take away the credentials of journalists who cover the White House.
It is also believed that he is suffering from an acute mental illness. If that is true, he can order the arrest and imprisonment of journalists under sedition charges.
Of late, over two dozen psychiatrists and psychologists found that Trump is dangerously mentally ill and that he presents a clear danger to the nation.
In a new book titled “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” 27 psychiatrists and mental health experts have assessed the mental state of Trump.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
