Experts Push Back After Trump Says ‘People Should Look Into’ the Press Being Allowed to ‘Write Whatever They Want’
‘It’s Frankly Disgusting the Way the Press Is Able to Write Whatever They Want to Write’ Says Trump
President Donald Trump expanded his attack on the First Amendment and NBC News Wednesday afternoon. In a joint press event with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Trump said it’s “frankly disgusting” that the press in America is allowed to report the news as it sees fit. President trump is among the greatest purveyors of what he calls “fake news,” telling on average about five falsehoods a day.
“That was just fake news by NBC, which gives a lot of fake news lately,” Trump told reporters, in response to a story that the president wanted to increase America’s nuclear arsenal tenfold. “It’s frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write. And people should look into it.”
“No, I never discussed increasing. I want it in perfect shape. That was just ‘fake news’ by NBC,” POTUS says on nuclear arsenal pic.twitter.com/HbK50eniKi
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 11, 2017
It’s unclear what “people” Trump is referring to. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press. Earlier Wednesday he called for NBC News’ “license” to be reviewed, presumably believing that the FCC might revoke it because he does not care for their reporting.
“The press should speak more honestly,” Trump continued. “I mean, I’ve seen [a] tremendously dishonest press. It’s not even a question of distortion. And then they have their sources that don’t exist, in my opinion, they don’t exist. They make up the sources. There are no sources.”
Trump actually used to pretend to be his own publicist, and would talk to reporters as if he were “John Miller.”
The Hill reports that “Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), noted that the president does not have the power to pull a broadcasting license.”
Not how it works.
See here: https://t.co/1JgiJyk5wK https://t.co/1aNpYsk7BG
— Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel) October 11, 2017
Meanwhile, other experts warned that Trump is entering dangerous territory by threatening the press:Â
2/2 ..away from this or forever be branded a hypocrite. You can’t ignore this one and move straight on to the 2nd Amendment. Sorry.
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) October 11, 2017
How about, “Never”.
This is serious semi-authoritarianism here, Erdogan territory. https://t.co/hv2DkliiQ0— David Burbach (@dburbach) October 11, 2017
The MOST protected form of speech under by US Constitution is political speech. Donald Trump’s statement is unambiguously un-American. https://t.co/SyfhsjC566
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) October 11, 2017
And this is the man that conservatives are counting on to appoint judges to uphold the Constitution? https://t.co/Kd0IDVsiaE
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) October 11, 2017
Trump may not have the ability to carry out his ideals right now, but he is absolutely an authoritarian by instinct. https://t.co/DL12cMgxSj
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) October 11, 2017
Trump just doesn’t get this thing called democracy, does he. Thankfully, our system is stronger than any one person, including the president https://t.co/UnXtaJcZ8g
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) October 11, 2017
UPDATE:
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press –Â
Today’s comments are beneath the office of the presidency and threaten #FirstAmendment freedoms: https://t.co/nvSrQ4QufZ pic.twitter.com/1iQ2cujs3N
— Reporters Committee (@rcfp) October 11, 2017
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