Trump Tweets He Would Tweet Less ‘If the Press Would Cover Me Accurately & Honorably’
Trump Has Shown No Reason to Believe His Claim Is True
Donald Trump late Monday morning posted a tweet to Twitter insisting he would tweet less if the press covered him “accurately & honorably.” The president-elect, studies show, was given billions of dollars in free advertising by the media in the year and a half leading up to his election.
If the press would cover me accurately & honorably, I would have far less reason to “tweet.” Sadly, I don’t know if that will ever happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2016
Trump has never offered any factual evidence that the press has covered him unfairly, and in fact, Trump’s constant bashing of the press has forced some reporters to require security protection from Trump supporters.
Press at Trump evening rally getting escorted to motorcade under watch of cops in riot gear, per pool. This is getting increasingly scary.
— Seema Mehta (@LATSeema) October 14, 2016
Other journalists have written about the attacks they’ve fallen victim to at the hands of Trump supporters who see the billionaire’s attacks on the media as license to take that further.
“It is, at times, just getting downright scary.” – @Acosta on swastika sign left on media table after Trump speech today. pic.twitter.com/8YiY2Lvniu
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) October 13, 2016
In fact, in May, nearly six months before the election, one study found Trump had already received $3 billion in free advertising from the media, and another found that by August Trump had received $31 million in free advertising by Fox News’ Sean Hannity alone.
There is also no evidence to support Trump’s claim he would tweet less. He at every turn has defended his Twitter habit, even when his tweets have created chaos and outrage.
In October, The New York Times reported, “By attacking the news media, Mr. Trump appears to be seeking to delegitimize an industry he views as an impediment to his presidential ambitions, while riling up his base of supporters.”
“Donald Trump, through his words and actions as a candidate for president of the United States, has consistently betrayed First Amendment values,†Sandra Mims Rowe, chairwoman for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement, the Times noted in October. She said the group had “passed a resolution declaring Trump an unprecedented threat to the rights of journalists and to C.P.J.’s ability to advocate for press freedom around the world.â€Â
The Times called it “a rare statement regarding American elections,” characterizing the CPJ as “a nonprofit group often focused on defending press freedoms in war-torn and totalitarian countries.”

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