Donald Trump Posts, Deletes, Reposts Tweet Calling the News Media ‘The Enemy of the American People’
Fascism 101
President Donald Trump Friday afternoon posted, deleted, then reposted a tweet calling the news media “FAKE” and “the enemy of the American people.” This is textbook fascism. The Trump administration, including the president, began calling the news media “the opposition part” a week or two ago, and rapidly has now transformed that attack into telling the American people purveyors of facts are their enemy.
This is downright dangerous.
Trump’s attack, in which he specifically names some of the top mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, and CNN – but not Fox News – comes 24 hours before his first re-election campaign rally and little more than 24 hours after the president held a 77-minute press conference many labeled “unhinged.”
During that event, Trump repeatedly attacked the press for doing its job, and recoiled from some reporters who challenged him on basic facts, while brushing with racism and anti-Semitism.
Here is a screenshot of the now-deleted tweet, which was captured at Archive.org:
And here is the replacement tweet:
The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017
Some responses via Twitter:
All humor aside, calling the media the enemy of the people is an EXTREMELY dangerous expansion of his rhetoric.https://t.co/UqDwNCrT45
— …she persisted. 🗽 (@leahmcelrath) February 17, 2017
I sure hope that media outlets are beefing up their security. pic.twitter.com/pAXvAK0LXc
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) February 17, 2017
Media executives should think very carefully before sending their reporters to his rallies. Many of his supporters aren’t in on the joke. https://t.co/QuisrwDMet
— Andrew Exum (@ExumAM) February 17, 2017
…Joffrey, Cersei, Walder Frey, The Hound… https://t.co/VChR6NhXwT
— David Waldman (@KagroX) February 17, 2017
I stand with @nytimes @NBCNews @CBS @CNN and my colleagues at @ABC all of whom are patriots and love this country and fellow Americans. https://t.co/vRVIAQ7baT
— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) February 17, 2017
On December 1972 tape, Nixon told Kissinger, “The press is the enemy, the establishment is the enemy, the professors are the enemy.”
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) February 17, 2017
We need to get this madman @realDonaldTrump in a straitjacket, a padded cell, and disqualified by the 25th Amendment without delay. pic.twitter.com/VkfGLnuJq8
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 17, 2017
The best part of this is that everyone’s laughing at you, you clown. https://t.co/nZELPGUlGt
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 17, 2017
“Enemy of the American people†is the kind of language historically used to justify violence.
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) February 17, 2017
Let’s be clear: “Enemy of the people” (враг народа) is pure Bolshevism. Trump is citing core Chekist slogans now.https://t.co/S6y7fH5Tzx
— John Schindler (@20committee) February 17, 2017
Which is your most dangerous enemy?
— Alex Kotch (@alexkotch) February 17, 2017
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