Chilling. Sowing Seeds of Doubt About the Media’s Veracity Is What Fascist Leaders – Not Presidents of Democratic Republics – Do.
President Donald Trump Monday afternoon falsely told soldiers at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, that the “dishonest media” refuses to report terror attacks, and have an agenda for why they are not. It’s unclear if the Commander-in-Chief was referring to any particular incident, but White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway has been under attack since Thursday for first lying about a terror attack that never took place, using the fake attack to slam the media, and then lying about her intentions, claiming she meant to say “terrorists,” not “massacre” when referring to a law enforcement investigation in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Speaking at U.S. Central Command, known as CENTCOM, the President delivered a highly-political speech, suggesting that people who endorsed him are his friends, and people who do not, are not.
“ISIS is on a campaign of genocide committing atrocities across the world,” Trump told service members. “Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland, as they did on 9/11, as they did from Boston to Orlando, to San Bernardino. And all across Europe. You’ve seen what happened in Paris, and Nice. All over Europe, it’s happening,” the Commander-in-Chief told his soldiers.
It should be noted that none of the terrorists who struck those three cities were from any of the seven countries Trump’s Muslim ban covers.
“It’s gotten to a point where it’s not even being reported. And in many cases the very very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it. They have their reasons and you understand that,” Trump continued.Â
It should be noted that that is a lie.
President Trump, even as a candidate, has been attacking the press continually.Â
Sowing seeds of doubt about the media’s veracity is what fascist leaders do. Attempting to claim sole ownership of what is truth is one of the first steps in commandeering democracy.
This was one of Trump’s more disgusting and vile speeches, and he should be ashamed.
UPDATE I: 2:45 PM EST –
Via BuzzFeed’s senior national security correspondent:
And this, via CNN’s Senior White House Correspondent:
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