President Donald Trump resumed attacking the press early Monday morning after a week in which CNN headquarters had to evacuate twice due to bomb threats.
In a continuation of Trump’s desperate and sickening effort to blame the media for the hatred and division he has sowed with his speeches and tweets, culminating in the radicalization of a supporter who mailed bombs to Trump’s political opponents and critics, including the media outlet he despises most, Trump woke up early on Monday and once again referred to the press as the “enemy of the people.”
There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news. The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People, must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly. That will do much to put out the flame…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
….of Anger and Outrage and we will then be able to bring all sides together in Peace and Harmony. Fake News Must End!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
This dangerous rhetoric is what has incited violence and threats against journalists, and resulted in bombs being sent to CNN last week.
Trump is literally using the press as a scapegoat to absolve himself of any responsibility for his own words and behavior.
Make no mistake, Trump riled up his supporters into a frenzy of extremism and turned Democrats and journalists into targets for their rage.
And Twitter users slammed him for it.
The phrase enemy of the people “has old roots, even appearing in a Shakespeare play, but it became well known in the 20th century when it was adopted by dictators from Stalin to Mao, and Nazi propagandists, to justify their murderous purges of millions.”
— Sarah O’Connell (@SarahO_Connell) October 29, 2018
The media doesn’t write your tweets.
The media doesn’t write your speeches.
The media doesn’t craft your hateful policies.
The media doesn’t use the presidency to bully others.
Your hateful rhetoric is what is stoking the fires of division & hatred in our country. It’s you.— Anonymous White House Official (@dvorakoelling) October 29, 2018
There have been multiple threats to news outlets and you are encouraging more with this sort of fucking garbage. Go to hell, you weird orange psychopathic shit.
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) October 29, 2018
here’s pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc holding a sign that says “Fake News and Dishonest Media” pic.twitter.com/N5kKP7lCBX
— J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) October 29, 2018
Why do you keep calling the media fake news when they are proven accurate over 99% of the time? Yet you quote Fox News and Brietbart when they are proven false or misleading over 60% of the time.
— stantampa (@stantampa) October 29, 2018
You said the NYSE re-opened the day after the 9/11 attacks. You told the WSJ last week that we don’t have any tariffs. Are you saying the media should be prevented from calling out these lies? Just ignore your lies? What is the answer?
— CathyO (@cathyob1) October 29, 2018
Remind me again, what news station did the #MAGABomber work for? pic.twitter.com/cAmjAMv3CR
— Bridget ? (@BShopps) October 29, 2018
You have single-handedly driven hate to new heights of acceptability. The fake news is what comes forth from your foul and lying tongue. You have maligned free speech. You have escalated the popularity of conspiracy theories. You have appealed to the lowest in human nature.
— JM (@toquell) October 29, 2018
Just when you thought Trump couldn’t sink any lower, he doubles down on vicious attacks that will undoubtedly make journalists less safe and could get innocent Americans killed.
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