U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that the mainstream media is to blame for the woes plaguing his administration. I, however, think Trump's unpredictable tendencies have made him a darling of the media. The president has, on many occasions, taken on Twitter to castigate journalists. Recently, major U.S. media were denied access into the White House when Trump held a bilateral talk with the visiting Russian foreign minister. Ironically, the White House allowed Russian journalist to attend the meeting.
Trump wants the media he can control
Trump has created a perception where he wants the fourth estate to appraise him for everything he does.
If the media does not, then it lacks credibility. Following the unprecedented dismissal of FBI Director James Comey and the outcry for a special inquiry to be constituted to investigate the possible Russia's meddling in the U.S. 2016 elections, the President claimed the investigation would hurt America’s interests.
While addressing a White House news conference with visiting Colombia’s leader Manuel Santos, Trump directly confronted a barrage of criticisms and questions from journalists. President Donald Trump has decried the appointment of a special counsel to oversee the inquiry as political witch hunt.
Trump’s media woes
Trump particularly singled out the mainstream media for seeking his downfall.
Trump's woes started way back during the 2016 presidential campaign. He openly criticized the mainstream media as agents of Fake News. Even after winning the election, the president continued with his onslaught on the media by engaging in an argument with a CNN reporter.
The media is the watchdog for the society and has the responsibility to question, discuss and analyze what the leadership is doing.
In his latest assault, Donald Trump said the media was unfairly treating him just because there has been a relentless quest by the U.S. media for investigation into the circumstances under which the FBI chief was dismissed.
Trump downplays special counsel
President Trump’s greatest threat is not the mainstream media but the way he uses Twitter to communicate sensitive and sometimes unsubstantiated emotive information.
For instance, the President downplayed the special Mueller led counsel on Twitter stating that the previous administration committed terrible acts but was never investigated by a special counsel. It’s such rhetoric the mainstream media picks and amplifies so often resulting in conflict with the President.
