Sen. Ben Sasse was among the several members of the Republican Party to express their concern over Donald Trump's controversial tweets where he specifically attacked the mainstream media. During his interview with CNN, the Nebraskan senator argued that the president's behavior on social media may have an effect on the basic rights of the American people.
The Republican senator underlined the right of the public to argue about what they see or hear from these news outlets. He also cited the importance of the First Amendment as the "beating heart of the American experiment" and noted that the freedoms it carries are inseparable.
His comments came after the U.S. leader uploaded an edited video of him punching a man with CNN's logo on his face. Trump's latest anti-media post followed his tirade against "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. The president particularly infuriated his detractors for his sexist remarks about the female host when she allegedly came to him for an interview he rejected.
I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
'Media as the enemy of American people'
The POTUS has spent the past few days attacking some of the biggest news outlets including CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and The Washington Post.
He even criticized these networks for their "fake news" and accused them of making him the regular subject of their personal attacks.
Trump also accused the mainstream media of trying to "silence" him by allegedly convincing the GOP members to stop him from using social media to express his opinions. Sen. Sasse acknowledged that there are certain reporters that need to be called out for their stories, he, however, argued that the press, in general, should not be labeled as the enemy of the people.
It should be noted that the U.S. president has referred the media as the enemy of the American people on several occasions.
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
Weaponizing distrust
But regardless of what is going on between the government and the media, Sen.
Sasse returned to his argument of upholding the rights of the public to express their opinions on matters that concern them. "We differ about really big and important things in this country and then we come together around the First Amendment, which is an affirmation of the fact that people are free before the government," he explained.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Government ensures the people of their freedom of speech, freedom to exercise religion, and freedom of the press.
