Amazon.com owns the Washington Post newspaper. Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon) owns the Washington Post. The Washington Post is among a plethora of newspapers across the country that have been critical of the president. All of this is not unusual. And, it is not unusual for a sitting president of the US to bristle at the criticism from a noteworthy newspaper.
President Trump doesn't like Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos
However, it is unusual and inappropriate for a sitting president of the US to launch a personal vendetta against a business leader because of his editorial control over a newspaper he doesn’t like.
According to the NY Times, not since Richard Nixon has a president had such a vocal and publicly visible clash with the press/media in our country. As Nixon in his day eventually found out, the press is made up of men and women doing their job. Largely that job is to play cynic for the public when covering elected officials. They may most often be seen turning over rocks to see if they can find irregularities or abuses of office and power. This is their job. Another thing that Nixon found out is although he disagreed with the coverage his administration received from the press, the more he rebuked their critique’s, reported the times, the faster his downfall advanced.
The press won't ruin you, but it can speed up your demise if 'poked' too often
The media did not take Richard Nixon down. An ill-executed break-in at the Democratic National Convention headquarters, in the Watergate offices, did. However, in another administration, the story of this clumsily attempted burglary could have stayed a back page blurb in the daily newspaper, or become the front page news that eventually led to unveiling a cover-up and hush money illegally paid by the president.
It became the latter, and the rest is history. Nixon’s adversarial relationship with the press and the velocity of his downfall and exit from office should give Donald Trump pause for thought. If you live by the sword you may indeed die by the sword. If Donald Trump wants to continue to play to his base (indeed most Americans are suspicious of the press), he may find the media’s grip hard to shake if either Special Prosecutor Mueller or Stormy Daniels' legal team uncover illegal activity.
Like sharks that smell blood in the water, the media will pick up the velocity if a factual basis becomes available for a feeding frenzy. Just as the media spread the name-calling and therefore branding of competing candidates; L-I-D-D-L-E Marco, low-energy Jeb, and Crooked Hillary that helped make Trump’s rise to power so successful, they will likewise convey the message of obstruction of justice or $130,000 illegal campaign donations, without compunction.
No, President Trump's obsession with his media coverage is not unique. But, he does need to be mindful that his concerns about Amazon and their business model are a transparent attack on the media which may very well be his melvian white whale.
