Trump did not create distrust of the media; distrust of the media created Trump.The glaring disconnect between the media’s adulation of President Obama and the frankly pathetic Obama presidency created the opening for candidate Trump to step up and loudly proclaim, in effect, “The Emperor is naked; those who say otherwise are propagandists, not journalists.”
Then when the media dumped on the real accomplishments of the Trump presidency, their status as his enemy became obvious. Quickly his message became distilled down to the irreducable minimum of two syllables: FAKE NEWS.
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I’ve wished, when the White House press corps badgers Press Secretary Sanders, she felt she could reply: “I don’t know if the media are the enemy of the people, you can ask them that question. I suspect you won’t much like their answer. I do know many of you treat me, and my boss, as enemies and we deal with you as we would any serious enemies, by counterattacking. You picked this fight, take your lumps and stop whining when you get hit.”
