During his political career, President Donald Trump has engaged in a seemingly endless war with multiple fronts, combating numerous pillars of the political establishment of the U.S. Trump maintains very public feuds with prominent Democratic politicians, former President Joe Biden, members of the Republican Party and former members of his administration. However, Trump’s most well-known and vicious battle has been with the press. This war escalated exponentially when Trump defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his approval to kill Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Sowing distrust between the public and the fourth estate is a hallmark of authoritarian rulers — a tool historically used to consolidate power. Major authoritarian rulers of the 20th century — including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong — promoted distrust of news publications and journalists to entrench their influence. These dictators made the public question the reliability of journalists who reported information unaligned with their respective regimes’ messages, leaving state propagandists as the only reliable source for information.
Trump is no different. Since he first assumed office in 2017, Trump has accused the press of being an “enemy of the American people.” This inflammatory language was dangerous before, as it delegitimized the work of reporters who informed the public on important issues affecting their well-being. This comment strengthened an echo chamber of misinformation pushed by the administration. Moreover, Trump has now alluded to accepting the ordered murder of journalists. The leader of the free world is excusing the killing of Khashoggi. This is a dangerous escalation of Trump’s authoritarianism that should not be overlooked.
News media is an essential tool for the public to receive information about local, state and national events that affect their everyday lives. The press helps voters form and conceptualize their political ideologies, providing them with the groundwork to engage in the U.S. political process. The war on this essential pillar of U.S. democracy only serves to harm the nation and entrench Trump’s political power.
The defense of a journalist’s killing is a heinous and unjustifiable act unfitting for the office of the president. Journalism as a profession and a resource must be protected at all costs. Labeling journalists as liars and accepting their murder may be the stance of this administration, but this cannot translate into a widely accepted practice.
Trump’s war with the press has created an environment of confusion within the American public — no one knows what is real, what is not and who to trust when it comes to the dissemination of information. This may be the most detrimental consequence of his administration.
