In an administration less concerned with fact than with perception, Donald Trump can celebrate a victory this week as polling shows that the majority of those who support him agree with his statement that the media is the true enemy of the American people.
Of course, Trump’s attack on the media as a whole sets a dangerous precedent in the United States and many have said that his attacks on the media are an attack on the very Democracy this nation depends on.
Still, for those who have backed Trump from the beginning, they feel the fire against the media just as he does.
“Most Trump voters, 51 percent, say the media is an enemy to people like them, according to the poll, with 36 percent considering the media unfriendly, and just 5 percent saying it’s friendly or an ally.
Overall, 22 percent of Americans consider the media an enemy to people like them, with 19 percent saying it’s unfriendly, 21 percent that it’s friendly, and 14 percent that it’s an ally.”
As the article notes, for the wider view of America, the media serves as an unfriendly ally much more than an outright enemy. But if the media hopes to penetrate the untrusting minority who support Trump, they’re going to have to think outside of the box.
The first step, of course, is for the president to refrain in the future from making sweeping statements and attacks against the media at-large. While there are many legitimate criticisms to be made of corporate media and media as a whole, a national leader declaring the entire media “the enemy” sends a dark signal.
As many critics have noted, fascist leaders in other nations have carried out similar campaigns against the media, and this appears to be just another way that this presidency is ticking the box on authoritarianism.
