Attacks on media credibility continue
The president steps up his criticism of ‘fake news’ outlets – and a survey seeks the public’s support for his claims.
US President Donald Trump has further escalated his attacks on the news media, tweeting that outlets like The New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN are not his enemy but are ‘‘the enemy of the American People’’.
Although Trump has long colourfully criticised news coverage of him and sparred with reporters who question him, he had not yet labelled the fourth estate as being an enemy of the country. On the campaign trail, some of Trump’s supporters heckled and threatened reporters who covered his rallies, and his tweet yesterday came 24 hours before his first political rally as president.
It took Trump two attempts to properly post his message yesterday, soon after he arrived at his luxury Mar-a-Lago oceanfront estate in Florida for the weekend.
The first tweet, which was the media has been ‘‘far too quick to spread false stories about our movement’’.
Participants can also indicate which issues the media does ‘‘the worst job of representing Republicans’’ on, with the option to pick as many topics as they like.
The final question is: ‘‘Do you believe that our Party should spend more time and resources holding the mainstream media accountable?’’
The social media advertisements directing people to the survey were paid for by the Trump Make America Great Again committee, a joint fundraising committee that splits its proceeds between Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee.
Since Trump’s election victory, the fundraising committee has continued to pepper supporters with appeals for money., helping to keep a steady stream of contributions flowing to both the party and Trump’s campaign.
Digital fundraising experts said the media accountability survey appeared designed to keep Trump’s most loyal supporters engaged. People who fill out the questionnaire are taken to a donation page, where they are asked to give between US$35 and US$2500 – with the option of making a monthly donation.
‘‘President Trump is asking you to go the extra mile and make a contribution to help defend our movement from the outrageous attacks from the media coming our way,’’ it states. ‘‘Contribute now to help us fight back against the media’s attacks and deceptions.’’