Trump vs. the Press. The battle is waging but President Donald Trump seems to be losing ground.

[DonViejo]

Trump vs. the Press

The battle is waging but President Donald Trump seems to be losing ground.

By Kenneth T. Walsh, Contributor | Oct. 13, 2017, at 6:00 a.m.

President Donald Trump seems to be losing some ground in his war with the news media, but the public remains deeply split on which side to trust.

Trump, confident that his base is just as angry with journalists as he is, has begun a new anti-media campaign on several fronts. He is questioning whether NBC's broadcasting license should be renewed, complaining about an NBC story claiming that Trump wanted a tenfold increase in U.S. nuclear weapons, which the president angrily denies. He told reporters Wednesday it was "disgusting" that "the press is able to write whatever it wants to write." Trump also said on Twitter that television outlets might need to have their licenses "revoked" if they persist in spreading "fake" news. This could be pure bluster because such action probably would be declared unconstitutional by the courts. And in any case, licenses are granted by the Federal Communications Commission to local stations, not national networks such as NBC. But media defenders saw Trump's attacks as, at minimum, an attempt at intimidation.

Also this week, his political organization sent out a solicitation via email bearing his name and under the headline, "The media is NOT going to win." Trump noted that pro football players with the San Francisco 49ers knelt in protest during the national anthem last Sunday and "showed the world that they don't believe our flag is worth standing for." Trump added that Vice President Mike Pence "REFUSED to dignify their disrespect" and walked out of the 49ers game. "But immediately after the Vice President's honorable display of leadership and patriotism, the Fake News Media relentlessly ATTACKED him," Trump said. "The media is NOT going to win this fight, because we have the AMERICAN PEOPLE standing on our side."

Despite such attacks, Americans now have more trust in the news media than in Trump's administration, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll. Forty-eight percent say they have a "great deal" or "some" confidence in the press, up from 39 percent last November. At the same time, 48 percent, the identical number, have a great deal or some confidence in Trump and his administration, down from 52 percent when he took over in January. The poll finds that from January to September, confidence in the media rose 3 percentage points among Republicans and 11 points among Democrats, while confidence in Trump's executive branch dropped 6 points among Republicans and 3 points among Democrats. Historian Martha Kumar told Reuters, "What you're seeing now is a gradual recognition of the importance of the press" among Americans.

But Trump's bitterness goes deep. Earlier this year, he started calling the news industry the "enemy of the American people." He makes a habit of mocking and berating the media, attempting to undermine the credibility of television networks, newspapers and other outlets that carry negative stories about him. He condemns some outlets by name such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and NBC for promoting "fake news." Fueling the media's antagonism, he suggested on Oct. 5 that the Senate Intelligence Committee investigate media companies that disseminate information he says is fabricated. Trump wrote on Twitter, "Why Isn't the Senate Intel Committee looking into the Fake News Networks in OUR country to see why so much of our news is just made up–FAKE?"

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https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-10-13/trump-is-losing-ground-in-his-battle-with-the-press?emailed=1&src=usn_thereport

[RKP5637]

1. Trump, more and more, becomes a lonely voice screaming at the mirror. n/t