President Trump beat the press. He made the case that the press is not only unfair but corrupt. He stated the case not with pride but regret, for he wants the press to be both accurate and accountable. But because the press is irresponsible, because the press distorts the news, President Trump intends to hold the press accountable. He held ABC News accountable for its allegedly defamatory remarks, winning an apology and $15 million in the process. He will continue to hold the press accountable, with lawsuits against the Des Moines Register, CBS, and Bob Woodward. President Trump said this—and more—during his conference at Mar-a-Lago.
The press conference promises to be the first of several, for President Trump deserves vindication; he does not want, and he will not seek vengeance; he is not vindictive. Validation is something else, however. That is to say, as a means of validating the charges against the press, for the press is vicious and unscrupulous, yesterday’s press conference confirmed everything Richard Nixon said about the press. Unlike Nixon’s “last press conference,” which happened the day after Nixon lost his race for governor of California, President Trump spoke from a position of strength. President Trump is a winner, the victor—in a landslide—of last month’s election.
Until the press learns the basics of reporting, until members of the press follow the ABCs of ethics, President Trump will oppose unethical reporters. Until ABC News uses George Stephanopolous’s interview with Nancy Mace as an example of what not to do, until everyone at the network learns from Stephanoplous’s example, President Trump will not hesitate to take legal action against the network. Until ABC News changes its behavior, President Trump will not remain silent. Words matter, particularly in a democracy that reveres freedom and the right of freedom of speech.
But freedom is not a license to commit libel. President Trump said as much yesterday, with regard to the Des Moines Register’s bogus polls and blatant politicking. He said that fraud and election interference are serious offenses, and that the acts are offensive to the survival and the success of liberty. President Trump said that politicking under the guise of objectivity, of being the equivalent of a prosecutor with a press badge, is anti-democratic. He said this not to exact revenge, for he did not look or sound angry. President Trump was calm, he was at ease, acting like the leader he is.
The press should not mistake calmness for weakness. No one at CBS News should be so foolish as to believe that President Trump is weak. Then again, President Trump said he will probably be filing suit against CBS too. He cited the network’s efforts to make Kamala Harris sound not only intelligible but intelligent. The network edited a clip of Harris’s interview on “60 Minutes,” not because the interview ran long or because the clip was brief but accurate, but because the full interview—the real interview—was a mess. CBS aired propaganda. The network tried to help Harris win the election.
Bob Woodward tried to do the same thing, which is why President Trump is pursuing legal action against him. Here, again, President Trump is right. If Woodward says one thing and does another, if he says he will not sell his audio recordings of President Trump and then does just that, if he violates an agreement, and if the recordings contain sensitive if not secret or classified information, the president should file suit. President Trump is right to file suit. He has a duty, as commander in chief, to file suit. If confidential recordings also contain confidential material, the recordings should not be for sale. If private conversations with a public official are not private, if Woodward gets to violate a contract or break his word, the public loses. Why should a president talk to a journalist who is in fact a propagandist? How can journalism survive if journalists do not act like professionals?
It bears repeating that President Trump does not want to humiliate or intimidate the press. He said he has to file suit because the press is corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections. President Trump is right. We must not delude ourselves into believing that the press is ethical or virtuous or responsible. Some reporters are brave, particularly war correspondents. But the days of Edward R. Murrow are long gone. We live, sadly, in the age of checkbook journalism and Democrat propaganda. We live in the age of political prosecution. We live in the age of lawfare and criminal persecution. If our democracy is to endure, and with it the cause of freedom and the defense of free and fair elections, we must hold the powerful accountable for their actions.
President Trump does not need the press to support him. None of which means he will allow the press to libel or defame him. President Trump knows that greatness eludes the press, and that it is impossible for hacks to do a good job, never mind a great one. But President Trump will do his job, particularly when it comes to exposing the lies and negligence responsible for the death of journalistic standards.
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Steve Gruber is the host of America’s Voice Live, which airs daily on Real America’s Voice TV
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