Trump and his allies' alarming words should not go unnoticed: Threatening retribution against the press
The press in America confronts an unprecedented challenge to its freedom Trump and his allies' ominous rhetoric presents a menacing threat that cannot be overlooked
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The American media is currently facing one of the most serious threats to its freedom in decades.
Former President Donald Trump, who has been indicted four times and impeached twice, openly declared on Tuesday his intention to rule as a "dictator" from his first day back in office if elected. He has made it clear that he plans to use the government as a weapon and retaliate against the news media, disregarding the First Amendment protections for journalists.
His threatening language towards the country's journalists, whom he has consistently labeled as the "enemy of the people," has been echoed by his closest allies, indicating that these are not just empty threats, but rather his actual plans if he regains power as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
During a troubling conversation this week, Steve Bannon and Kash Patel discussed plans to target the press. Bannon emphasized that the plans are not just empty threats and that they are serious about seeking revenge against journalists. He asked Patel if he could assist in carrying out these plans, to which Patel vowed that a re-elected Trump would indeed "come after" the press.
Bannon did not respond to requests for comment, and a spokesperson for Patel claimed that he was only referring to targeting journalists "who break the law." However, Trump himself has expressed intent to target news organizations and recently criticized Comcast over NBCU News Group's coverage of him, suggesting that the company should be "investigated."
In September, Trump declared that if he were to win the Presidency of the United States, he would thoroughly scrutinize the LameStream Media for what he perceived as knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage. He also stated that the press "should pay a big price" for supposedly hurting the country. President Joe Biden's campaign denounced the anti-press rhetoric being spread by Trump and his allies.
"Do not expect anything different from Donald Trump and his supporters if they win back power. Their plan seems to involve undermining the First Amendment by targeting journalists for simply doing their jobs," stated Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign. "The results of the 2020 election and the midterms show that the American people will not tolerate these attacks on our democracy."
The harsh reality is that Trump could be elected again, and his rhetoric only strengthens the evidence that he intends to act as an authoritarian if he returns to the White House in 2024, according to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University who specializes in authoritarianism and the decline of democracy.
"All dictators view the free press as their adversary, and employ legal intimidation, imprisonment, and other tactics to silence reporters," Ben-Ghiat explained. "Trump, Patel, and others have filed lawsuits against CNN and numerous other news organizations for libel, aligning themselves with authoritarian leaders who use legal action to drain journalists and media outlets both financially and emotionally."
Ben-Ghiat went on to say that these public threats "are also efforts to compel media outlets to censor themselves." She emphasized "autocratic media environments rely not only on the promotion of messages favorable to the leader, but also on the suppression of anything the autocrat does not want the public to be aware of."
According to renowned First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams, he believes that "a second term for Trump would pose a serious threat to press freedom" and listed potential retaliatory actions against news media. Abrams warned of potential cases under the Espionage Act for publishing internal government discussions, the repeal of Department of Justice guidelines on subpoenas for leakers, and anti-press positions in the U.S. Supreme Court. Another First Amendment attorney, Ted Boutrous, condemned the comments as "disgusting" and "fundamentally un-American," describing them as an attempt to undermine the First Amendment. He urged the public to take such rhetoric seriously, given Trump's previous actions while in office.
On Wednesday, press freedom organizations also condemned the anti-press sentiment within the dominant wing of the Republican Party, known for its support of MAGA. "This type of provocative language is not conducive to U.S. democracy," stated Katherine Jacobsen, U.S. affairs director for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "Threats of violence against journalists for their election coverage are alarming and only serve to normalize attacks on the media."
