CNN Runs Story Trump Doesn’t Like—Gets Denounced and Censored at Press Conference

January 11, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

At Trump’s press conference on Wednesday, January 11—his first in 168 days, and one that he packed with his own staff to cheer their führer from the sidelines—a shouting match erupted between Trump and CNN’s Jim Acosta.

It started with Trump denouncing Buzzfeed for posting a 35-page (unsubstantiated) report alleging Trump had corrupt ties to Russia, hired prostitutes there and other charges that put him in a bad light. Then Trump denounced CNN for covering the fact that this report had been made public. Trump said Buzzfeed would “suffer the consequences” and that CNN was “a disgrace.”

Once the floor was open, Acosta called out: “Since you are attacking our news organization, can you give us a question.” Trump shouted him down, saying, “No, not you, not you, your organization is terrible... quiet, quiet... No, I’m not going to give you a question. You are fake news.” And then took a question from another reporter. And Acosta says that afterwards, Trump’s incoming press secretary told him that “if I were to do that again I was going to be thrown out.”

Just think about this—at a press conference—supposedly a forum for public officials to be accountable to the people, the president-elect lashes out at the media for covering stories he doesn’t want them to cover. And then he shuts down the “offending” news organization from even being able to ask questions!

Two questions:

  1. What does it tell us about Trump’s high-handed, vindictive and dictatorial outlook—and about what his rule will be like if he is allowed to take the reins of power—when even reporting news that he does not want reported is cause for a public slap-down and shutdown of a major media organization?
  2. Why didn’t every other reporter there shout “let him speak” (instead of shouting for the chance to get their own question in)? And then when Acosta was not allowed to raise a question, shouldn’t they have all walked out? This is what must happen, throughout society. These are not normal times. A fascist regime is preparing to take power—and it’s on everybody’s shoulders to confront this and act to stop it.

That which you will not resist and mobilize to stop, you will learnor be forcedto accept.

 

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