Full Court Press
Last week, Trump announced that he was blocking White House press credentials to CNN, MS NOW and Politico. For all the dark, authoritarian, fascist problems behind him taking this action, it is also and importantly monumentally lunatic on numerous levels and can only end up backfiring on him and his party.
In fact, I would suggest that because Trump waited until his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was out of town before making his dictatorial edict, that shows even Trump knew how lunatic this was. Moreover, since former and current White House employees have privately contacted the media to say they never had any idea about this and couldn’t understand it, that shows how they themselves know it’s deeply problematic and can only backfire.
How lunatic and how much can it backfire? As the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, let me count the ways…
First, whenever any politician blocks press access to them, my reaction is always the same – all this will accomplish is that when there’s a news story about you, you won’t be able to respond, give your side of the story, and defend yourself. Worse, it will backfire because the only comments, perspective and criticism will come from everyone else, most notably those on the other side, more than happy to lambast your position and gut you like a fish. And when that politician is the president of the United States, and the issues at stake are national or even worldwide, that divide “The White House had no comment, although in attacking the president’s action…” is only ratcheted up higher and highlighted with the brightest Klieg light.
Secondly, Trump’s action is utterly meaningless because the press services being blocked access are not going to give up and stop reporting! In fact, the Trump administration already tried that with the Pentagon, blocking press access to those who wouldn’t sign a White House document. So – how has that worked out??! No critical stories on problems with Trump’s Iran War, have there been?! Just dispatches on how the U.S. won in five days! All’s well. Indeed, beyond the Defense Department, Trump previously limited access to press conferences and “gaggles” in general – so, the fact that Trump still hates critical stories about him so much that he’s blocking access shows how completely ineffective and meaningless blocking access is. The job of the press is to report stories and find sources and get leaks. That work doesn’t stop, and it’s pure crazy to think it will. Especially when those you’re trying to stop are 24-hour news services broadcasting on TV every single minute of every day. It’s unrelenting, doesn’t stop, Old Man River just keeps rolling along. If anything, trying to block the press backfires because it just gets journalists even more motivated to track down stories.
Moreover, Trump’s order is lunatic and will backfire because the public will hate it. Churningly abhor it, because it’s contrary to the core of democracy. Pretty much most Americans know deep in their bones that Freedom of the Press is foundational to the country. And want it to be. Even when people hate the press, even when people don’t like what is being reported, even when people love raging against the press (which throughout history seems a national pastime), Americans have always reacted incredibly badly when they see government block their own right to having the full access of reporting. Not everyone, of course, there are always fringes, but most everyone on all sides of the spectrum, no matter how partisan hate efforts to block Freedom of the Press – in part because they know that a different government can come to power who might block the reporting they like -- and in part, too, because they know that as much as they might hate the press, journalists aren’t actually breaking any laws, but doing nothing more than their job, no matter how nosey and annoying one might think. Standing on a soapbox and shouting whatever you want at others is inherent in being American, and that doesn’t exclude the press. Indeed, people understand it’s central to the press, however they feel about what’s said. The famous French saying, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” may a cornerstone to people’s sense of freedom the world over, but in the U.S., Americans know from schooldays we have laws actually codifying it. And when a president tries to block the press, it can only backfire. Because it’s lunatic.
It’s lunatic, as well, and can only backfire because at the most basic level, all human beings since the beginning of time understand that when someone says, “I will not let you ask me any questions, and I will block you from trying to find out anything,” it not only shows cowardice but says that you almost surely have something to hide. Whoever you are. And when you’re the center of power, and it’s your obligation to be asked questions because you are public servants, it not only says you have something to hide – it shouts it as loudly as humanly possible from the rooftops. And people get that. Easily.
And it’s crazy and will backfire because Trump’s order is unconstitutional from every possible angle you can look at it. And it’s not even an issue of wondering if that’s so – because there already have been cases during this very administration where even a Trump-appointed federal court judge has already ruled that Trump trying to block press credentials is not legal. Now, make it about, not just individuals, but blocking entire news organizations! Blocking White House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico is just an empty exercise in futility. And when a president is overturned by the courts, it backfires by making him appear to think he’s above the law. A bad thing especially when you’ve already been convicted of 34 felonies.
But perhaps high above all, Trump’s action is so monumentally, otherworldly nuts and will backfire because – he did this just weeks before the Mid-Term election!!! And so, his order that is lunatic on all the levels noted above and that people will hate and see as cowardice and having something to hide and be overturned by the courts will now be a campaign issue! The 24-hour CNN will keep talking about Trump trying to block Freedom of the press, the 24-hour MS NOW will keep talking about Trump trying to block Freedom of the press, Politico will keep writing about Trump trying to block Freedom of the press. Other national and local news services will keep referencing it. Democratic candidates will bring it up and challenge their MAGOP opponents to criticize. And when the courts overturn Trump’s fascist action, the press will all report on that. And in the end, they all will keep reporting on Trump and the White House. Without, in many cases, comment from the White House. Though with a barrage of comment from Democrats on the campaign trail.
Coverage of Trump’s order has focused on this being an attempt to intimidate the press (which it is) and his ongoing efforts to cause confusion (which it is). The problem for Trump is that though both of these are what he wants to do – that doesn’t mean he will accomplish it. And even if he did, it would backfire on him. Because what he wants to do is lunatic and will backfire.
Some of Trump’s actions in the past have intimated the press. But not this. Because this is just much too stupid. The press isn’t going to be intimidated by blocking full news services from access to the White House. The press knows this is blatantly unconstitutional and will be overturned by the court. And knows that it won’t stop them from reporting at all – any more than being blocked from the Pentagon stopped them. And they know that they’ll just use other sources. And know they’ll get leaks. This by Trump isn’t intimidating. It’s clownish, lunatic.
And it won’t distract from anything because most people are much too focused on Trump’s Iran War of choice, and the soaring price of gas, and high consumer prices, and the violent government actions on immigration, and the Epstein files, and AI data centers, and measles outbreak, and Trump calling “affordability” a hoax, and his increasingly out-of-control, weird actions – like tearing down the East Wing of the White House, destroying the Reflecting Pool, wanting to demolish the Kennedy Center and building a triumphal arch to himself, and making oddball AI-generated graphics, and his 32% approval.
But if it does distract, it will be because Trump will have made blocking Freedom of the Press a major issue, which – as noted – people hate. And think is crazy. And will backfire.
Yes, Trump’s order is galling. Sick. Fascist. And the act of a malignant narcissist with dementia, which is degenerative. But what it also is…is lunatic. On so many levels. And because of that – on so many levels – it all will backfire.
But in the end, this isn’t about Trump. We know who he is. Which is why he has a 32% approval. It’s about the elected MAGOP members of Congress who enable Trump. And who all have remained silent about Trump’s attack on Freedom of the Press in such a lunatic way that it will backfire on him. And, just weeks before the Mid-Term election, on them.
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