Donald Trump does not believe in freedom of speech or the freedom of the press at an American, constitutional, ethical, moral, philosophical, legal level — or really any level at all.
I talk with my Fox-watching mom a few times a week. She sometimes comes out with obviously Fox-generated dreck and I need to debrief her, sometimes later sending her web links with the truth.
At 94yo, she'll never change, but is sad to see such a noble mind o'erthrown.
Same with my 84 year old Mom but she won't even listen anymore even though after January 6th she swore she was done with Trump. That's the sickening power of Fox News.
Trump is using threats of violence against those in the GOP who dare defy him. Obviously, he is also threatening journalists and news outlets that dare to criticize him or his overseer, Elon Musk. What those caving in do not realize, or refuse to accept, is that the more they obey Trump's every whim the more demands he will make and the more insecure every American will become:
"Senate and House Republicans know Trump will orchestrate the running of a primary challenger backed by Elon Musk’s unlimited resources if a member defies him. But this is not the whole story of Republican subservience to the president. In private, Republicans talk about their fear that Trump might incite his MAGA followers to commit political violence against them if they don’t rubber-stamp his actions. “They’re scared shitless about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff,” a former member of Trump’s first administration tells me.
According to one source with direct knowledge of the events, North Carolina senator Thom Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about “credible death threats” when he was considering voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary. Tillis ultimately provided the crucial 50th vote to confirm the former Fox & Friends host to lead the Pentagon."
America may run on Dunkin’ but Fascism definitely runs on fear. It’s their main fuel source.
“ Elections “ in the future are going to be VERY different. Cries of fraud, cheating and the like from MAGA will be heard everywhere. When you hear this remember it is MAGA's full confession, Freudian slips or simple projections of their own malfeasance.
There is ( MAGA fraud ) fraud!
They cheated ( yeah we did: MAGA )
They didn’t allow ballots to be counted ( yeah, its us MAGA, we stopped the count )
They stuffed ballot boxes ( Who? us, MAGA? Ok, ok ya got us )
“ Elections “ in Russia look like this. The last so called election in Russia, Putin won an overwhelming majority of the vote. Boy o' boy do the Russians love that guy. 850,000 dead Russian soldiers ( so far ) in a war that they started and didn’t need to fight.
Trump’s release of the 6 Jan criminals gives him a mafia like, under the radar, leg breaking army. Just like the best banana republics have. Tonton macoute anyone? Yes please, hold the olive. No ice.
Well, that’s another fine mess you got us into ( MAGA ) Ollie.
I can’t believe that the drone attack on Chernobyl is not being reported. How evil can you be to wreak more radiation damage. And to have a president aligning himself with Putin is so disgustingly unAmerican and traitorous. Trump is still unfit to be President
One form of intimidation is ridicule. People hate being laughed at. Just like Trump ridiculed a disabled reporter, Musk is ridiculing a blind man:
"Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette works at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan watchdog group focused on reducing bureaucratic waste. He also happens to be blind. So when he criticized Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service in testimony on Capitol Hill last week, Musk unleashed an online attack Hedtler-Gaudette described as “surreal” in its juvenile bigotry.
First, Musk retweeted a post on X noting that the “blind director of watchdog group funded by George Soros testifies that he does not see widespread evidence of government waste” and added two laughing/crying emojis. The tweet garnered more than 21 million views, and sparked dozens of hateful messages to Hedtler-Gaudette’s account.
“He couldn’t see s--- … perfect excuse for being unable to perform your job,” one poster said. “The dei blind guy can’t see fraud. U can’t make up this garbage,” another wrote. One person even called for posters to surface Hedtler-Gaudette’s bank account."
“He’s a fundamentally small person,” Hedtler-Gaudette said. While Hedtler-Gaudette has yet to face physical harm because of Musk’s post, he said he does worry about the future.
As of this morning Trump is clearly unmoored from reality and his administration has become increasingly dangerous and threatening. What we need is a real General Strike, similar to Solidarity in Poland. This should really get congress's attention and make them understand that it is not just MAGA that has populist power. There is a huge number of citizens who are fed up and strike is the way to start.
People are wondering where our leader is, personally i’m not waiting , look at the people gathering all over the country. They aren’t waiting for a leader. If one comes ,ok, but i dont think we need one, and we certainly dont need to wait for one.
Zelensky has is right, ttump is in a bubble, i think for the time being that is good for us, the opposition, let ttumps handlers tell him how great he is how his numbers are great how the American people love him. This is a cliché, do you remember ? , we dont live in russia, F. , running an authoritarian government in the United States just isnt sustainable.
Found it interesting that Trump is still using same old threat ... ",,, or you won't have a country anymore". Hopefully, the Ukrainian people will not be duped by such nonsense, as were American voters who put President Shit-for Brains back in office.
Finally, someone identifies the cancer that is FOX news. I thought paying millions for lying would result in penance. HA HA. The biggest liars are Hannity and Laura Ingraham (another graduate of an IVY leagues institution (what is it about their training that produces persons who lack integrity?
Add the boys from South Africa to Murdoch and we are screwed.
Wow. Brilliant. Thank you for writing this. (I was never a fan of MH of NYT. She ruthlessly tore down HRC, who I think would have been a very good POTUS).
I've been screaming out for Corporate Media to Do Their Job for years now, Steve, and your essay this morning absolutely corroborated my sentiment exactly. Outstanding, Thank You, you are a True Patriot on all levels, and will reStack ASAP 🙏💯👍🇺🇸
Steve, at least Dinah Shore had a nice voice and was pretty. I loved her See the USA in your Chevrolet ads.
All kidding aside, I loved your post. Why is our country being wrecked by immigrants. Musk and Murdoch are single handily destroying our democracy. Maybe we shouldn’t allow anyone whose name begins with M onto our shores.
Remember the history here - When Reagan was president he met with Roy Cohn and Rupert Murdoch to create the media smokescreen and deception we have today. Reagan revoked the Fairness Doctrine which opened the door wide for Rush Limbaugh and then Fox News. This strategy to undermine the free press was launched in the 1980’s under Republican control of the White House. Recall that Roy Cohn was Trump’s mentor. You can find photos and news of their meeting online. Decades have gone by while our 1st Amendment has been torn to shreds. How tragic that so many Americans have only recently paid attention.
For several generations now, Republicans have been dividing and debasing the United States. Their work continues, but some of them see the light. Some of them are here and some in the media. Take Joe Walsh, a former Tea Party Love Child. Joe is telling me to stand strong with him on Ukraine and oppose Trump. But I remember Joe telling me this in 2016:
“On November 8th, I'm voting for Trump. On November 9th, if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket. You in?”
“He is like the southern segregationist on a 10-year press tour of northern cities, and no one has thought to ask him a serious question.”
Excellent Steve! The media doesn’t ask him serious questions because these aren’t serious people. Just look at the new makeup of the White House Press Corp.. there are more social media influencers and right wing publications, than actual journalists; if you can still call them that!
Moreover, I was always taught that there was no such thing as a stupid question; however, over the years it’s become apparent that while there may not be stupid questions, we certainly have a plethora of STUPID people asking QUESTIONS! Coincidence?
Additionally, Michele is right, the media personalities themselves have become rich and famous, and experience a sense of entitlement and royalty that we bestow on movie stars and some politicians.
Bottom line: the Fourth Estate isn’t a joke; only because they’ve become the punchline!
Furthermore, in fairness, this media disaster didn’t begin with the Trump clown car. It started under Bush, with Judith Miller and the NYT’s in the lead up to the Iraq War. And all the MSM outlets wanted a piece of the action; to be embedded with the troops, so they kowtowed to the powers that be, and decided to bury the truth on page 19, and promote the path to war; all wrapped nicely in the American Flag! Patriotism, Fascism, or Corrupt Patriotism?
On a side note. This whole Congestion Pricing Toll is also a joke. Weren’t the republicans the ones who used to rail about states rights? And ever since the repeal of Roe, suddenly these republicans are all about federal rights, by imposing their will on the rest of us! OUTSTANDING!..:)
Foxnews and the entire RWM echo chamber are an insidious cancer on our Republic. That said, one does have to acknowledge that they are extremely competent re staying on message, pounding the zone, and keeping their duped audience enthralled, 24/7. The AITOW Dems and their media reps should take a page or two out of that book.
The first part of this essay is a wonderful tirade against Fox News. More than any other entity on Earth, Fox News has brought us to our desperate straits. Without Fox, there is no Trump. Fox, day in and day out, blisters its enemies, shreds and bloodies the truth, tramples on decency. How could it get away with its predations over decades? It's simple. Journalism generally, and the press specifically, have allowed it to be so by not covering this major story. During future decades, if there are any, this wretched story will be examined by smarter, better intentioned journalists. And people will wonder at the folly of a nation brought to its knees by a pack venal and worthless scoundrels, that so easily bamboozled so many for so long about so much.
Even now, at this late stage of our national unravelling, the millions of brain washed MAGA followers have no idea what Fox is doing, how it achieved and continues to achieve its woeful impact on the world views of so many. Some MAGA's like to say, "I don't even watch Fox News". No, but they listen to the popular Joe Rogan. Even now, few among our professional journalists appreciate the impact of the gang of Fox repeaters scattered throughout the country, on local "news" channels, on radio talk shows, among podcasters like Rogan. Good old Joe, playing no favorites, a conscientious pursuer of the truth, bamboozles his viewers and finally comes out of the closet, like a circus clown at a party, right before the election in support of that other clown, Trump.
Steve does a great job here finally blasting Fox as the lead player in the destruction of our Democracy. Better late than never. The second half of this essay, less interesting, dumps on Maggie Haberman, and others who share her weaknesses.
Let’s be clear. The biggest liar is Trump. He is aided and abetted by FoxNews and other wannabe media outlets, and, of course, by Musk’s billions. The Nazi-supporting Cabinet and MAGA complete his formidable team. What he doesn’t have — and never will — is the majority of this country. It is up to us to promote the truth. We are the opposition. We have the Constitution and honor on our side. We will triumph over evil.
"Millions of Americans don’t know what is real."
As I talk to friends, co-workers and even my own family, I see it playing out in real-time, Steve...you are so right!
I talk with my Fox-watching mom a few times a week. She sometimes comes out with obviously Fox-generated dreck and I need to debrief her, sometimes later sending her web links with the truth.
At 94yo, she'll never change, but is sad to see such a noble mind o'erthrown.
Same with my 84 year old Mom but she won't even listen anymore even though after January 6th she swore she was done with Trump. That's the sickening power of Fox News.
Trump is using threats of violence against those in the GOP who dare defy him. Obviously, he is also threatening journalists and news outlets that dare to criticize him or his overseer, Elon Musk. What those caving in do not realize, or refuse to accept, is that the more they obey Trump's every whim the more demands he will make and the more insecure every American will become:
"Senate and House Republicans know Trump will orchestrate the running of a primary challenger backed by Elon Musk’s unlimited resources if a member defies him. But this is not the whole story of Republican subservience to the president. In private, Republicans talk about their fear that Trump might incite his MAGA followers to commit political violence against them if they don’t rubber-stamp his actions. “They’re scared shitless about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff,” a former member of Trump’s first administration tells me.
According to one source with direct knowledge of the events, North Carolina senator Thom Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about “credible death threats” when he was considering voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary. Tillis ultimately provided the crucial 50th vote to confirm the former Fox & Friends host to lead the Pentagon."
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-congress-political-violence
Yep, fear.
America may run on Dunkin’ but Fascism definitely runs on fear. It’s their main fuel source.
“ Elections “ in the future are going to be VERY different. Cries of fraud, cheating and the like from MAGA will be heard everywhere. When you hear this remember it is MAGA's full confession, Freudian slips or simple projections of their own malfeasance.
There is ( MAGA fraud ) fraud!
They cheated ( yeah we did: MAGA )
They didn’t allow ballots to be counted ( yeah, its us MAGA, we stopped the count )
They stuffed ballot boxes ( Who? us, MAGA? Ok, ok ya got us )
“ Elections “ in Russia look like this. The last so called election in Russia, Putin won an overwhelming majority of the vote. Boy o' boy do the Russians love that guy. 850,000 dead Russian soldiers ( so far ) in a war that they started and didn’t need to fight.
Trump’s release of the 6 Jan criminals gives him a mafia like, under the radar, leg breaking army. Just like the best banana republics have. Tonton macoute anyone? Yes please, hold the olive. No ice.
Well, that’s another fine mess you got us into ( MAGA ) Ollie.
Well said.
I can’t believe that the drone attack on Chernobyl is not being reported. How evil can you be to wreak more radiation damage. And to have a president aligning himself with Putin is so disgustingly unAmerican and traitorous. Trump is still unfit to be President
One form of intimidation is ridicule. People hate being laughed at. Just like Trump ridiculed a disabled reporter, Musk is ridiculing a blind man:
"Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette works at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan watchdog group focused on reducing bureaucratic waste. He also happens to be blind. So when he criticized Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service in testimony on Capitol Hill last week, Musk unleashed an online attack Hedtler-Gaudette described as “surreal” in its juvenile bigotry.
First, Musk retweeted a post on X noting that the “blind director of watchdog group funded by George Soros testifies that he does not see widespread evidence of government waste” and added two laughing/crying emojis. The tweet garnered more than 21 million views, and sparked dozens of hateful messages to Hedtler-Gaudette’s account.
“He couldn’t see s--- … perfect excuse for being unable to perform your job,” one poster said. “The dei blind guy can’t see fraud. U can’t make up this garbage,” another wrote. One person even called for posters to surface Hedtler-Gaudette’s bank account."
“He’s a fundamentally small person,” Hedtler-Gaudette said. While Hedtler-Gaudette has yet to face physical harm because of Musk’s post, he said he does worry about the future.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/02/17/elon-musk-x-target-critics-federal-employees/
As of this morning Trump is clearly unmoored from reality and his administration has become increasingly dangerous and threatening. What we need is a real General Strike, similar to Solidarity in Poland. This should really get congress's attention and make them understand that it is not just MAGA that has populist power. There is a huge number of citizens who are fed up and strike is the way to start.
People are wondering where our leader is, personally i’m not waiting , look at the people gathering all over the country. They aren’t waiting for a leader. If one comes ,ok, but i dont think we need one, and we certainly dont need to wait for one.
Zelensky has is right, ttump is in a bubble, i think for the time being that is good for us, the opposition, let ttumps handlers tell him how great he is how his numbers are great how the American people love him. This is a cliché, do you remember ? , we dont live in russia, F. , running an authoritarian government in the United States just isnt sustainable.
Found it interesting that Trump is still using same old threat ... ",,, or you won't have a country anymore". Hopefully, the Ukrainian people will not be duped by such nonsense, as were American voters who put President Shit-for Brains back in office.
I like this!!!!!!!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Very well thought out, and your post shows great intelligence! I hope the protests happen! As Obama said....Yes we can!
Finally, someone identifies the cancer that is FOX news. I thought paying millions for lying would result in penance. HA HA. The biggest liars are Hannity and Laura Ingraham (another graduate of an IVY leagues institution (what is it about their training that produces persons who lack integrity?
Add the boys from South Africa to Murdoch and we are screwed.
Wow. Brilliant. Thank you for writing this. (I was never a fan of MH of NYT. She ruthlessly tore down HRC, who I think would have been a very good POTUS).
I've been screaming out for Corporate Media to Do Their Job for years now, Steve, and your essay this morning absolutely corroborated my sentiment exactly. Outstanding, Thank You, you are a True Patriot on all levels, and will reStack ASAP 🙏💯👍🇺🇸
Steve, at least Dinah Shore had a nice voice and was pretty. I loved her See the USA in your Chevrolet ads.
All kidding aside, I loved your post. Why is our country being wrecked by immigrants. Musk and Murdoch are single handily destroying our democracy. Maybe we shouldn’t allow anyone whose name begins with M onto our shores.
Remember the history here - When Reagan was president he met with Roy Cohn and Rupert Murdoch to create the media smokescreen and deception we have today. Reagan revoked the Fairness Doctrine which opened the door wide for Rush Limbaugh and then Fox News. This strategy to undermine the free press was launched in the 1980’s under Republican control of the White House. Recall that Roy Cohn was Trump’s mentor. You can find photos and news of their meeting online. Decades have gone by while our 1st Amendment has been torn to shreds. How tragic that so many Americans have only recently paid attention.
For several generations now, Republicans have been dividing and debasing the United States. Their work continues, but some of them see the light. Some of them are here and some in the media. Take Joe Walsh, a former Tea Party Love Child. Joe is telling me to stand strong with him on Ukraine and oppose Trump. But I remember Joe telling me this in 2016:
“On November 8th, I'm voting for Trump. On November 9th, if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket. You in?”
I think he is the obnoxious idiot who loudly called President Obama a liar during a SOTU address.
That was a different Joe, I think, but same kind of guy. Think it was Joe Wilson of South Carolina, another member of the Low IQ Crew.
John, you are correct.
“He is like the southern segregationist on a 10-year press tour of northern cities, and no one has thought to ask him a serious question.”
Excellent Steve! The media doesn’t ask him serious questions because these aren’t serious people. Just look at the new makeup of the White House Press Corp.. there are more social media influencers and right wing publications, than actual journalists; if you can still call them that!
Moreover, I was always taught that there was no such thing as a stupid question; however, over the years it’s become apparent that while there may not be stupid questions, we certainly have a plethora of STUPID people asking QUESTIONS! Coincidence?
Additionally, Michele is right, the media personalities themselves have become rich and famous, and experience a sense of entitlement and royalty that we bestow on movie stars and some politicians.
Bottom line: the Fourth Estate isn’t a joke; only because they’ve become the punchline!
Furthermore, in fairness, this media disaster didn’t begin with the Trump clown car. It started under Bush, with Judith Miller and the NYT’s in the lead up to the Iraq War. And all the MSM outlets wanted a piece of the action; to be embedded with the troops, so they kowtowed to the powers that be, and decided to bury the truth on page 19, and promote the path to war; all wrapped nicely in the American Flag! Patriotism, Fascism, or Corrupt Patriotism?
On a side note. This whole Congestion Pricing Toll is also a joke. Weren’t the republicans the ones who used to rail about states rights? And ever since the repeal of Roe, suddenly these republicans are all about federal rights, by imposing their will on the rest of us! OUTSTANDING!..:)
Thank you for this political media history. My sense is that Murdoch's intentions are to destroy
American democracy. Like Trump, he loves spreading misinformation, chaos, and hatred.
Foxnews and the entire RWM echo chamber are an insidious cancer on our Republic. That said, one does have to acknowledge that they are extremely competent re staying on message, pounding the zone, and keeping their duped audience enthralled, 24/7. The AITOW Dems and their media reps should take a page or two out of that book.
The first part of this essay is a wonderful tirade against Fox News. More than any other entity on Earth, Fox News has brought us to our desperate straits. Without Fox, there is no Trump. Fox, day in and day out, blisters its enemies, shreds and bloodies the truth, tramples on decency. How could it get away with its predations over decades? It's simple. Journalism generally, and the press specifically, have allowed it to be so by not covering this major story. During future decades, if there are any, this wretched story will be examined by smarter, better intentioned journalists. And people will wonder at the folly of a nation brought to its knees by a pack venal and worthless scoundrels, that so easily bamboozled so many for so long about so much.
Even now, at this late stage of our national unravelling, the millions of brain washed MAGA followers have no idea what Fox is doing, how it achieved and continues to achieve its woeful impact on the world views of so many. Some MAGA's like to say, "I don't even watch Fox News". No, but they listen to the popular Joe Rogan. Even now, few among our professional journalists appreciate the impact of the gang of Fox repeaters scattered throughout the country, on local "news" channels, on radio talk shows, among podcasters like Rogan. Good old Joe, playing no favorites, a conscientious pursuer of the truth, bamboozles his viewers and finally comes out of the closet, like a circus clown at a party, right before the election in support of that other clown, Trump.
Steve does a great job here finally blasting Fox as the lead player in the destruction of our Democracy. Better late than never. The second half of this essay, less interesting, dumps on Maggie Haberman, and others who share her weaknesses.
Let’s be clear. The biggest liar is Trump. He is aided and abetted by FoxNews and other wannabe media outlets, and, of course, by Musk’s billions. The Nazi-supporting Cabinet and MAGA complete his formidable team. What he doesn’t have — and never will — is the majority of this country. It is up to us to promote the truth. We are the opposition. We have the Constitution and honor on our side. We will triumph over evil.