We are not surprised to learn that a federal appeals court reversed a lower court’s ruling that allowed Associated Press journalists to participate in Trump’s daily briefings. The three judge panel voted 2-to-1 giving Trump the right to bar AP reporters from small settings in the Oval Office or Air Force One. Ever since the AP refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as Gulf America it has earned Trump’s wrath.
Two of the three judges on the panel are Trump appointees so we expected that ruling would not favor AP. Equally disturbing is the news that veteran ABC correspondent Terry Moran has been suspended for calling Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, a “hater,” in a social media post. He also referred to Trump as a world-class hater. A spokesperson for ABC News said that Moran is suspended pending evaluation and that his views do not reflect the network’s and violated their standards.
Whatever precipitated Moran’s accusations, they may have been motivated by Miller’s deportation policy and the current upheaval in Los Angeles –– especially Trump’s deploying of the National Guard and the possible dispatching of Marines –– we know that Trump has said the worst things about countless people.
When it comes to the media, particularly the press, we have been repeatedly reminded of Trump’s antagonism. And while ABC seems to have caved in to avoid an attack from Trump, we hail the stand taken by NPR and its lawsuit to uphold freedom of the press.
The introduction of the National Guard, after consistently assailing the media, is another element of Trump’s authoritarian agenda. An intimidated press, spineless elected officials, blatant opportunists, greedy plutocrats, and right wing thugs are all part of Trump’s recipe for total control of the government. Come June 14, his birthday, we hope millions deliver him a birthday present of resentment, one that will be unforgettable.