The current regime in power wants to destroy freedom of the press just like putin did in Russia. We will win the war against putin and his American stooge, donny.
I didn't think they ever had freedom of the press in Russia, so how could Putin have destroyed something that never existed in the first place?
That aside, I don't think that has anything to do with Trump's relationship with the US media. The same First Amendment which allows freedom of the press also allows Trump and Bannon to say "shut up." Simply arguing with or criticizing the press does not in any way inhibit or hinder freedom of the press.
Of course, I sometimes wonder just how "free" American media truly are, especially when I see the same media outlets all covering the same stories, while conspicuously ignoring others, as cited by groups such as
Project Censored - The News that Didn't Make the News and Why.
At least when it comes to the mainstream media in the US, I don't think they can sit there and play innocent, as if they have nothing to do with shaping public opinion and influencing politics.
I also find the media's position somewhat hypocritical, at least from the point of view of a reader/subscriber. As an example, my local paper used to allow readers to comment on each article that appeared on their website. At some point, they decided to stop allowing comments for some stories, such as local crime stories. Apparently some of the comments were more than they could handle. They also switched it so that people could not set up anonymous accounts anymore; they made it so that anyone who wanted to comment had to do so via a Facebook account.
For an industry which has built itself upon "anonymous sources," their resistance to anonymity among their commenters is quite telling.
Essentially, the way the mainstream media present themselves (which falls in line with standard celebrity egotism) is that they believe that they are "special." That their words and viewpoints are more important than that of the "great unwashed." I remember seeing a clip with Bill Maher scolding his audience for speaking up during one of his shows. He said something to the effect that "you are the audience, you have to listen. We are the ones who get to speak, not you." I suppose this may be the result of living a life where you're surrounded by sycophants and others who give undying adulation, without ever a hint of criticism. Once they're removed from those insular circles and find that they are being criticized, they suddenly have a meltdown - just like a pampered movie star throwing a tantrum.
Of course, I'm not saying that Trump is any different. Trump is a celebrity, too. Trump is like a reflection of the media. Those in the mainstream media look at Trump and realize that that's how the American people truly see
them.
It reminds me of a line from the movie
Nixon, while Nixon is looking at the portrait of President Kennedy: "When they look at you, they see what they want to be. When they look at me, they see what they are."
