What About Freedom of the Press?

 It's late July and we've seen the 4th of July celebrations come and go. Now that the magical moments have passed and the fireworks have faded into our memories, we can get back to analyzing the real meanings of American democracy and if it can be saved. I think all of us recognize that we are on the brink, but we believe that our destiny is so powerful that everything will turn out for the best. But somewhere in the national consciousness, a sense of doubt lingers. 

"Freedom of the Press" is a hallmark of American Democracy. However what one does with information is another matter. The larger question that continues to face us as citizens in a democracy is the use of information. A subset of that question is the political use of obtained information. 

Sometimes facts serve as fodder for comedy or poetic tragedy. President Gerald Ford had several incidents which included tripping or falling which were turned into comedic episodes. Such spoofs were used by his political opponents within and outside of his party to suggest that he might not be fit for continuing in the role of president. Slipping and tripping on the stairs of Air Force One were also used against Presidents Biden and Trump to varied degrees of effectiveness. When President Carter collapsed while jogging this became more of a political than a health issue. Similarly a fall by President Biden when bicycle riding was used in way to reflect his administration and its failures. (1) At other times, facts serve as barometers of political acumen. In such cases political opponents use information to weaken their opponents by challenging their intellectual abilities. 

To avoid this type of attack, President Trump pre-empted his opponents by asserting his vast intelligence. This bold trait is what makes the Trump administration different from all previous administrations. While people question the president's IQ, he continually refers to it by telling the press that he graduated first in his college class and that others are "low IQ" individuals.

While it is an extreme exaggeration, it is a brilliant strategy. There is a teflon quality to Mr. Trump's proclamations. Candidate Trump, for instance, encouraged massive media coverage. He basked in his celebrity and had enough clout to refute negative accounts regarding his business ventures and personal behavior. In contrast, President Trump cannot escape the dark clouds, misstatements, and ill-conceived tweets. His administration only desiring positive attention spends each day cleaning up for each Trump gaff.  As a result, his Press Secretaries continuously "lie" when faced with negative evidence. At points it has the element of a joke. Everything is tagged "alternative truths","fake news" or the "fake news media." It began almost immediately with the debate over the crowds at his first inauguration. Yet, while labeled by the liberal press as a habitual liar, it is hard to understand why the president has not suffered politically, intellectually, socially, or economically for his actions.

Campaign 2024 was engulfed in countless drama starting with rumors about Project 2025. Throughout the primary and general election, Mr. Trump denied any knowledge of the project despite knowing its authors. By the time of the inauguration it was obvious that he was going to adopt the document as his roadmap. Reaction by his opponents was frequent and critical, but it did not affect his ratings or standing with his supporters. Even the firing of government employees by DOGE had minimal impact on President Trump's aura.

Appropriately, the relationship between the press and Mr. Trump was different. Branded "immoral" and "unconstitutional", the new administration's response to the press was more than antagonistic. Many cabinet level positions were filled by Fox personalities who are Trump loyalists and are more accustomed to slanting perspectives. Critics of the administration have been targeted by the FBI, the Justice Department and the FCC.

In this second term, which is not even two years old, there are multiple daily stories that captivate newspapers, major news networks, comedy media and late night talk shows. The reoccurring threats against the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, MSNOW, CBS, ABC, and NBC only elevate the coverage which continue to harp on problematic items including the Red State gerrymandering, Capitol Reflecting Pool, the Kennedy Center, ICE raids and shootings, the White House Ballroom, the White House Helicopter Landing Pad, the White House Columns, the Washington Arch, Supreme Court decisions, voting/election fraud, graft and grift, the War with Iran, and Air Force One.

Unlike other administrations, Trump's minions never solve the problems. They lie, misconstruct, and deflect. Such actions allow stories to have prolonged shelf lives. For example, we heard about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and his connection to Trump and other billionaires for over a decade, and there was talk about Trump's affair with a porn star and Playboy model for nearly a decade. Yet, for all of MAGA's infatuation with child pornography, no one forged a link between the president/the Trump administration and immoral sex. Instead MAGA celebrated the president's stance against the trans community. 

Similarly, charges of a stolen election and election fraud in the 2020 election remain a constant point of contention despite the lack of proof. Instead Russian interference in the 2016 campaign long denied by candidate Trump, has been acknowledged in the 2020 and 2024 campaigns. Currently these acts are being linked to the administration's demands to support voter registration legislation. However, if a logical argument existed, wouldn't Russia interfering in the last three presidential elections suggest that the Save America Act be directed towards foreign powers like Russia, Iran and China rather than undocumented immigrants?

Given support for levels of greater public scrutiny, and for reasons of national security, the nation should hope for or expect a different outcome. (2) Ultimately, the consequences of either a negative or positive action will fall with the administration with no one to blame but the president.  

The latest example of this flawed behavior has been the coverage of the Qatari gifted Air Force One. Experts stressed that it would take years to strengthen the plane for use in an official capacity. It is also well known that two new aircraft being prepared for the president have been under construction for years. Media accounts informing the public that the gifted plane was ready in less than a year should have raised suspicions.  Fox News announced that the president had started using the plane on domestic flights on July 3rd. Shortly afterwards, the president invited an audience to join him on the plane's maiden Trans-Atlantic flight to Turkey on July 7th. Thus, public awareness is central to this story. As the president did not fly the newly acquired plane from Turkey back to the United States, anyone with knowledge of this aircraft would have reached an important conclusion. 

Rather than allow the media to second guess its actions, the administration decided to attack the press - the media that traveled on the plane and reporters from the New York Times who realized they had a story.  The White House quickly let the president explain that he wanted the troops to see the aircraft.  Again, rather than admitting the truth, they produced a fabrication so weak that it constituted a security breach.  And, as the facts began to take shape, an embarrassed administration decided to use the FBI to attack the New York Times reporters for creating a security scandal. However, by the time the FBI decided to crush the story the reports became larger than the crisis.

What's obvious is that the administration made a bigger issue out of a series of poor judgments. The Times reporters were only covering the obvious. The defenses of Air Force One are an open secret. It has been the subject of countless films and novels. Indeed, many fifth graders have enough knowledge of the president's plane to realize that the Qatari jet had defensive liabilities. Only a devoted Trump loyalist would fail to come to the conclusion that the aircraft could not fly through the Middle East as hostilities with Iran continued to escalate. By July 10th CNN offered the following story: "The newest Air Force One is flying, but is it ready to deal with all the threats a president faces?" On July 19th, President Trump announced that he would take the plane out of service so it could be "maxed out."  Yet the repairs/renovation will not be immediate but will take place sometime in the fall.

This account looks worse when people analyze more important issues. The Air Force One incident reveals a rather simple decision. It presents the portrait of a petty and vain man. A leader clearly not thinking about the best interests of his nation.  That he risked the safety of himself, his guests and ultimately the presidency just to fly on the defenseless Qatari jet. Trump chose his own luxury before the nation's security at a time of when most Americans are struggling and the nation is at war. It reflects his lack of sensitivity and common sense. 

This event also pinpointed a larger dilemma. President Trump has effectively destroyed America's trade imbalance by attempting to punish nations with tariffs, his quest to rid the nation of all immigrants threatens public safety and the economy, his poorly constructed foreign policy fails as allies no longer trust the United States, his war with Iran has created global instability, and his avoidance of kitchen table issues harms the Republican party. His erratic behaviors will add to the national debt and ultimately harm the economy. President Trump is driven by forces that lie outside of the presidency. Factors that support his quests for self-enrichment.

I know that Mr. Trump desires to have a lasting legacy. It is unfortunate that he doesn't listen to others and is unwilling to see his mistakes. In spite of his achievements he is doomed to be seen as one of the worse presidents in history. Journalists, columnists and editorialists have written that President Trump needs better handlers. It is clear he is surrounded by gifted and highly intelligent people. Yet, no one in the administration offers guidance or a divergent opinion. He needs someone to save him from himself, and we need to be saved from him. Genius would not agree to fly on this jet. However, greed dictates that he is planning on taking this aircraft when he leaves office and wants to use it as much as possible (starting right now).

When he is no longer president, the truth will record Donald J. Trump's place in our history. Let's hope there is an America to preserve this past in a book.

Notes

1. When such events have been disclosed, it has not been clear whether most Americans were more concerned with the health of the leaders as opposed to the state of the nation. Yet, most Americans can remember the event or events associated with politicians that they don't particularly support.

2. Either the autocratic ideas of suppressing the press should become paramount or the administration needs to do a better job of addressing the truth.