Difference between revisions of "Donald Trump achievements: Media and political correctness"

Revision as of 20:21, July 16, 2019

Official presidential photo of President Donald Trump

Main article: Donald Trump achievements

This article is a non-exhaustive list of achievements by U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration related to their dealings with the media, particularly the mainstream media, and political correctness.

Trump's victories over the liberal media establishment

See also: Mainstream media and Donald Trump, Fake news, and Liberal media

2017

President Trump was strongly opposed by the mainstream media, and he and his allies strongly attacked them in return.^[1] According to an October 2017 report, he attacked the media more than anything else on Twitter.^[2] His attacks against the media reportedly resembled that of pro wrestling.^[3] Trump was reported as winning the battle against the liberal media.^[4][5] He was helped by the fact that multiple fake news reporting errors were discovered in the media.^[6]

• At an hour-long press conference on February 16, 2017, Trump repeatedly criticized the press as biased and "so dishonest ... out of control."^[7]
• On February 17, 2017, Trump tweeted: "The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"^[8]
• On February 24, 2017, President Trump excluded several liberal media organizations from attending a press briefing.^[9][10]
• Rather than spend his 100th day in office attending the White House Correspondents Dinner with its left-wing anti-Trump journalists and media figures, Trump went to Pennsylvania to hold a Trump Rally for his supporters.^[11] Trump became the first president since Reagan in 1981 to skip the dinner.^[12] That same day, a Morning Consult survey found that more American adults – 37% to 29% – trusted the White House over the media to tell the truth.^[13]
• On May 17, 2017, under heavy fire from liberals and the mainstream media for controversies regarding James Comey and Russia, Trump, in a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, criticized the media and made clear that he would stand his ground and not give up. He stated that "I didn’t get elected to serve the Washington media—I got elected to serve the forgotten men and women and that’s exactly what I’m doing."^[14][15]
• Rather than holding a press conference after his first foreign trip, President Trump gave a speech to U.S. soldiers.^[16]
• June 9, 2017—When President Trump held a press conference with the Romanian prime minister, CNN and The New York Times were assigned seats in the back of the Rose Garden.^[17]
• Although President Trump strongly criticized the mainstream media in general,^[18] he targeted CNN in particular, calling it fake news.^[19] After it was revealed that CNN did report and promote a story about Trump in late-June 2017 that was revealed to be fake news promoted for ratings purposes, President Trump strongly criticized the network for its poor reporting.^[20][21] On July 2, 2017, President Trump tweeted a video of him wrestling down CNN.^[22]
• July 1, 2017—At a Celebrate Freedom Rally in Washington D.C., his first Independence Day address as U.S. President,^[23] Trump stated that "the fake media is trying to silence us but we will not let them....The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I’m president and they’re not," and that "their agenda is not your agenda."^[24]
• August 22, 2017—At a campaign rally in Arizona, President Trump harshly criticized the mainstream media and exposed their liberal bias and deception in their reporting of his public statements after the Charlottesville attacks – where the mainstream media indicated that the President was, at least, sympathetic towards white supremacists – by actually re-reading his original statements again.^[25]
• According to an October 2017 Morning Consult/Politico poll, 46% of Americans believed that the media fabricates stories against the Trump Administration, while only 37% did not believe this.^[26]
• November 15, 2017—After returning from his trip to Asia, President Trump criticized CNN (along with The New York Times) after he had been forced to watch it during his trip.^[27]
• November 25, 2017—President Trump criticized CNN International for poorly representing the U.S. to the world by speading fake news.^[28]
• November 27, 2017—In addition to criticizing the mainstream media, President Trump proposed a contest in which all the mainstream media outlets, specifically including CNN and with the exception of Fox News Channel, would compete to see who had the most dishonest coverage of himself, with the winner receiving the "Fake News Trophy."^[29]

2018

President Trump continued calling out the mainstream media for its bias against him.^[30] According to White House Transition Project director Martha Joynt Kumar, by late April 2018, President Trump had answered questions from the media more frequently than Obama had by the same point in his presidency.^[31]

• January 17, 2018—President Trump released his "2017 Fake News Awards", which was awarded to mainstream media outlets for false stories related to himself.^[32] There were eleven winners, with The New York Times in first place and with CNN in the list four times.^[32]
• April 2, 2018—President Trump defended the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group and criticized the mainstream media for their criticisms of the group, pointing out their double standard.^[33] The next day, President Trump again defended Sinclair while criticizing the mainstream media.^[34]
• April 28, 2018—President Trump skipped the White House Correspondents' Dinner for the second year in a row, speaking at a campaign-style rally in Michigan instead.^[35]
• June 15, 2018—Among the numerous other times he criticized the mainstream media, President Trump spent a large part of the morning – impromptu – being interviewed by and strongly criticizing the media for its bias against him.^[36]
• According to an Axios/SurveyMonkey poll released on June 27, 2018, 72% of all Americans believed that the mainstream media knowingly published "fake, false or purposely misleading" stories frequently or occasionally.^[37]
• July 11, 2018—At the beginning of a NATO summit, President Trump greeted both the "the legitimate media and the fake-news media."^[38]
• July 15, 2018—President Trump labeled the mainstream media as the "enemy of the people", one of several times he used the term to describe it.^[39]
• July 29, 2018—President Trump, in several tweets, strongly criticized the media for its bias against him and even stated that it "puts the lives of many ... at risk" by inappropriately revealing private discussions within the government.^[40]
• August 2, 2018—President Trump stated that it is the fake news media – which comprises much of the media – that is the "enemy of the people."^[41]
• August 16, 2018—President Trump labeled the mainstream media the "opposition party", among other criticisms, as over 300 media organizations ran editorials attacking the president.^[42]
• August 18, 2018—President Trump strongly criticized social media companies for discriminating against and censoring conservatives and Republicans.^[43] Trump made numerous subsequent statements expressing opposition to social media censorship and discrimination,^[44] including in a strongly-worded tweet on August 24, 2018.^[45] The DOJ announced in September 2018 that Attorney General Jeff Sessions would look into social media censorship claims.^[46]
• August 28, 2018—President Trump, threatening action, criticized Google for biased search results and for censoring conservative media sources.^[47]
• August 30, 2018—President Trump criticized the NBC and CNN, even more strongly and sustained than usual.^[48]
• October 1, 2018—At a press conference, President Trump strongly criticized the media, stating that "I consider you a part of the Democrat Party."^[49]
• October 2018—Rather than allowing the media to blame him for a politically-motivated bomb scare incident, President Trump criticized the mainstream media for their part in promoting divisiveness in American society.^[50] He criticized the media for the same reason on October 28^[51] and 29,^[52] as well as November 2.^[53]
• December 13, 2018—It was reported that the White House canceled its annual Christmas party for the media.^[54]
• December 15, 2018—President Trump strongly criticized The Weekly Standard and Bill Kristol, both neocon opponents of the president, on the day the former announced it would shut down.^[55]

2019

President Trump continued fighting bias and fake news in the mainstream media and social media.^[56]

• January 7, 2019—President Trump strongly criticized the left-wing media, describing them as "crazed lunatics," "the real Opposition Party," and "the Enemy of the People."^[57]
• January 15, 2019—According to a Media Research Center report released this day, President Trump's approval rating increased over two percentage points in 2018 despite 90% negative media coverage that year.^[58]
• January 21–22, 2019—President Trump strongly criticized the media's handling of an incident involving Catholic students wearing MAGA hats who were falsely accused of harassing an American Indian activist, describing it as a symbol "of Fake News and how evil it can be."^[59]
• February 11, 2019—President Trump criticized mainstream media "fact-checkers," calling them out for their partisanship.^[60]
• March 19, 2019—President Trump made several strong statements against the mainstream media. He described fake news as "the absolute Enemy of the People and our Country itself,"^[61] and he accused social media and other media platforms of being biased against conservatives.^[62] He also vowed to look into Facebook censorship of a White House official.^[63] At a press conference that day, President Trump and conservative Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro expressed strong support for each other's views on fake news.^[64]
• March 26, 2019—Following the Mueller probe's confirmation that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia, President Trump criticized the media, describing it as "the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party."^[65]
• April 23, 2019—President Trump strongly criticized the media,^[66] including The New York Times^[67] and Joe Scarborough,^[68] and he criticized Twitter for its bias against conservatives.^[69]
• April 27, 2019—President Trump skipped the White House Correspondents' Dinner for the third year in a row, holding a rally for his supporters instead.^[70]
• May 3–4, 2019—After Facebook and Twitter banned several conservative figures, President Trump strongly defended those conservatives and criticized the social media companies for their bias and censorship.^[71] He also pointed out those companies' double standards.^[72]
• May 15, 2019—The Trump Administration refused to join an international agreement intended to fight "online extremism," with the administration citing its support for free speech as a reason as well as its concern that the agreement would contradict First Amendment rights.^[73]
• May 15, 2019—The White House released a tool allowing Americans to report instances of social media bias and censorship.^[74]
• June 9, 2019—President Trump criticized Twitter's censorship of conservative figures, calling on the social media company to allow them back on the site.^[75]
• July 11, 2019—President Trump hosted a social media summit at the White House in which he hosted conservative social media personalities, among other figures, and showed his support for them in the face of Big Tech censorship.^[76]

Trump's establishment of a massive direct line to the public via social media

Via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube – particularly Twitter^[77] – Trump established a massive direct link to the American public unfiltered by the mainstream media. His social media audience was about 45 million people at the time of his inauguration in January 2017,^[78] and by October 2017 he became the most followed world leader on Twitter with nearly 40 million followers.^[79] Trump has used his social media platform for, among other things, criticizing political correctness and gun control,^[80] as well as to advance his agenda.^[81] CNBC reported in January 2019 that President Trump's tweets advocating for a border wall had been effective.^[82] According to the analytics firm CrowdTangle, President Trump's Twitter account received the most interaction of any account on the social media platform.^[83]

President Trump himself noted that he could "get the honest and unfiltered message out" through Twitter, and he wrote on the social media site that "if I would have relied on the Fake News of CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, washpost or nytimes, I would have had ZERO chance winning WH."^[84] He also described his social media use as "the only way to fight a VERY dishonest and unfair 'press.'"^[85] According to Gallup in May 2018, Trump's tweets reached 76% of Americans.^[86] Although opposed by the Washington establishment, President Trump's use of Twitter was supported by his base.^[87] Trump stated he would not end his use of social media regardless of what the mainstream media thought.^[88] President Trump made many important statements through his Twitter account.^[89] The mainstream media opposed Trump's tweets, and its stories that cited his tweets were found to more negative and biased against the president, according to the Pew Research Center in October 2017.^[90]

In August 2017, the Trump Campaign launched a "Real News" program to counter mainstream media bias.^[91]

Trump's association with conservative media

Rather than associate with the leftist mainstream media, Trump has associated himself with the conservative media, particularly Fox News^[92] – by the end of 2017, President Trump appeared on Fox News more than other outlets while generally avoiding the liberal mainstream media.^[93] In April 2017, President Trump hosted a media briefing exclusively for conservative media outlets.^[94] He met with libertarian-conservative commentator and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in December 2015,^[95][96] becoming the first president to have ever met with Jones according to Jones's website.^[97]

Much to the consternation of liberals and the mainstream media,^[98] the Trump Administration was much more friendly towards and, during press briefings, called more often upon conservative^[99] and smaller^[100] media outlets compared to previous administrations. For example, the first three journalists Press Secretary Sean Spicer ever called upon during his tenure as secretary were "conservative-leaning" (the Associated Press traditionally received the first question).^[101] This did not stop the conservative media from asking tough questions to the Trump Administration and holding it accountable.^[102] It was reported on June 30, 2017, that three conservative-leaning news outlets, Newsmax, One America News Network, and the Daily Mail, had been given permanent seats in the White House briefing room.^[103]

On July 22, 2017, the newly appointed White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci gave his first interview during his short tenure with Breitbart News.^[104] Fox News ended 2017 as the most-watched cable network, and President Trump's support for the network may have served as a reason for that.^[105] In 2019, President Trump increasingly did interviews with mainstream media organizations.^[106]

The media noted that President Trump hired several people associated with Fox News to various positions in his administration.^[107] Trump did not hesitate to criticize Fox News when he believed it had caved to the Left.^[108]

Trump's victories over political correctness

• Trump has strongly and successfully challenged political correctness, particularly during his 2016 presidential campaign. He insisted on using the term "anchor baby" despite a reporter saying the term was offensive.^[109] He also frequently used the terms "Islamic terrorism" and "Merry Christmas."
• January 20, 2017—Trump became the first president to say "radical Islamic terrorism" in his inaugural address.^[110]
• In June 2017, after an Islamic terrorist attack in the United Kingdom, President Trump used his social media platform to call for the end of political correctness.^[111] In November 2017, he criticized UK Prime Minister Theresa May by telling her to "focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom."^[112] In a July 2018 speech, President Trump called "radical Islamic terrorism" the "enemy."^[113] In his 2018 proclamation commemorating the September 11, 2001 attacks, President Trump condemned the "radical Islamist terrorists" who conducted the attacks,^[114] and he and Vice President Mike Pence referred to radical Islamic terrorism in speeches they made that day.^[115] On October 25, 2018, President Trump and the White House labeled Hezbollah a "radical Islamic" group.^[116]
• One notable phrase used in Trump's speeches was that "in America, we don't worship government. We worship God."^[117]
• In August 2017, after violent and deadly clashes between white supremacists and Antifa activists in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Trump not only strongly criticized the hatred and violence, but, challenging the politically correct attitude of the establishment and the Left, criticized the "many sides" that were responsible for the hatred and violence rather than just the white supremacists.^[118] Trump urged all Americans to view themselves as Americans first, saying that "above all, we must remember this truth, no matter our color, creed, religion or political party, we are all Americans first."^[118] President Trump stood unmoved even after intense media criticism, and in a press conference held a few days later, he again stated that the alt-left was just as responsible for the violence as the alt-right, criticized the media for its one-sidedness and double standards in reporting on the violence, and criticized the Left's opposition to Confederate monuments.^[119] As expected, President Trump shocked the mainstream media by his comments,^[120] and they helped widen the gap, or at least highlight the gap, between Trump and the establishment GOP.^[121] In addition to challenging political correctness, the Charlottesville incident helped "drain the swamp", as numerous executive branch advisors and officials resigned their positions due to President Trump's comments.^[122] When President Trump signed a Senate Resolution condemning white supremacism and neo-Nazis, he again condemned "hatred, bigotry, and racism in all forms" and said through a White House statement that "no matter the color of our skin or our ethnic heritage, we all live under the same laws, we all salute the same great flag, and we are all made by the same almighty God."^[123] On August 11, 2018, commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Charlottesville violence, President Trump again condemned "all types of racism and acts of violence" and wished "peace to ALL Americans."^[124] On April 26, 2019, President Trump strongly defended his comments and described Robert E. Lee as "a great general."^[125]
• President Trump voiced support for letting Confederate monuments stay, as opposed to taking them down as supported by the Left.^[126] He also opposed taking down other statues opposed by leftists, such as those of Christopher Columbus.^[127]
• President Trump and his administration have not been afraid to criticize the Barack Obama and his left-wing administration for its failures.^[128] This could be seen regarding Syria and Obama's failed and broken "red line" promise concerning the Syrian Civil War,^[129] as well as Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly criticizing the Obama Administration's failure regarding illegal immigration and national security.^[130][131]
• President Trump took a strong stance in advocating that NFL players be required to stand for the U.S. National Anthem, and in criticising the fact that many of them chose to kneel for the anthem.^[132] In May 2018, the NFL decided to require its players and other personnel to stand for the anthem.^[133] In August 2018, President Trump started a petition calling on ESPN to air the playing of the National Anthem.^[134]
• President Trump fought against the War on Christmas in 2017.^[135] For Christmas 2017, the White House Christmas card used the term "Merry Christmas," a sharp departure from the Obama Administration, which avoided using the term, instead opting for politically correct alternatives that did not mention "Christmas."^[136] The White House also set up a nativity scene with the baby Jesus for Christmas 2017.^[137] According to a December 2017 Axios/SurveyMonkey poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans preferred the term "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays."^[138] By 2018, conservatives noted President Trump's impact on fighting against the War on Christmas.^[139]
• President Trump was bold enough to mock the MeToo movement^[140] and stand up for men in the face of uncorroborated allegations.^[141]
• At a rally on October 22, 2018, President Trump strongly rejected globalism and labeled himself a nationalist,^[142] and he defended his comments the following day after the media criticized him for them.^[143]
• President Trump stated he prefers to call the Democratic Party the "Democrat Party" as it is a more accurate description.^[144]
• President Trump was not afraid to criticize and challenge left-wing judges. For example, in November 2018, he criticized the Ninth Circuit for its left-wing decisions,^[145] and he pushed back against Chief Justice John Roberts when he spoke against the president for criticizing Obama judges.^[146]
• President Trump mocked global warming several times. On December 28, 2017, for example, he trolled climate change alarmists when he tweeted that "perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against" when noting record cold weather in the U.S.^[147] In November 2018, he mocked the existence of global warming as the East Coast saw record low temperatures.^[148] In January 2019, President Trump stated during a harsh cold wave that it "wouldn’t be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now."^[149]
• President Trump defended conservative Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Jeanine Pirro and called on Fox to not cave to leftists seeking to destroy their careers because of politically incorrect statements they had made.^[150]
• According to some analysts, President Trump's behavior of finding insulting nicknames for his opponents was effective.^[151]
• July 14, 2019—President Trump criticized anti-American and far-left members of Congress for criticizing the United States despite being born in other countries and wanting to immigrate to the U.S. He told those members of Congress to fix the dysfunctional countries they originated at before telling native-born Americans how to govern their country.^[152] The president strongly defended this statement after receiving hysteric left-wing criticism, and he refused to cave or apologize.^[153]

References