Trump: Mainstream Media Out to "Bring Down' Administration

President Donald Trump has, if possible, ratcheted up his media attacks, making it crystal clear Wednesday (Oct. 18) he thinks the mainstream media are indeed enemies of the people, bent on destroying him and willing to stop at nothing.

That came in an e-mail circulating a new "Mainstream Media Accountability Survey on the news media, one of several the Trump Pence campaign fundraising committee has conducted in concert with the Republican National Committee.

"I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the Mainstream Media is out to bring down my Administration.," the President said in the e-mail. "It’s a 24/7 barrage of hit jobs, fake stories, and absolute hatred for everything we stand for as a movement. "They don’t care about the truth. They don’t care about what’s right. They only care about propping up the liberal Democrats they worship and destroying anyone who wants to put America First. There is nothing they won’t do to stop us."

Poll: Republicans Back Power to Pull News Media ‘Licenses’

The new survey focuses on four specific news outlets, CNN, NBC, co-owned MSNBC and Fox News, asking whether each can be trusted to report fairly on his presidency. The President has been highly critical of CNN and NBC News, and generally positive toward Fox.

The President last week reacted to an NBC News story suggesting he wanted to boost the nuclear arsenal by calling it “fake news,” and “pure fiction.” He also called for broadcast licenses to be challenged and if need be revoked.

The chairman of the FCC said this week that the commission can’t revoke licenses over the content of newscasts and he would continue to defend the First Amendment.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.