From the Left

/

Politics

A journalist's note to President Trump: Don't be so shy

By Clarence Page, Tribune Content Agency on

Dear President Trump:

As a mainstream media worker, I congratulate you on the completion of your first 100 days as president without facing impeachment. For a while, I wasn't sure that you could do it.

I also want you to know that we're on to you. You're not fooling anybody with your media-bashing act, even after you cranked it up by skipping the annual dinner of White House press corps in Washington to lead yet another campaign rally, this time in a farm expo center in Harrisburg, Pa.

Sir, has anyone told you that you can stop campaigning now? That you won? That it is time to stop campaigning and start governing?

Ah, but that's the rub, isn't it? You'd rather return to your comfort zone, where you can be cheered by crowds of people who already support you, than reach out as most presidents do to win new supporters or at least ease tensions with their opposition.

There in your safe space you are free to rail once again at the "failing New York Times" (which actually is doing quite well, thank you) or the "fake news" at CNN and MSNBC, among other media that -- unlike, say, Fox News or Breitbart -- are not your favorites.

 

It is obvious that you prefer to politic from a platform of appropriated victimization. Sure, your party controls both houses of Congress and most state legislatures, but you don't let that keep you from sounding like a lonely warrior fighting for the "forgotten Americans" against -- who else? -- the media, whom you once again called "very dishonest people."

"Their priorities are not my priorities, and not your priorities," you told the mammoth crowd in Harrisburg. "If the media's job is to be honest and tell the truth, the media deserves a very, very big fat failing grade."

Nice work. I know you're not dumb enough to believe all of that malarkey. Sure, you beat up on the Times, because it makes you sound big and brave to challenge the nation's most prominent newspaper.

Yet when you wanted to get your message out that you were planning to run for president, whom did you call but Maggie Haberman at the Times, who has covered you since your younger days when you would call the city's tabloids to give your spin on your latest divorce or offload blame for a financial loss.

...continued

swipe to next page

(c) 2017 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

Comics

Bill Day Bob Gorrell Drew Sheneman Dave Granlund A.F. Branco Chip Bok