Chuck Todd on Trump’s Tweets: ‘First Sign’ of Authoritarianism Is Delegitimizing the Free Press

‘While a lot of presidents have come to blows with the press, they have usually recognized its vital role’

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RUSH EXCERPT:

TODD: "Then there are the tweets. President Trump has slammed the media on Twitter 60 times since January 20th. This is just a few of the ways. You see disparaging, demeaning, false, sometimes they are lighter in humor. I get the sleepy eyes treatment. Some of the words are pretty, pretty nasty. Folks, if these actions and this language was being used by a leader in a different country, our State Department, not just we in general. Our State Department would be saying, hmmmm, that country is inching toward authoritarianism because that’s the first sign. When you try to delegitimize a free press. The presidents have warred with the press. It should be an adversarial relationship. That’s fine. It’s our duty to find the truth and the truht can sometimes hurt. And yes, sometimes the immediate why gets things wrong, but this time feels different and here's why. While a lot of presidents have come to blows with the press, they have usually recognized its vital role. Sometimes reluctantly, but they do."

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