Since he assumed the presidency nearly a year ago, Donald Trump has exhibited a remarkable propensity for saying things that sound like they walked right out of the authoritarian playbook.
To be “fair” (scare quotes are there for a reason), it’s not always clear whether he’s intentionally taking America down the road to autocracy or whether his demonstrable ignorance with regard to the Constitution renders him unable to understand why everyone is aghast when he attempts to silence the free press, commandeer the nation’s law enforcement agencies, and most recently, prevent a book from being published.
Just yesterday for instance, he said this about the nation’s libel laws:
Maduro: pic.twitter.com/KEdLdryyeO
— Heisenberg Report (@heisenbergrpt) January 7, 2018
Now for one thing, if people could be sued for “just saying whatever comes to their head,” then Trump would be facing more lawsuits than he already is, because he lies about people every, single day. For instance, under Trump’s preferred system, Bob Corker could undoubtedly sue Trump for the things the President said about the Tennessee Senator in October.
Well as you’re probably aware, Trump has decided that he’s going to combat the “fake news media” with what he’s calling “THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR.” Here’s that tweet:
I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
That immediately backfired. For instance, Stephen Colbert put up a literal billboard in Times Square to campaign for the top “honor”:
https://twitter.com/frankpallotta/status/948781149589069824
So excited for Monday’s “MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR!” See you on the red carpet, @AndersonCooper! #TheFakies pic.twitter.com/r8pYCj0g9r
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) January 4, 2018
Well coming full circle and proving that truth is indeed stranger than fiction in 2017, it turns out that another world leader held his own “ceremony” for fake news awards this week. That leader: Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro:
Nicolás Maduro blames Bloomberg, The Washington Post and The New York Times (among others) for all "bad news" about Venezuela in 2017… sometimes low self-esteem is just good judgement.
— Ana Vanessa Herrero (@AnaVHerrero) January 6, 2018
#Venezuela’s Maduro gives “bad news” awards for 2017 led by Bloomberg, WashPo, NYT & others. Sounds similar to another leader in Americas. pic.twitter.com/G24MR4N6Ld
— Ben Bartenstein (@BenBartenstein) January 6, 2018
Nothing further.
