Is Trump More Interested in Being A Provocateur Than An Actual President?

Donald Trump wasn’t my choice for president. Throughout the campaign I found him contemptible, vulgar, and felt he was a conning the Rural, Rust Belt, and Flyover America. But as the votes started pouring on election night, I knew that Clinton wouldn’t be the victor. After many tears and panic attacks — which lasted a few weeks – over time, I came to my senses and put patriotism first. Even though I was skeptical of Trump, I began to hope that Trump would take the prestige, honor, and importance of the office seriously.

Unfortunately, and to my disappointment, Trump is running our country like it’s his reality show.

One of the biggest issues I have with Trump is the disrespect towards the media and his lack of concern on understanding policy.

During his six months as president, Trump has upped the ante in attacking our free press — a press that is a check on our elected officials — a watchdog for democracy — adding great value to our country as the fourth government estate.

Regularly Trump tweets the media is fake news, a fraud, and the enemy of the people — except Fox and Friends and Hannity, of course, because criticism of Trump on Fox News Network is rare.

Although Trump’s attack on the press isn’t new, I’d hoped it would fall to the wayside after the inauguration. I’d foolishly thought he’d be too busy working on all his campaign promises of building the wall on the Mexican border, eliminating ISIS, resolving immigration, fixing the economy, addressing stagnant wages, repealing Obamacare. You know, making good on his promises to the voters that chose him.

Instead, Trump spends his time tweeting propaganda, such as an edited one of him wrestling a CNN meme  —  openly condoning violence on the press. Of course, with no regard to history, Trump has aligned himself with an “anti-free press” sentiment with the likes of Joe McCarthy, Hitler, Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, and Vladimir Putin.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/881503147168071680

The caption with the video read:

“#FraudNewsCNN #FNN.”

Trump’s Twitter page is mostly verbal garbage containing pure nastiness, ugliness, and unprecedented attacks on our democracy, decency, and legitimate reporters. Then, hypocritically, he has the gall to play the victim – throwing temper tantrums on Twitter that the media doesn’t report what he thinks they should – while insisting he’s the pit bull and the press is to catch the bone.

Here’s another attack via Twitter:

“I heard poorly rated @MorningJoe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row on New Year’s Eve and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!”

Per usual, his tweets lit the flame in our political sphere — and, of course, Trump’s loyalists defend the mantra of, “He tells it like it is.” Trump supporters always agree with the President that CNN and the media are enemies, while the other half of the American population is recoiled, shocked, discomforted that our President, once again, was attacking a Constitutional pillar: the press, in such a brute and vile demeanor.

Not to mention half of Americans recoiled about Trump’s reeking sexism against MSNBC’s host, Mika Brzezinski, a common indignation trait for the president when it comes to women.

Ignited by attention, Trump continued his wrath, tweeting:

“The FAKE & FRAUDUlENT NEWS MEDIA is working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media — but remember, I won the 2016 election with interviews, speeches, and social media. I had to beat #FakeNews and did. WE will continue to WIN! I am thinking about changing the name #FakeNews CNN to #FraudNews CNN!”

And

“My use of social media is not Presidential — it’s MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!”

It’s been six months of madness when it should’ve been six months of hard work and getting things done.

Honestly, what Americans are witnessing is a man not dedicated to principals but popularity.

Like Trump, our predecessor Obama was quite popular in pop culture. But unlike Trump, Obama was a deep thinker, understood the nuances of politics and policy, and commanded his opinions and ideas with vigor while in office. Whether you agreed or disagreed with Obama on policy, you knew he was in charge; under Trump, it’s any man’s guess because he’s more concerned with sending a tweet than severing the citizenry.

It leads me to wonder: Will history witness these events as tragic and dark days for democracy and plain old disrespect for the office? Will future generations question, “Is this when democracy died?” I certainly hope history views this as dangerous territory and not normality.

“Remember, when you hear the words “sources say” from the Fake Media, often those sources are made up and do not exist,” tweeted Trump.

Umm, #MAGA?