Jonathan Chait: “Donald Trump is presiding over a failing presidency and lashing out at the news media—most recently by banning CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House. There might seem to be a connection between these two things, but the causal link is not that Trump is punishing the press because he is failing; rather, it’s the opposite. His inability to govern is in part a consequence of his hatred for the news media.”
“Trump has been bullying and manipulating the news media since before he entered politics. And though it may be tempting to believe that his efforts to strangle independent reporting result from his current political travails, he has been pursuing that project throughout his current term… In fair weather and foul, Trump simply cannot tolerate critical news coverage.”
