This Friday, President Trump took a step into the unknown.
We don’t yet know what it looks like when a White House publicly declares the American free press as “the enemy of the American people.” We got a slight taste of it during the Nixon era, but even Nixon wasn’t bold enough to make such a proclamation outside of the Oval Office.
The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017
Expectedly, the backlash was swift, and not only from journalists. Appearing on Meet the Press this Sunday, Senator John McCain slammed Trump’s words as being a slippery slope to dictatorship.
“That’s how dictators get started,” McCain said. “They get started by suppressing free press, in other words, a consolidation of power.”
Now, the Twitter hashtag campaign #NotTheEnemy has emerged, reminding Trump and his supporters of the vital work the free press does, sometimes resulting in the ultimate sacrifice.
Here are a few examples:
This is Woodward and Bernstein. Nixon called them the enemy. They proved that no president is above the law. #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/ekxoiBZis1
— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) February 18, 2017
This is the @Newseum's Journalists Memorial, listing the 2,291 individuals who have died around the world reporting the news #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/FazzRTTQyL
— Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) February 18, 2017
From 'SEDITION, A FREE PRESS, AND PERSONAL RULE May 7, 1918'
by President Theodore Roosevelt #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/9NMeBSV1xC
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 18, 2017
A Russian spy ship is trolling the east coast and the U.S. President is busy tweeting that the national press is the ENEMY. #NotTheEnemy
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) February 18, 2017
In the past 25 years, 1230 journalists were killed worldwide in relation to their work. These are only 10 of them. They are #NotTheEnemy. pic.twitter.com/UaC0tFhql3
— Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) February 19, 2017
David Gilkey, NPR photographer + videographer was killed by a rocket grenade in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, June 5, 2016. #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/cdnYlu5MC7
— Distopia (@DistopiaNow) February 19, 2017
Bernard Fall, American journalist killed in Vietnam reporting the war back to the people. @realDonaldTrump had 5 deferments. #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/cbPPr4OERg
— Slippered Pantaloon 🏳️🌈🇵🇸💜🇺🇦🏳️⚧️ (@RantersTantrum) February 18, 2017
RealGDT: RT EWachsberg: This is Tim Hetherington realDonaldTrump he was killed in Libya. #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/MTar0WXYlx
— Glitter and Gore (@theglitterngore) February 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/paulrwilson/status/833043686523072516
This is the great L. Alex Wilson. A black journalist who was beaten by an angry white mob as he covered the Little Rock Nine. #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/6ZuGTw8RFK
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 18, 2017
The @BostonGlobe exposed the Catholic Church's enabling of pedophile priests. How many children did this save from abuse? #NotTheEnemy
— Mariah Blake (@MariahCBlake) February 18, 2017
James Foley, freelance journalist. Detained 44 days, Libya, 2011. Beheaded by ISIS, Syria, 2014. #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/KbfYhbq6Xq
— 𝕯𝖗. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐚 𝐌𝐮𝐢𝐫 🌻😷💉🎹🐈🌸⚾🎬 (@theresasmets) February 18, 2017
Some Trump supporters got involved as well:
https://twitter.com/TEN_GOP/status/833031304555933700
Remember when CNN started fake news with "hands up, don't shoot?" I do. We won't ever forget. Your credibility is dead. #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/8Qxc491Xlc
— John doe (@juhhhjgghk) February 18, 2017
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