Watchdog or Lapdog? Why Authoritarian Leaders Like to Brand the Media as ‘Enemy of the People’

Author Gautam Adhikari discusses the significance of President Trump's efforts to delegitimize the media by branding it as the "enemy of the people."

President Donald Trump keeps lashing out at the media as “the enemy of the people”. His surrogates refuse to say whether they agree with that description of the press, notably Sarah Sanders when she is accosted by CNN’s Jim Acosta in the White House.

Journalists, including conservative anti-Trump pundits like Bret Stephens of The New York Times, are being threatened with dire consequences. Alarming? Yes, but there may be method in Trump’s rant.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Times of India. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.