Trump has been invited to the White House Press Corps event.
Why would they invite him?
He has called them the "enemy of the people" and has kicked many of them out of the White House press room. He has sued some of them for vast sums of money. He has proven himself the enemy of the First Amendment.
No doubt, if he actually comes to the event, he will talk about his grand "ballroom" and how much the press will love it. I suspect there will be polite applause and before anyone can talk to his face, he will slip out the back door. They will have missed an opportunity to let the American people see his reaction when the First Amendment is defended.
Their strategy is to print the First Amendment on the place napkins? That is weak.
He needs to be taught a lesson. He obviously did not learn it in school.
Right up front, someone in the WHPC needs to tell him to his face that there was a reason the Founders put freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, and other freedoms in the First Amendment. It was in front of the 2nd Amendment, which gives the people the right to bear arms.
Let us be clear. The First Amendment is not the "enemy of the people". The enemy of the people are those that would attack the freedom of the press and free speech. Mr Trump needs to educate himself on this subject, with all due respect. And there is not much respect left for Mr Trump.
The press has a duty to call out the lies of our leaders. Mr Trump has lied more than all the presidents combined. He might call it hyperbolic exaggeration or some other nonsense, but it is nothing more than bald-faced lies. He has done great damage to our country and our Constitution. Contrary to his claims, he is not a greater President than Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. He may get some of his supporters to believe that, but it is another lie.
Mr Trump has dishonored our Constitution and the emoluments clause. He pretends it doesn't exist. He has broken the laws and the faith of our people in our Constitution. He is not a friend of the press. He is not a friend of the First Amendment. He would punish those that would dare to challenge his viewpoint or his policies. We are putting him on notice. We will continue to call out his lies and his criminal activities. Call it disrespect if you like. But we will continue to fight for the First Amendment.
That is what I want to hear from the press corps, not after Mr Trump leaves the building, but to his face.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Great statement by these journalists
Link to tweet
“The collective weight of the administration's actions - retaliatory access bans, coercive regulatory investigations, frivolous lawsuits against the press, defunding of public broadcasting, dismantling of international broadcasting, physical restrictions on journalists, personal verbal attacks on reporters, assaults on the media in official White House press releases and social media posts, the arrest of journalists, and the pardoning of those who committed violence against the press - represent the most systematic and comprehensive assault on freedom of the press by a sitting American president.”
The letter proceeds to list all of his attacks.
