Trump’s dangerous strategy to undermine reality

A recent op-ed in the Washington Post titled “Trump’s dangerous strategy to undermine reality” written by John Podesta makes some valid points. However it’s impossible to consider the source an unbiased observer as Podesta was Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. He writes about Trump “First he benefited from fake news stories during the campaign; then as president-elect and now president, he has constantly used the epithet against mainstream media outlets that dare criticize him.” It seems that Donald Trump benefited most from the very real news of the contents of Podesta’s emails in the month before the election that may have cost Clinton the presidency. Podesta, himself, pushed the narrative of Russian hacking to take media attention off of the contents of the emails.

Podesta argues that what Trump is trying to do goes beyond the spin that all politicians do, Trump is trying to undermine the public’s faith that any news is true. “Trump is attempting to build a hall of mirrors where even our most basic sensory perceptions are shrouded in confusion. He is emulating the successful strategy of Vladimir Putin.”  The Kremlin combines reality TV and authoritarianism to blur the line between fact and fiction. When Russians see something on TV they assume it is a lie. Trump’s constant cries of “fake news” every time a poll or a news story shows him in a bad light are having a similar effect on Americans. He is undermining faith in journalism which has traditionally been the fourth estate to keep politicians in check. This is especially dangerous when you have an administration that needs to be fact checked.