US TV Host Claims 'Authoritarian' Trump Could Transform American Media into RT
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has cautioned that Donald Trump will attempt to suppress the free press in the United States. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has issued a warning that President-elect Donald Trump may attempt to restrict press freedom in the United States as he returns to the White House. During a segment on ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ on Thursday, the Democrat-leaning commentator and vocal Trump critic characterized the incoming president as an “authoritarian” who poses a threat to U.S. democracy.
Maddow expressed concern that Trump and his administration would seek to transform the media, which she referred to as “the fourth estate” and a “pillar of our democracy,” into “state TV.” She cautioned that the U.S. media could become an “American-accented version of RT.”
“These guys… will inevitably start picking off individual journalists, publishers and news organizations to try ultimately to turn us all into some American-accented version of RT,” she remarked, noting that RT serves as “a reason actions of the Russian Duma never make news.” She urged the American public to “actively resist” the upcoming administration should it launch assaults on the media.
Maddow's statements have ignited discussions among journalists regarding the press's role in the U.S. Some support her call to oppose Trump, while others contend that journalists should focus solely on reporting the news.
Trump has consistently criticized mainstream U.S. news outlets, accusing them of defaming him and disseminating fake news, labeling journalists as “bloodsuckers” and calling the media the “enemy of the people.” Recently, he attracted attention by stating he wouldn't mind if someone “shot through the fake news.” Additionally, he has initiated a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News over an appearance by his Democratic election opponent, Kamala Harris, claiming the interview was improperly edited to disadvantage him.
Maddow’s comments regarding RT align with the views of the outgoing U.S. administration towards the Russian broadcaster. President Joe Biden's administration has imposed several restrictions on Russian media, and officials have been particularly critical of RT, sanctioning the outlet earlier this year for allegedly acting as a “de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence.”
In response to the treatment of Russian journalists and media in the U.S., Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused the U.S. government of violating its own constitution by suppressing “information that is inconvenient for them.”
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
Maddow expressed concern that Trump and his administration would seek to transform the media, which she referred to as “the fourth estate” and a “pillar of our democracy,” into “state TV.” She cautioned that the U.S. media could become an “American-accented version of RT.”
“These guys… will inevitably start picking off individual journalists, publishers and news organizations to try ultimately to turn us all into some American-accented version of RT,” she remarked, noting that RT serves as “a reason actions of the Russian Duma never make news.” She urged the American public to “actively resist” the upcoming administration should it launch assaults on the media.
Maddow's statements have ignited discussions among journalists regarding the press's role in the U.S. Some support her call to oppose Trump, while others contend that journalists should focus solely on reporting the news.
Trump has consistently criticized mainstream U.S. news outlets, accusing them of defaming him and disseminating fake news, labeling journalists as “bloodsuckers” and calling the media the “enemy of the people.” Recently, he attracted attention by stating he wouldn't mind if someone “shot through the fake news.” Additionally, he has initiated a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News over an appearance by his Democratic election opponent, Kamala Harris, claiming the interview was improperly edited to disadvantage him.
Maddow’s comments regarding RT align with the views of the outgoing U.S. administration towards the Russian broadcaster. President Joe Biden's administration has imposed several restrictions on Russian media, and officials have been particularly critical of RT, sanctioning the outlet earlier this year for allegedly acting as a “de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence.”
In response to the treatment of Russian journalists and media in the U.S., Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused the U.S. government of violating its own constitution by suppressing “information that is inconvenient for them.”
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
