Trump’s latest media attack brings him close to white nationalists
Developments on Day 310 of the Trump Administration:
Trump Retweets Far-Right Conspiracy Account as Proper News
Continuing his five-day Thanksgiving vacation, Donald Trump promotes a far-right conspiracy theorist website, minutes after attacking CNN and praising Fox.
Trump’s attempts to remake the media landscape in his favor are far from new, but he went a step farther on Saturday with a pair of tweets.
First he tried to place CNN beyond the acceptable, not only in the US but across the globe:
.@FoxNews is MUCH more important in the United States than CNN, but outside of the U.S., CNN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2017
Then he found a supposedly reliable alternative, a site lauding his supposed accomplishments:
Wow, even I didn’t realize we did so much. Wish the Fake News would report! Thank you. https://t.co/ApVbu2b0Jd
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2017
Whether or not Trump realizes it, MagaPill is well known for its own “fake news”, a series of unfounded conspiracy theories attacking Democratic politicians and other prominent figures, and may have links with white nationalists.
MagaPill is a play on “red pill”, a term popular with white nationalists and far-right activists — based on a plot line from The Matrix, the metaphor refers to the process of normalizing extreme views. MagaPill is also active on Gab, a social network favored by white nationalists and banned from the Google app store violating hate speech policy.
A few hours before its endorsement by Trump, MagaPill posted a video from Liz Cronkin, a conspiracy theorist involved in the false Pizzagate story which claimed Hillary Clinton was part of a pedophile ring. In her latest message, Cronkin claims there is a sex tape of Clinton with an underage girl on the laptop of the former Congressman Anthony Weiner.
MagaPill has claimed that the singer Lady Gaga is a “spirit cooker”, participating in satanic rituals, and another recent post features a flow chart which combines “false flag terrorism,” “organ harvesting”, “child/human sacrifice”, “weaponized forced vaccination”, and “earthquake machines”.
Interesting 'Flow Chart' of #TheSwamp pic.twitter.com/5THoB7J5XV
— MAGA PILL 🏵️ (@MAGAPILL) November 18, 2017
Former High-Level Officials: “Scary If This is Our New Normal”
Trump’s latest attacks and exaltations drew a sharp response from former Government officials, including former Deputy Director of the CIA, John McLaughlin; former National Security Agency director Michael Hayden; and retired Rear Adm. John Kirby, who was the Pentagon’s spokesperson from 2015 to 2017.
If you favor CNN OR Fox and are not dismayed by this, you may now be numb and no longer capable of outrage. Scary if that’s our new normal. https://t.co/pvG71XvN6R
— john mclaughlin (@jmclaughlinSAIS) November 26, 2017
If this is who we are or who we are becoming, I have wasted 40 years of my life. Until now it was not possible for me to conceive of an American President capable of such an outrageous assault on truth, a free press or the first amendment.
— Gen Michael Hayden (@GenMhayden) November 26, 2017
With respect, sir, you are mistaken. I say this not only as a CNN employee, but as a former spox at Pentagon & State: CNNi is staffed by world-class journalists & crew who risk life & limb telling important stories from important places. Nothing fake about what they do. https://t.co/s4dYu1qh2L
— John Kirby (@johnfkirby63) November 25, 2017
