During and since his campaign, Trump has urged his rabid followers to view the press with hatred and contempt. Reporters at his rallies feel endangered by his belligerence. Who can forget the time he tweeted a short video showing him (the bully) beating up an anonymous person labeled CNN? And his absurd claim that the free press is “the enemy of the people,” a phrase first used by Stalin to label those he planned to exterminate?

I’m not blaming him for the massacre of five journalists at the Capitol-Gazette in Annapolis. He does, however, have to take responsibility for the atmosphere his hatred for the press has generated. Words have consequences. I am accusing him of a direct assault on the First Amendment, which explicitly defends freedom of the press. If nothing else, he is guilty of incitement to attack the press.

Denis Smith writes movingly here about a recent visit to Annapolis, where people are still in shock about the murders. He includes some of Trump’s most incendiary personal attacks on journalists covering him.

Please read this article by Bill Becker, journalist and environmentalist, about the state of the free press, which has deteriorated since Trump took power.

“A democracy does not work without a well-informed citizenry with access to a free flow of information. Yet the United States ranks only 45th in the world in press freedom, according to this year’s evaluation by Reporters Without Borders (RWB). The 44 countries with better-informed citizens include not only Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, but also Estonia, Surinam, Ghana, Latvia, Cyprus Namibia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Romania.

“Why does the United States rank so low?

“U.S. press freedom…has been under increasing attack over the past few years,” RWB explained, “and the first year of President Donald J. Trump’s presidency has fostered further decline in journalists’ right to report. He has declared the press an ‘enemy of the American people’ in a series of verbal attacks toward journalists, attempted to block White House access to multiple media outlets, and routinely uses the term ‘fake news’ in retaliation for critical reporting. He has even called for revoking certain media outlets’ broadcasting licenses. The violent anti-press rhetoric from the highest level of the US government has been coupled with an increase in the number of press freedom violations at the local level as journalists run the risk of arrest for covering protests or simply attempting to ask public officials questions. Reporters have even been subject to physical assault while on the job.”

“We might not think that with its cute little bird logo, Twitter could be weaponized, but Trump uses it to punish anyone who dares to critique, correct or contradict him. He also uses it to intimidate the members of Congress who are supposed to keep a president from abusing his office. One Republican congressman known to dislike Trump reportedly holds back his criticism because “one tweet could kill me”. Kurt Bardella, a former congressional aid and spokesman for Breitbart, told Slate magazine, “I wish more than anyone that there would be more courage demonstrated by Republican members of Congress in speaking out against what I think they know is wrong. But they lack the fortitude to do so.”…

“If Trump’s rhetoric does indeed create an atmosphere that encourages mentally unbalanced individuals to do bad things, the most generous explanation is that he does not fully appreciate the power of a president’s words. The least generous explanation is that he understands that power well and use it with intentional recklessness to fire up his base. Either way, members of Congress should put on their big boy and big girl pants and as difficult as it will be, do what’s necessary to tone the president down. “

Sadly, it is not going to happen. Trump has sucked the spine out of the GOP. It is his party now. He owns it. They are his minions. Weak and willing. Spineless, gutless, heartless.