Trump Calls Out Media Bias, CNN & MSNBC Fear Orwellian Dictatorship

July 25th, 2018 1:13 PM

Over an 18-hour period spanning two days, anchors on MSNBC and CNN all read from the same script as they warned viewers that President Trump’s typical criticism of the liberal media during a Tuesday address was akin to the authoritarian regime described in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984.

 

 

After the president spoke to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Tuesday afternoon, the left immediately zeroed in on a single sentence in which Trump denounced the “fake news” media and declared: “This country is doing better than it’s ever done before economically, but it’s all working out. And just remember, what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.”

During his 6:00 p.m. ET hour show that evening, MSNBC anchor Ari Melber began parroting the liberal talking point that Trump’s remarks were something out of 1984:

Now Donald Trump not only polarizes people’s feelings, he polarizes the very perception of reality out there and he knows it....While many politicians, of course, cherry pick information, Trump’s blatant request that people ignore their own eyes could literally be ripped from George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel 1984, which casts partisan censorship of truth as, “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.”

In the 8:00 a.m. ET hour, his colleague Chris Hayes reiterated: “‘Do not believe what you see or read’ echoes a line from George Orwell’s 1984. ‘The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.’”

During the same hour on CNN, anchor Anderson Cooper was reciting the identical smear:

David, for a President of the United States to tell people to stop believing what they see or what they read, I mean it’s what dictators, it’s what authoritarian rulers say. I mean, it’s kind of unbelievable in the truest sense of the word. It reminds me of there was a quote from Orwell in 1984, said, “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” It certainly sounds a lot like what the president is saying.

Back on MSNBC, in the 11:00 p.m. ET hour, host Brian Williams – an expert at rejecting reality – snidely touted: “That was President Trump again today with those comments that reminded some folks of Orwell’s 1984, sales of which have spiked since Inauguration Day.” He then teed up ex-Republican Steve Schmidt launching into one of his predictable anti-Trump tirades hours earlier:

When you’re able to convince somebody what is certainly true is not, when you can embrace the big lie with the same type of effectiveness that fascist movements used it, that Hitler used it, that Mussolini used it, that Soviets used it, then you are well on your way to doing grave and lasting damage to the fundamental institutional pillars of a democratic republic like the United States.

As the sun rose on Wednesday, Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist kept up the narrative: “Another moment from that event yesterday in Kansas City. There were plenty of posts on Twitter yesterday linking something President Trump said with George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984.”

In the 9:00 a.m. ET hour, anchor Stephanie Ruhle fretted: “I mean, it’s fair to say that people are very hard on the president, but how dangerous is his rhetoric? I mean, it’s as though it was straight out of the book 1984.” Former Obama White House aide Ned Price eagerly agreed: “Well, that’s exactly the issue, Stephanie. You know, there’s a concept in 1984 called the Memory Hole, where the ruling party, they try and re-create history and try and create it in their own image. And that is precisely what we have seen.”

During the 10:00 a.m. ET hour on CNN Newsroom, Senior Political Analyst John Avlon worried:

And that kind of rhetoric from a president is jarring, even from this president, who I think has had such a litany of lies that he’s devalued the idea of truth or at least the expectation that a president would tell the truth. Because that language he used really closely mirrors language from frankly George Orwell’s 1984, where the party’s line is, “Don’t believe what you see and hear.”

In the 11:00 a.m. ET hour, CNN anchor Ana Cabrera proclaimed: “Critics are comparing that to a line from George Orwell’s novel 1984 about a nightmarish authoritarian state. ‘The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.’” Turning to the cable channel’s political director, David Chalian, she wondered if that was “a fair comparison?” Chalian replied: “Well, fair or not, I think it’s a pretty obvious comparison.”

Talk about toeing the party line, even Big Brother would be impressed by their message discipline.

Here are excerpts of the round’ the clock MSNBC and CNN coverage on July 24 and 25:

The Beat With Ari Melber
07/24/18
06:40 PM

(...)

ARI MELBER: Now Donald Trump not only polarizes people’s feelings, he polarizes the very perception of reality out there and he knows it. Consider Trump today in Kansas City, warning people if they don’t see the economy improving with their own eyes it’s because what they see is not real.

DONALD TRUMP: This country is doing better than it’s ever done before economically, but it's all working out. And just remember, what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.

MELBER: While many politicians, of course, cherry pick information, Trump’s blatant request that people ignore their own eyes could literally be ripped from George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel 1984, which casts partisan censorship of truth as, “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.”

(...)


All in With Chris Hayes
07/24/18
8:01 PM

(...)

CHRIS HAYES: “Do not believe what you see or read” echoes a line from George Orwell’s 1984. “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

(...)


Anderson Cooper 360
07/24/18
8:34 PM

(...)

ANDERSON COOPER: David, for a President of the United States to tell people to stop believing what they see or what they read, I mean it’s what dictators, it’s what authoritarian rulers say. I mean, it’s kind of unbelievable in the truest sense of the word. It reminds me of there was a quote from Orwell in 1984, said, “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” It certainly sounds a lot like what the president is saying.

DAVID GERGEN [CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST]: I’m afraid you’re right, Anderson. A healthy democracy depends heavily upon a robust debate with different points of view being freely expressed. That’s the whole essence of the First Amendment. And the president, for a while now, but more relentlessly and wholly, is trying to suppress the voices of democracy, suppress the voices of the press, you know, denigrate the press. “You can’t believe what you hear or see, only believe me. Stick with us.”

(...)


The 11th Hour With Brian Williams
07/24/18
11:40 PM

(...)

BRIAN WILLIAMS: That was President Trump again today with those comments that reminded some folks of Orwell’s 1984, sales of which have spiked since Inauguration Day. Here’s how former long-time Republican political strategist Steve Schmidt reacted to those words earlier today on this network.

STEVE SCHMIDT: When you’re able to convince somebody what is certainly true is not, when you can embrace the big lie with the same type of effectiveness that fascist movements used it, that Hitler used it, that Mussolini used it, that Soviets used it, then you are well on your way to doing grave and lasting damage to the fundamental institutional pillars of a democratic republic like the United States.

(...)
    

Morning Joe
07/25/18
7:53 AM

(...)

WILLIE GEIST: Another moment from that event yesterday in Kansas City. There were plenty of posts on Twitter yesterday linking something President Trump said with George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. In the words of the president, “Just remember, what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.”

(...)


MSNBC Live With Stephanie Ruhle
07/25/18
9:49 AM

(...)

STEPHANIE RUHLE: Walk us through this. I mean, it’s fair to say that people are very hard on the president, but how dangerous is his rhetoric? I mean, it’s as though it was straight out of the book 1984. If you say, “Don’t believe what you’re seeing,” you could watch the president in that press conference with Putin unedited, and he created that disaster all on his own. What is he doing here? And the people in that audience are actually people who love and support him.

NED PRICE [FMR. SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT OBAMA]: Well, that’s exactly the issue, Stephanie. You know, there’s a concept in 1984 called the memory hole, where the ruling party, they try and re-create history and try and create it in their own image. And that is precisely what we have seen.

(...)


CNN Newsroom With Poppy Harlow
07/25/18
10:19 AM

(...)

POPPY HARLOW: John Avlon, so I mean he’s saying – and this is before he even knew the tape was out there because that his team found out about 6:00 p.m. yesterday, it aired here at 9:00 p.m. Eastern – but he says don’t believe it, don’t believe anything that you’re seeing or reading.

JOHN AVLON [CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST]: And it makes you wonder if that’s almost a kind of prevent defense. Because essentially what his team is saying about the tapes that were released last night on Cuomo Prime are, “Don’t believe your lyin’ eyes or ears, listen to me.” And that kind of rhetoric from a president is jarring, even from this president, who I think has had such a litany of lies that he’s devalued the idea of truth or at least the expectation that a president would tell the truth. Because that language he used really closely mirrors language from frankly George Orwell’s 1984, where the party’s line is, “Don’t believe what you see and hear.”

(...)


At This Hour With Kate Bolduan
07/25/18
11:37 AM

(...)

ANA CABRERA: Critics are comparing that to a line from George Orwell’s novel 1984 about a nightmarish authoritarian state. “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” Joining me now is CNN Political Director David Chalian. David, is that a fair comparison?

DAVID CHALIAN: Well, fair or not, I think it’s a pretty obvious comparison. It is a startling thing, I think, for anyone to hear a president of the United States tell Americans, “Don’t believe what you’re seeing, don't believe what you’re hearing.” That is not the stuff of what most American presidents or any American president has said. And this president’s been on a mission, as you know, to sort of chip away at the institution of the free press, which is fundamental to our democracy, Ana.

(...)