While Trump has not been officially inaugurated but serious questions have arisen around “President Elect’s” mendacity. Many analysts worry whether this will turn out to be the United States shortest presidency on record. Ironical, as it may sound, but jokes have started in the corridors of power, that Mike Pence is getting his inauguration speech ready.
The release of the dossier papers by Buzzfeed – which they have stated again and again as being unverified and only released to the American people so that they can know what has been known to many officials for months now – have been viewed by close to 5 million times already.
President-elect Donald J. Trump trainwreck conference as it was described aptly by the UK paper, Guardian where he sparred with reporters and denounced the allegations contained in an unverified dossier — published by BuzzFeed News as “fake news” and “a pile of garbage”. He has as the Guardian put it ‘snowballed all the Clinton scandals into one shock and awe transition.’
Donald Trump’s own view of the conference was slightly different. He tweeted about what a great news conference he had.
We had a great News Conference at Trump Tower today. A couple of FAKE NEWS organizations were there but the people truly get what’s going on
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017
Criticism of US intelligence agencies
Not content with haranguing the media alone, he went on to lambast the American intelligence officials. When asked why he had been so critical of American intelligence officials he said that, “I think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the intelligence agencies let any information that turned out to be so false and fake out.” He softened slightly his criticism by saying, “But you know what, it could have been others also”.
Earlier, in a tweet, Mr. Trump linked the intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany.
Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to “leak” into the public. One last shot at me.Are we living in Nazi Germany?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017
He later tweeted that James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence had informed him that the report was ‘false’ and illegally circulated. It is not clear whether Clapper actually discussed the veracity of the report.
James Clapper called me yesterday to denounce the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated. Made up, phony facts.Too bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017
The President-elect has said he has requested the intelligence agencies to produce a major report on defense against hacking and to deliver this report 90 days after he takes office.
read more: Has Russian Czar handed America’s President Elect a poisoned apple to eat?
Threatening the media
He severely criticized the publication of unverified reports by Buzzfeed and CNN, that claimed Russia has scandalous information about his personal behavior and finances. He also denied the news that Russia preferred him over Hillary Clinton and that President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the election meddling to benefit him. He said BuzzFeed is “going to suffer the consequences. I think they already are.”
When CNN’s senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta tried to ask a question, Mr. Trump said, “Not you. Your organization is terrible.” He added, “I am not going to give you a question. You are fake news.”
CNN later said in a statement, “Given that members of Donald Trump’s transition team have so vocally criticized our reporting, we encourage them to identify, specifically, what they believe to be inaccurate.”
When asked about specific allegations concerning a Moscow hotel room, Mr. Trump said that he is very careful when he travels abroad and tells his bodyguards to be aware that there might be cameras in hotel rooms. He said such salacious allegations are unbelievable and went on to add: “I am also very much of a germaphobe.” But listeners were wondering why Trump has merely denied that such “evidences” are not possible due to his precautions; why he has not openly said that no such thing ever happened to him in Russia.
Trumps thoughts on Putin
President-elect Donald J. Trump said, “If Putin likes Donald Trump, guess what, folks: That is called an asset, not a liability.” He further added that it was positive since a strong relationship could let the two countries to work together on difficult international issues especially on ISIS.
Mr. Trump did not answer when asked if he or anyone on his campaign staff had had contacted Russia during the campaign. He said, when asked to give message for Vladimir Putin, “He shouldn’t be doing it. He won’t be doing it. Russia will have much greater respect for our country when I am leading it.” However after days of vigorously denying CIA reports, Trump had, one day ago, finally admitted the possibility that Russians might have done the hacking to influence the US Elections.
Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s lawyer,who has also been implicated in the dossier for his role, told the media that recent allegations were entirely false. This was apparently in the context of the rumors circulating that Russian Intelligence might have material that compromises Trump’s position. Cohen said, “It’s so ridiculous on so many levels. Clearly, the person who created this did so from their imagination or did so hoping that the liberal media would run with this fake story for whatever rationale they might have.”
Donald Trump has once again this morning tweeted – the day after the conference – against CNN.
.@CNN is in a total meltdown with their FAKE NEWS because their ratings are tanking since election and their credibility will soon be gone!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017
“Shock and Awe Strategy” was created by the Bush administration to deal with Saddam’s regime during the second Gulf war; it works for American power worldwide. US thunders and a world frightened by the rhetoric – irrespective of its merit or substance – is forced to stand up and listen. But that works because of a power differential; it has been the weak listening to the strong. Now its America vs America; and it is less clear whether the robust independent media fashioned in the American way can be suppressed in the same way. One thing is becoming clear that if US media and intelligentsia remained pitched against Trump, the way they are at the moment, his presidency will be anything but smooth.