Donald Trump’s now-famous $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times. Beyond the pay-to-play implications, this move is another chapter in his ongoing war with the media. This lawsuit is the latest example of Trump’s attempted intimidation to silence any and all dissenting opinions and to recast the narrative of his presidency. Suit filed immediately after Channel 4 screened its controversial long-form documentary ‘Trump v the Truth’. In fact, this show painstakingly corrected more than 100 Trump falsehoods from his second stint in the Oval Office.
The production went from 10 PM until the sun came up between DJ sets. Its aim was to break down and explain a lot of the misleading or outright false statements Trump was making in his public addresses, interviews and tweets. Throughout his presidency, Trump averaged more than 20 false or misleading claims per day. He made outrageous claims about mail-in voting, immigration crises, and yes, even the origins of global wars.
In one of his many claims, Trump stated that the United States is the only country in the world that allows mail-in voting. But according to advocacy group Vote.org, it turns out over 30 other countries make this form of voting easy too. Trump would like you to believe that the majority of immigrants are violent killers. This assertion has come under scathing criticism for its manifest untruth. For his tendency to hyperbolize or misstate facts, he has been roundly criticized by deeper reporting done by the major media players.
Perhaps the most puzzling claim of all is Trump’s claim that he alone came up with the term “equalise.” This statement has been met with skepticism, as it is widely recognized as a standard term used in various contexts long before Trump’s presidency. More troubling is his repeated gross mischaracterization of international events. Perhaps most striking, he asserts that Ukraine started the war with Russia.
The foray “Trump v the Truth” featured Trump’s revelation that he would cut drug prices by 1400%. Experts universally rushed to call this claim far-fetched. One fact-checking analysis noted, “It is impossible to reduce a price by more than 100% because a 100% reduction means the price is free,” illustrating the absurdity of Trump’s claim.
Channel 4’s programming dedicated an entire day to examining Trump’s presidency, including segments such as “The Donald Trump Show,” which featured archived footage of Trump narrated with a satirical tone reminiscent of the show “Come Dine With Me.” This innovative approach combined Trump’s previous statements with side-splitting commentary. It allowed people to engage with political conversations in a more lighthearted and relatable manner.
In between these speeches, Trump was never one to pull punches when it came to discussing the subjects he hated. At 10:40 AM, he publicly shared his intense dislike for tossed salads while discussing his viewing habits regarding the series Frasier. Indeed, his comments are sadly emblematic of a much larger trend where personal stories increasingly replace meaningful political debate.
With every Trump indictment and court appearance, the press should rededicate themselves to being the nonpartisan watchdogs that call powerful public figures to account for boldfaced lies. The juxtaposition of Trump’s lawsuit against a backdrop of critical media analysis raises questions about freedom of speech and the role of journalism in a democratic society.