The Press and the Trump Administration

Six months into President Donald J. Trump’s second term, how is it going? This lecture will examine the array of actions that Trump has taken or promised to take, including lawsuits against news organizations such as ABC News and the Des Moines Register; the use of FCC regulatory and licensing authority to crack down on perceived enemies; subpoenaing of journalists; the use of social media channels to berate, harass and demean reporters; and the relative role of traditional news sources vs. alternative media like X and Truth Social. This talk is non-partisan; we will look analytically at the 47th president’s relationship with the press and examine the ways in which independent media have or have not responded.