Trump Declares War on Knowledge

 

Donald Trump has declared war on knowledge.

Two institutions crucial to any democracy are a free press and education. Both are targeted by Donald Trump for demolition. And both will certainly succumb to his heavy hand, giving up their rights, if they do not each unite with others in their fraternities.

No society can remain democratic and free without a free press. When authoritarians take power, their first act is to control the media. From Lenin sending in Bolsheviks with bayonets to seize control of Russia’s radio stations, to Mussolini shutting down Italy’s newspapers, to Donald Trump who had attempted to cripple the Free Press during his first term by discrediting the media as “fake news” and casting himself as the only person the public could trust for their information. Now in his second term, he’s going for the jugular. He is attacking on multiple flanks: intimidation with billion-dollar lawsuits; threats to jail journalists and producers; threats to scuttle media business ventures; threats to remove their licenses to operate.

He tested the waters with ABC, filing a multi-million dollar lawsuit against ABC, with ABC backing down and settling for $15 Million hoping it would send a sign of cooperation to Trump. Trump liked the flavor of that, and now he is pulling lawsuits out of his holster like a villainous  gunslinger. CBS - a $10 Billion lawsuit. The Post - $3.8 Billion. The Des Moines Register is being sued for simply publishing their poll in 2024 showing that Trump was losing.

The ABC domino effect is causing media executives to make decisions that are not in the best interest of the press nor, as will be the ultimate consequence, American democracy.

CBS is pulling back on their coverage and potential criticism of the Trump administration. The controlling shareholder of their parent company Paramount Global, Shari Redstone, is nervous that Trump will use his influence to scuttle her sale to Skydance Studios which requires FCC approval. The resulting message to the news department to take off their journalistic gloves and put on mittens has resulted in the longtime producer of 60 Minutes to resign.

Paramount and CBS should not join ABC in the bunker. The American press must hold hands, unite and refuse to allow none of Trump’s threats to dictate their reporting of events. America already suffers from Right Wing propaganda networks such as Fox News and Newsmax masquerading as news agencies polluting their audiences’ minds with false information, but for the legitimate press to possibly not share the full story of events will deny the public all the facts they need to help them fully understand what is happening in our country. Incomplete news is as bad as fake news.

Equal in necessity for democracy to thrive is education. Like the press, authoritarians lunge at public schools and higher education to mold them into their likeness; to discipline them into following the teachings of the authoritarian government. Like authoritarians before him, Trump has targeted our schools – from supporting the banning of books in public schools and abolishing the Department of the Education, to dictating specific doctrine that universities must incorporate.

“I love the uneducated,” Trump once smiled. And he means it.

In this battle, Columbia University stepped into the shoes of ABC. The private university was told to adopt nine new policies which included restrictions on departments that address Middle Eastern, South Asian and African studies; abolish the University Judicial Board transferring their authority to punish students to one individual; immediate expulsion or multi-year suspension of any student who participated in Anti-Israeli demonstrations; allow greater police authority to arrest future demonstrators; and changing their admissions procedures. If Columbia fails to implement these policy changes, Trump will order the termination of $40 Million in federal funding for research.

Columbia caved. But like in a “B” Western, when the local population first fails to stand up to the greed of the guys dressed in black, a hero rides into town and motivates the townsfolk to stand up to the bad guys. Harvard rode in on their white horse.

Harvard refuses to fall prey to extortion. They said no. Harvard standing tall inspired other universities to circle their wagons.  Hundreds of colleges signed a letter informing Trump that they will not give in to his authoritarian demands and they stand united. Trump responded to Harvard by freezing $2 Billion in funding. That money, said Harvard, goes to researching treatment for cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and other diseases.  That money, said the Trump administration, “is a gravy train.”

If we don’t all unite and become active, not only joining the press and educational institutions but uniting as one to denounce the entire laundry list of Trump’s unconstitutional actions, our silence and apathy will in essence have held the door open for an autocracy with Ronald Reagan’s shining light on the hill having gone dim.