Appearance in the Ministry of Justice: Trump: Critical reporting of large US media illegal

In an unusual speech in the US Justice Ministry, President Donald Trump described critical reporting of great American media about him as illegal. TV stations such as CNN or MSNBC, which reported “97.6 percent” negatively about him, were the political arm of the Democratic Party, Trump claimed during the appearance in Washington. “They are really corrupt and illegal. What they do is illegal,” said the Republican.

During the appearance in the judicial department, Trump calculated with his political opponents, announced that it would continue to clean up in the state apparatus and to harden in the country in criminal prosecution. Among other things, Trump would like to equip police authorities with a decommissioned military equipment. “I want them to look strong,” he said – and presented himself as a “Law and Order” president who will make the country safe again and, almost to free from a criminal downward spiral.

Trump’s speech was similar to a political campaign rally. Finally, the standard song of his campaign appearances was also played, the world-famous hit “YMCA”. This is an unusual framework for an appointment in the Ministry of Justice. Speeches of US presidents are generally rare there. Usually president keep some distance from the department in order to leave no doubt about the independence of the judiciary. It is even more unusual that Trump made such a speech -charged speech there.

Trump described himself as the “top law enforcement officer” in the country. However, this role does not have the president in the United States, but the respective Minister of Justice and Attorney General. Under Trump this is a woman: Pam Bondi, a confidante of the Republican. The description of his own role with a view to the judiciary suggests the same as its announcements on media reporting in view of the separation of powers common in a democratic constitutional state.

Trump’s campaign against media

“These broadcasters and newspapers really do not differ from highly paid political actors, and that has to stop,” complained Trump. They had coordinated critical reporting on him, he claimed. “It has to be illegal. It is influencing judges.”

In democracies, critical reporting on the government is protected by freedom of the press. In the United States, press freedom is anchored in the constitution.

For years, Trump has been working at public events, especially in campaign ranges, about journalists – mostly under great joins in his followers. He regularly described established media as the “enemies of the people”, accused reporters of spreading nothing but lies, and threatened to withdraw the license in the election campaign.

After taking office, Trump withdrew reporters from the US news agency AP access to the office and aircraft of the President. The reason: AP had refused to use the term “Golf of America” ​​introduced by Trump by decree for the Gulf of Mexico. The White House also broke up with a tradition of decades, by snatching the sovereignty of the occupation of the correspondent pool-a changing group of reporters that always accompanied the independent journalist association of the correspondents accredited in the White House.

At the same time, Trump gave numerous right -wing media, influencers, bloggers and podcasters access to the White House since he took office. The US government center describes this as “new media”. It is striking that her representatives Trump often ask benevolent questions at press conferences or serve as a keyword for his own explanations without critical.

His relationship with the judiciary

Trump also has a special relationship with the judiciary. Before the beginning of his second term, he was the first ex-president in US history in four criminal proceedings-and also convicted. The guilty verdict was about covering up a silence to a porn actress. Trump is the first convicted criminals in the highest state office in the United States.

The Republican always describes criminal prosecution against him as a politically motivated witch hunt, who had the goal of preventing him from reverting him in the White House. He also complained about this at his appearance in the Ministry of Justice. “You did everything in your power to prevent me from becoming President of the United States,” he said there. The previous government “transformed the Ministry of Justice into a ministry of injustice” and used it as a political weapon. But these times are over now.

The president grabbed coarse when addressing. Legalists who had investigated him described the allegations in one of the criminal proceedings against him as “bullshit”. He threatened to eliminate all “villains and corrupt forces” from the government and to hold them accountable for “outrageous crimes” and “serious misconduct”.

Controversial personal details and decisions

In his first few weeks in office, Trump had a number of employees of the Ministry of Justice fired, who were involved in investigations against him or otherwise were not on his line. He, on the other hand, gave several of his personal lawyers from criminal proceedings against him. One is now Vice-Justice Minister.

The FBI critic Kash Patel made Trump the director of the US Federal Police Agency, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice. The 45-year-old had blurred Trump opponents with persecution. The right podcaster Dan Bongino was appointed vice-fbi boss.

As one of his first official acts after the swearing -in, Trump also pardoned all criminals of the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021 – including violent perpetrators and prominent radicals of right -wing. Driven by Trump, they had personally tried to sabotage the democratic change of power at that time and subsequently to run Trump’s defeat in the presidential election in 2020.