#  As Trump Gaslights Entire Nation About Package Bombs, This 'Will Go Down in History' as Clear Moment 'American Democracy Truly at Risk'

     Details    Jake Johnson   ![logo](https://www.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png)         October 25 2018      [  ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Oct-2018/086v.png)    ](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/16446-as-trump-gaslights-entire-nation-about-package-bombs-this-will-go-down-in-history-as-clear-moment-american-democracy-truly-at-risk)

  [LOS ANGELES](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles)   - [  Previous Article **A Propo$ition For Voting in the CA Election: Pay Attention to the Propo$ition$ … Follow the Money!** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16448:a-propo-ition-for-voting-in-the-ca-election-pay-attention-to-the-propo-ition-follow-the-money&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **Two Evils Facing Voters: The Dems and the GOP** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16443:two-evils-facing-voters-the-dems-and-the-gop&catid=312)

  ###### Typography

- [](# "Smaller Font")  ****Smaller** **Small** **Medium** **Big** **Bigger****  [](# "Bigger Font")
- [](# "Previous Font Style")  ****Default** **Helvetica** **Segoe** **Georgia** **Times****  [](# "Next Font Style")

- [ Reading Mode](# "Reading Mode")

> <a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
>
>  [Comments](#disqus_thread)

>
>
>
> PERSPECTIVE--Less than 12 hours after [praising himself for being on his best behavior](https://twitter.com/merica/status/1055420873241440257) as bombs were [found in the mail](https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/24/day-after-bomb-found-soros-home-potential-explosive-devices-sent-clinton-obama-and) of several targets of his incendiary and conspiratorial ravings—

 including Congresswomen Maxine Waters, *CNN*, former President Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—President Donald Trump cast aside his temporarily subdued facade Thursday morning and fired off a tweet blaming the media for the explosives sent to at least nine separate locations and warning that the press must "clean up its act, fast."

"This tweet will go down in history as one of the moments in which everyone should have understood that the American democracy truly is at risk," Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, [wrote](https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1055418844125257728) in response to Trump's latest attack on the press.

Political commentators and [members of the American press](https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/1055418696062173184) immediately recognized that—far from mitigating the "anger" that has "gotten so bad and hateful"—Trump's attempt to blame the media for pipe bombs being sent to the targets of his rhetoric could stoke further resentment and encourage even more violence against journalists.

"Trump is arguing that the media itself is responsible for the bombs that were sent to it because it dared to criticize Trump. In other words: if you continue to criticize Trump your life will be in danger," [noted](https://twitter.com/igorvolsky/status/1055426740930134016) Igor Volsky, director of the gun control advocacy group Guns Down America. "How is this not inviting further violence?"

Trump's tweet and the swift backlash came just hours after over 200 retired journalists signed an [open letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5019198-Former-ABC-News-staffers-letter-condemning.html) (pdf) condemning the president's continued attacks on the free press, highlighting as just one example his remarks last week praising Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) for body-slamming *Guardian* reporter Ben Jacobs.

"Trump's condoning of political violence is part of a sustained pattern of attack on a free press--which includes labeling any reportage he doesn't like as 'fake news' and barring reporters and news organizations whom he wishes to punish from press briefings and events," the former journalists wrote. "The president... is actively working not simply to undermine the press, but to incite violence against it as well."

*(Jake Johnson writes for Common Dreams where this perspective was first posted.)*

*-cw*

  - [  Previous Article **A Propo$ition For Voting in the CA Election: Pay Attention to the Propo$ition$ … Follow the Money!** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16448:a-propo-ition-for-voting-in-the-ca-election-pay-attention-to-the-propo-ition-follow-the-money&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **Two Evils Facing Voters: The Dems and the GOP** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16443:two-evils-facing-voters-the-dems-and-the-gop&catid=312)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>