Please don’t let me be misunderstood

THE EDITOR, Madam:

There’s no middle ground for President Donald Trump, who is either loved or loathed and, with mid-term Congressional elections looming, those feelings are intensified in all types of media in America and beyond. His popularity is at an all-time low, but the president is somewhat justified in disavowing pollsters after what happened when he was running against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

On November 8, 2016, the very morning of that crucial presidential election, the New York Times printed on its front page that Mrs Clinton had an 85 per cent certainty of being the first female American president. This publication has carried the motto ‘All The News That’s Fit To Print’ on its masthead since 1896 but, since 2016, President Trump has branded it as “Fake News”.

He’s not the first politician to use this sort of strategy; it dates back to a propaganda war between Octavian and Mark Antony campaigning for support to succeed Julius Caesar in ancient Rome. Fake News has been a constant since those early days, and has been used extensively by scheming medieval monarchs and popes. In the newly independent United States, Benjamin Franklin even created a fake issue of a Boston newspaper in 1782, stating that Native Americans were in league with the King of England. Only 90 years ago, Germany’s domestic press was taken over by the Nazi Party, with all foreign media constantly disparaged by propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels as Lugenpresse meaning “Lying Press” or Fake News.

Political polls have often been notoriously wrong in recent times in many countries but, if the present ones in the US are correct, then President Trump’s MAGA movement could take a serious hit, should Democrats gain control of both Houses of Congress in the very near future. That would make him the lamest of lame ducks if Democrats were able to seriously hamper his agenda, hold very embarrassing hearings, and probably opt for another impeachment, etc. As the days count down, the president is trying to avoid such a catastrophe by holding rallies to support Republican congressional candidates in several states. He always plays the upbeat 1978 song YMCA at all his rallies but, in the current political climate, maybe he should consider using another well-known song, the lyrics seem most suitable for his present predicament: ”I’m just a soul whose intentions are good; Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood”.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada