In Donald Trump’s first term as president, he tried to get the mainstream media in line but largely failed. Yes, he ranted about the enemy of the people, insulted journalists and taught his followers to hate the press. But the guardrails mostly held and the spines of media owners stayed fairly stiff.
This time, his project to keep the media on a tight leash – and therefore control the message – is going much better. At least from the point of view of a would-be authoritarian.
