Leland Vittert on Trump's Risky Rhetoric Towards CNN and MSNBC

Trump's Political Strategy and Risks

• 🎯 President Trump is seen as "burning Washington to the ground" and delivering on his promises, but faces a huge danger from fair-minded Americans who believe "two wrongs don't make a right."
• 💡 Democrats are blamed for Trump's current successes by their past actions, such as indicting Trump and weaponizing the DOJ against political enemies.
• ⚖️ Trump supporters voted for him because they disliked the Democrats' use of the DOJ as a weapon, not necessarily because they liked Trump himself.

Trump's Comments on Media Outlets

• 🗣️ Trump has stated that CNN and MSNBC are "political arms of the Democrat Party," "corrupt," and "illegal," suggesting they should not be legal.
• ⚠️ This rhetoric carries a significant risk as many could interpret it as Trump wanting to prosecute media members who write things he dislikes.
• 🚩 Describing major news networks as illegal allows Democrats to play the victim and is seen as politically dangerous.

Impact on Fair-Minded Americans

• 📊 While some ardent Trump supporters might welcome investigations into CNN, the majority of fair-minded Americans who voted for Trump did so to end the weaponization of the DOJ, not to see it replicated.
• 📉 Trump's comments could alienate these voters and cause Democrats to "crumble" by staking out unpopular positions.
• ✅ The core message is that Trump's approach risks undermining the very fairness that attracted some voters to him.