As immigration ban hits, Trump tweets anger at NY Times
Commentary: The president isn't using Twitter to explain his ban on refugees and immigrants. He has other things on his mind.
Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.
Raw anger.
As the son of refugees, the president's ban on Syrians and even green-card holders from certain Arab countries strikes me as the most important issue of the day.
The day after announcing the move, however, there were other things on Donald Trump's mind. At least if you believe that Twitter is the main unfiltered transmitter of what is on his mind.
It seems that the plight of those who might have lived and worked in the US for years and now can't return took (at least) second place to, well, how Donald Trump is being treated by the media.
In three Saturday morning tweets, the president focused on one of his favorite media targets.
"The failing @nytimes has been wrong about me from the very beginning. Said I would lose the primaries, then the general election. FAKE NEWS!," he began.
He continued: "Thr [sic] coverage about me in the @nytimes and the @washingtonpost gas [sic] been so false and angry that the times actually apologized to its dwindling subscribers and readers.They got me wrong right from the beginning and still have not changed course, and never will. DISHONEST."
Some might see this, indeed, as gas. Many of Trump's tweets are designed to foment emotions in his base, rather than offer fodder for discourse.
His need to constantly target the media -- well, certain media -- is born, perhaps, of a need for his base to never believe what any so-called liberal news organizations says.
The Washington Post declined comment. The New York Times didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Times did, however, offer a tweeted riposte: ".@realDonaldTrump Fact check: @nytimes subscribers & audience at all-time highs. Supporting independent journalism matters."
As for the notion that the Times apologized to its readers, this likely refers to a post-election letter to readers in which the Times promised to "rededicate" itself to good journalism. Some took this as an apology for the paper getting it wrong.
Amateur psychologists might wonder whether accusing the Times and Post of being angry barely masks a president who is angry at the Times and the Post. One source of his anger might be that Times columnist David Brooks offered a Saturday column describing Trump's way of doing things as "The Politics of Cowardice."
Indeed, on Sunday morning, Trump still wasn't done with the Times.
"Somebody with aptitude and conviction should buy the FAKE NEWS and failing @nytimesand either run it correctly or let it fold with dignity!" he tweeted.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the hastag #RefugeesDetained enjoyed lively activity, as the ACLU promised it would see Trump in court and indeed, achieved a stay on some parts of the immigration order.
Trump sent his tweets from an Android phone, one that surely had many brains of refugees and their children go into its conception.
Another Saturday morning Trump tweet was a touch milder and more positive in tone: "Today, we remember the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, 31 years later. #NeverForget."
This tweet was sent from an iPhone. It's long been believed that the tweets Trump himself writes come from an Android phone, while the ones his staff write -- often more pleasant in tone -- come from an iPhone.
Never forget that the iPhone came from the son of Syrian refugees. His name was Steve Jobs.