Trump Makes Indian Politicians Feel Better With His Washington Post Ban

Even for Donald Trump this is too much. The presumptive Republican presidential candidate has banned the Washington Post’s reporters from covering his campaign events.

In a country that prides itself on press freedom under First Amendment, the extreme reaction came after the influential newspaper reported a few comments Trump made on President Barack Obama and the mass shooting in Orlando city in Florida.

In comparison to Trump’s crude behaviour, Indian politicians look tolerable and sophisticated in their outbursts against media reports and journalists.

Trump decided to revoke the press credentials of the Washington Post based on the “incredibly inaccurate coverage” of the newspaper. His Facebook post said, “based on the incredibly inaccurate coverage and reporting of the record-setting Trump campaign, we are at this moment revoking the press credentials of the phoney and dishonest Washington Post.”

The article titled “Donald Trump suggests President Obama was involved with Orlando shooting”, was shown on their website throughout the day.

“We’re led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he’s got something else in mind,” Trump told Fox News on Monday, which was reported by The Washington Post.

“And the something else in mind - you know, people can’t believe it. People cannot, they cannot believe that Obama is acting the way he acts and can’t even mention the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ There’s something going on. It’s inconceivable. There’s something going on,” he said, according to the Washington Post.

Trump’s media allergy became sharper as he the climbed the nomination ladder. As such, this action had a prelude in his February pronouncement. At a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, Trump pledged if elected president , he will “open up our libel laws so when [newspapers] write purposely negative stories … we can sue them and make lots of money”.

This move, he said, would mean that “when the New York Times or the Washington Post writes a hit piece, we can sue them”.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post was gracious in its response. Its executive editor Marty Baron said “Trump’s decision to revoke The Washington Post’s press credentials is nothing less than a repudiation of the role of a free and independent press” and regretted that “when coverage doesn’t correspond to what the candidate wants it to be, then a news organisation is banished.”

The executive editor assured that his newspaper will continue to cover Trump “honourably, honestly, accurately, energetically, and unflinchingly” because the Washington Post is “proud of our coverage”.