McCain, Merkel Criticize Trump Calling the Media ‘The Enemy’
- They lead responses to president’s tweets about ‘fake news’
- New ‘war of ideas’ under way, Democratic lawmaker Schiff says
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A free and at times adversarial press is essential “if you want to preserve democracy,” Republican Senator John McCain said in response to Donald Trump’s description of the media as the “enemy of the American people.”
The veteran lawmaker joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others in pushing back against the president’s latest criticism of the mainstream media. Trump’s “deeply concerning” comment seemed part of a “new war of ideas,” said Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.