Opinion: Of course the media react to Trump’s tweets — he’s the president

To the editor: Jonah Goldberg tries to draw an equivalence between President Trump’s ego-driven tweets and the media’s response to them. Goldberg claims, “The media rival the president in self-absorption and self-regard.” (“There’s a word for Trump’s relationship with the media: Co-dependence,” Opinion, July 3)

But the media have little choice but to respond to Trump. He’s the president, not the ordinary playground bully whose taunts your mother told you to ignore.

But then again, baiting liberals (which Goldberg, like Trump, no doubt considers most of the media to be) is something Goldberg has made a career of. So although his claim — that Trump’s tweets and the media’s reaction are basically two sides of the same coin — is nonsense, it’s not a surprise.

But hey, that’s what passes for journalism these days.

David Saffan, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: Goldberg reminds us that Trump is the president so he can decide what is “presidential,” as in his recent tweet, “My use of social media is not Presidential — it’s MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL.”

The president is frequently called out for his now-obvious lack of basic elementary knowledge of history of the nation he has promised to make “great again.” Equally disturbing is his almost unintelligible use of the English language.

Whether in his “Modern Presidential” tweets, his infrequent confrontations with the press or his self-absorbed performance before devoted supporters, this president’s limited vocabulary advances a steady degradation of our language.

In George Orwell’s “1984,” the ruling Party found beauty in its “destruction of words.” The Party’s official “Newspeak Dictionary” grew smaller every year as prescribed; with that, a narrower range of thought took hold.

Stanley L. Samuels, Mission Viejo

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