,
9 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
1. I have some thoughts on Trump's interview with Sean Hannity at the border tonight. mediamatters.org/blog/2019/01/1… 
2. First, this shines a light on how the entire shutdown is a response to -- and a performance for -- the nation’s Hannitys.
3. Remember how the shutdown started. WH signaled they wouldn't require wall $ to fund government, Fox and company urged him to reconsider and said he was risking his base, he panicked in response and shut it down.
4. This is a *political* emergency for Trump, in which he's been fixated on communicating with and retaining the support of his base.
5. He’s spent the shutdown live-tweeting Fox,, seeking strategic advice from Hannity and Dobbs, giving an Oval Office speech in which he ripped talking points from their programs, and lashing out at the press for purportedly allying with the Democrats against him.
6. The Fox-Trump feedback loop is thus playing a crucial role in ensuring Trump’s shutdown continues. His closest media allies keep telling him he’s doing the right thing, so he keeps doing it.
7. Separate from all of this, the interview underscores how Fox has abandoned all pretense that it operates as a news organization rather than a presidential propaganda tool. Two months ago Hannity was speaking at a Trump rally. Tonight he's interviewing him! Fox lets it happen.
8. Interestingly, few people seem to be making that point, which I think suggests that we're all on the same page now: Fox has no ethical standards whatsoever that it is willing to enforce for its top-rated hosts.
9. There are no standards for Sean Hannity at Fox. The network lets him do what he wants, and he wants to do whatever Trump wants. What the president wants now is a risk-free interview to push his agenda, so that is what he’ll get. mediamatters.org/blog/2019/01/1… -30-
