Conservative political analyst Henry Olsen said on Monday that Republicans have long viewed the mainstream media as a political foe.
“This has been a longstanding trend in Republican politics,” Olsen, a senior fellow at the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group, told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
Olsen cited former NBC News reporter John Chancellor getting arrested on the floor of the 1964 Republican National Convention after he refused to make room for supporters of then-GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.
“In one sense this has been a long-held belief, on the other hand, what Republicans perceive as going on about Trump is unprecedented,” he continued.
“Of course you’re trying to rally the base, and politics is a lot about rallying against a common enemy, and for Republicans, the mainstream media is a common enemy,” he said.
Olsen’s comments come as President Trump and Republicans blast the media over what they claim is biased coverage.
Trump slammed the news media in a news conference on Monday, saying the press was an arm of the Democratic Party.
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 86 percent of Republicans said they believe news organizations favor one-side, while only 52 percent of Democrats said the same.
The poll also found that 82 percent of Democrats said they support the media role as a watchdog, while 58 percent of Republicans polled said they believe the press gets in the way of political leaders getting their job done.
— Julia Manchester
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