Al-Sharq al-Awsat, London, January 13
American presidents have always had a hard time with the press. This was the case with President Bill Clinton, who was repeatedly accused by the media of conducting illegal business activity in his home state of Arkansas, as well as of his involvement with Monica Lewinsky. Like him, President Barack Obama faced repeated allegations about his alleged place of birth as well as his religion. And, today, President-elect Donald Trump is facing a similar barrage of attacks — mostly regarding his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and previous sex scandals that he has been involved with. The difference with Trump is that he does not seem wise enough to understand how the media works. He believes that his bellicose and belligerent manners will tame the media and reduce its negative coverage of him. But so far the opposite proved to be true: the more aggressive Trump is, the more negative his coverage becomes. Trump will have to navigate these stormy currents with the press. Like every other public figure, let alone the US President, he will be subjected to constant scrutiny and coverage. His advisors seem determined to maintain a hardline relationship with the press, in which Trump belittles journalists and delegitimizes entire news channels and newspapers. Therefore, we are in for a few rocky years. Trump’s years as president will likely see heated debates between the administration, the press, and civil society organizations. Eventually, one of them will give in. The question is who will win this battle. – Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed