According to RSF, “The Index, which evaluates the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories every year, shows that an intense climate of fear has been triggered—one that is prejudicial to a safe reporting environment. The hostility toward journalists expressed by political leaders in many countries has incited increasingly serious and frequent acts of violence that have fueled an unprecedented level of fear and danger for journalists.”Home of the a free press, the U.S. now ranks as the 48th safest country for reporters. We fell three places from last year, coming in just under Romania and just ahead of Senegal. Nations in the Western hemisphere that have better environments for journalists include Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Uruguay, Canada, Costa Rica and Jamaica. The amount of punchlines on that last sentence alone could take up an entire column.
Overall, the UE and Balkans took the finals with amazing ease. Twenty five nations in the European Union-Balkans placed among the top 40 press friendly nations. The Americas took just six spots in the top 40, and the United States was not a part of that group. Chile and then the U.S. are, however, among the top 50, coming in at 46 and 48 respectfully.

In the top 40, Africa placed 5 nations while the Asia-Pacific region added four nations. The United States fell three places in the rankings due to a variety of reasons, of which we are all aware if we pay attention. It doesn’t take a president telling a reporter to sit down or calling a reporter a loser, or yanking another’s press pass for us to get it.

“If the political debate slides surreptitiously or openly towards a civil war-style atmosphere, in which journalists are treated as scapegoats, then democracy is in great danger,” said RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire. “Halting this cycle of fear and intimidation is a matter of the utmost urgency for all people of good will who value the freedoms acquired in the course of history.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s response is zilch. He hasn’t responded to it. Nor has anyone in the administration—though Trump has continued his typical complaints about fake news, which is at the heart of the RSF report. Trump is a worldwide phenomenon; driving confidence in media lower, giving other despots a game plan for destroying the press and generally making life dangerous for reporters.

Predictably Trump refused has refused to attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year and banned White House staffers from attending it as well. One of the highlights of the Mueller report, the gift that keeps on giving, was the confirmation most reporters didn’t need: The Trump administration, particularly Sarah Huckabee Sanders, lie to us daily.

Normally this would end badly for a press secretary, but Sanders rebounded nicely from it when she hosted her first news briefing in 45 days—off camera, mostly off-the-record and with a room full of children who were at the White House for “Take your kids to work day.” Sanders is trying to work her way back to the adults by bouncing some of her more imaginative answers before smiling children while answering hard-hitting questions like “What’s the President’s favorite dinosaur?”

Hogan Gidley reportedly said, “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” after hearing the question while other members of the staff had a knee-jerk reaction: “Everyone knows the dinosaurs went extinct because they were Democrats.”

Lying is excused in the Trump White House as if it’s the act of breathing, so for Trump, it’s endearing that Sanders enrages the media. He doesn’t care why, as long he continues to get attention. Facts have never factored into Donald Trump’s rhetoric. Only the ability to protect himself in a Super Hero manner matters. In this, Donald Trump seems as if he’s either Venom in disguise or perhaps the real-life Joker.

It’s why he can appear on the South Lawn of the White House and claim with a straight face that’s he’s a young, vibrant man of 72 years old. The base sees it as a joke made by a joker, but those who spend any time near the president understand the appearance isn’t even close to reality. They’re being attacked by and with Venom.

You’d think if Trump were joking someone would write him better material. The truth is someone probably already has, but Trump won’t use it. He turns on, tunes in and drops out better than Timothy Leary and Trump doesn’t need the influence of any mind altering chemicals to sound like he’s taken massive amounts of them. His insults and invectives, if they amuse anyone, is fine with Trump. But he doesn’t care. At the end of the day the critics have one thing right about the guy: If he does anything to benefit others, it is only because it benefits him personally.

Trump remains one of the most consistently angry men I've ever met—though admittedly, we've only met under the glare of lights and television cameras where most people attempt to project their best public image. Through that prism even the president’s most benevolent actions reflect Michael Cohen’s conviction in his recent and almost forgotten Congressional testimony about Trump when he said the Donald was a man capable of kindness but wasn’t a kind man.

Friday morning, Trump in his element on the South Lawn responded to a question about the rising measles epidemic - in a disease that was supposedly eradicated. Trump endorsed vaccines. “So important,” Trump said evenly.

He didn’t say it with the vim and vigor of a “Lock Her Up!” chant, but the emphatic statement should be endorsed by a 100 percent of the people on the planet and is in fact still endorsed by a large number of human beings capable of rational thought and vocal skills. Still Trump’s statement will leave some of his voting Base who worship strange symbols panting like feral dogs out of breath.

For that crowd it is sacrilege, but they’ll ultimately let their guy slide. They always do. Trump doesn’t care. He’s still just protecting his own. Somewhere Kellyanne is smiling because she’s got a slight respite from her usual mental contortions: This is an easy sell. It could almost be a rallying cry—but no one in the GOP could ever shout “Vaccinate!” with the vigor they demand the jailing of the president’s defeated opposition.

Instead Trump faithful are ranting and raving about a non-existent border crisis manufactured by Trump after I asked him to provide facts he didn’t have to justify his border crisis. At the same time he’s playing to his captive crowd by deploying troops to the border and saying he’ll give them more power to pursue illegal immigrants. The Trump administration is once again showing it has no idea what the Posse Comitatus Act is and moreover Trump doesn’t care. In the current era the military is the new national domestic police force responsible to the whims of the executive branch. And if that doesn’t give you a reason for concern, then we can call you a Tory and toss you a powdered wig.

Thus the Trump administration proceeds in its normal fashion—ignoring laws, lying to the people and pursuing the press as we attempt to report on his misdeeds. The RSF report highlights all too well the troubling state of affairs in this country. What it doesn’t show and what all reporters know to be true is to some extent the president’s disinformation campaign has been successful.

There are people who are conned by Trump who believe the press is trying to con them. The media indeed has its problems that contribute to the appearance true believers say is a far-left conspiracy. But the true problems are not so simple and Trump is happy to attack the media with simple slogans and repeatedly - knowing too well how effective such persuasion can be to many people. Reality, again, doesn’t matter to Trump. The simpler the argument, the better.

“Make America Great Again.”

“No Collusion.”

“Lock Her Up!”

All of his slogans mean nothing. They don’t make sense. They don’t have to because Donald Trump knows if you have any sense then he can’t reach you or he’ll eventually lose you.
But the RSF report shows Trump can be and is effective on at least one front that has the potential of checking his lust for power: The Free Press.