By Kenneth Tiven
Revenge and the systematic destruction of perceived enemies sit at the top of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda—and at the top of that enemies list is the American media. He warned the nation throughout his campaign: retribution was coming for companies and individuals who dared expose him during the previous eight years.
At the centre of this authoritarian revenge plan is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a dystopian creation led by unelected billionaire Elon Musk. What was sold as a crackdown on government waste and fraud has turned into a chaotic gutting of federal agencies by Musk’s cadre of tech loyalists—most with zero experience in governance, public administration, or even basic business consulting. With no coherent plans or understanding of their destructive impact, these operatives dismember programmes that millions depend on, both at home and abroad.
This deliberate dismantling of government institutions serves a larger goal: freeing up trillions for Trump’s promised $4 trillion tax cut, a gift to the wealthy elite. In short, this is what a 21st-century coup looks like in a democracy—waged not with guns, but with executive orders, regulatory rollbacks, and the weaponization of federal agencies.
Since retaking office, Trump has systematically purged military leadership, stacked his cabinet with loyalists who swear personal allegiance to him (regardless of their Constitutional oath), and set his sights on bringing the media to heel.
Trump won two US presidential elections despite fierce coverage of his felony convictions, erratic policies, and reckless pronouncements. But his fury over losing to Joe Biden—and the accompanying loss of Air Force One, unchecked expenses, and presidential power—has calcified into a single-minded obsession: revenge against any media outlet not subservient to him. The sole exceptions are Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News and a handful of ideologically aligned outlets, who serve as his propaganda arm.
This isn’t just about personal grievance. It’s a calculated acknowledgment that traditional media’s power is fading in the face of the internet’s dominance. The White House now bypasses mainstream outlets almost entirely, flooding email lists and social networks with messaging aimed directly at Trump’s base. The messaging is relentless—and often originates directly from Trump’s own ramblings, without consultation from advisors or agencies. One recent example: Trump floated a “Gold Card” visa scheme—offering a fast track to citizenship for any foreign investor willing to cough up $5 million—promising (as always) “details in two weeks.”
Meanwhile, the 20th-century giants—newspapers, network TV, and radio—are bleeding ad revenue. Targeted advertising fuelled by online data collection has hollowed out their business models. Radio, once a media mainstay, has been eclipsed by personalized, ad-free streaming on platforms like Spotify. Traditional outlets now face a stark choice: submit to Trump’s demands—or risk financial ruin and political marginalization.
The threat is not subtle. Trump’s team openly boasts about punishing unfriendly outlets. Consider Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, who spent years trying to placate Trump. In a stunning act of pre-emptive surrender during the 2024 campaign, Bezos intervened to block the Post from endorsing Kamala Harris. The paper lost over 2,50,000 digital subscribers—roughly 12% of its total base—and the reputational damage was incalculable. The message was clear: even the wealthiest owner in media wasn’t safe from Trump’s wrath.
The Post’s editorial page has since been neutered, with Bezos personally ordering that all opinion content must “focus on personal liberties and free markets”—effectively banning any critique of Trump or his policies. Opinion editor David Shipley, recruited with fanfare just two years earlier, resigned in protest.
Why would the world’s second-richest man cave so thoroughly? Speculation swirls around Amazon’s interest in acquiring a privatized US Postal Service—making Bezos desperate to stay in Trump’s good graces. Whatever the motivation, the effect is chilling: a once-proud paper, reduced to a hollowed-out shell, delivering sanitized content fit for an autocrat.
This campaign isn’t just about controlling the message—it’s about erasing the message entirely. One absurd but telling example: Trump unilaterally declared that the Gulf of Mexico would henceforth be called the Gulf of America. When the Associated Press refused to adopt the new name, Trump banned AP reporters from the White House briefing room and Air Force One press pool—a petty, vindictive move that sets a dangerous precedent.
In place of seasoned reporters, the briefing room is now dominated by right-wing outlets and pro-Trump influencers, handpicked to lob softball questions and amplify propaganda. Trump’s new press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, a combative novice, treats mainstream reporters with open hostility—her goal isn’t credibility, but dominance. Gone are the days of trusted, respected press secretaries like Pierre Salinger, Bill Moyers, or even Ron Ziegler. In their place, Leavitt embodies Trump’s war on media decorum.
The federal government can’t directly control newspapers or cable networks, but it can choke broadcasters through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This leverage isn’t lost on Comcast, parent company of NBC and MSNBC. The latter, long known for its centre-left opinion programming, has been bleeding viewers and quietly shedding staff—including the abrupt firing of long-time host Joy Reid. Minority journalists have borne the brunt of the cuts. Was this deliberate, or just the inevitable collateral damage of political appeasement?
History offers a grim parallel. In the Soviet Union, dissidents circulated banned works through an underground press network known as Samizdat. Today, something similar is emerging online, with platforms like Substack, Instagram, and WhatsApp becoming the 21st-century samizdat—the last refuge for unfiltered reporting and dissenting voices.
What we are witnessing isn’t just a battle over media bias or editorial independence. It’s the forced subjugation of a once-independent press, a systematic effort to ensure that only one version of reality reaches the American public: Trump’s.
—The writer has worked in senior positions at The Washington Post, NBC, ABC and CNN and also consults for several Indian channels