Republican Senator John McCain has stoked controversy over his criticism of President Donald Trump’s hostile handling of the media, warning “That’s how dictators get started.”
“I hate the press,” the Arizona senator told presenter Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press. “But the fact is we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital."
“If you want to preserve democracy as we known it, you have to have a free, and at times adversarial free press,” he added. "And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started."
Todd asked McCain whether dictators get started by sending tweets like the ones Trump sends attacking the press. “No, they get started by suppressing the press,” he replied.
“The first thing dictators do is shut down the press,” McCain explained. “I’m not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator, I’m just saying we need to learn the lessons of history.”
McCain’s comments have ignited a twitterstorm as people from both sides of the debate took to social media to both attack and defend McCain.
McCain’s statements have caused a lot of anger online. Many people felt the senator was not in a position to criticize, given his support for Trump in the presidential election.
To many, McCain’s statements rang true, as people agreed that attacking the press is a typical move employed by dictators.