The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

A Trump portrait that raises questions about the media’s role in his rise

Review by
President Donald Trump in April 2020. Arguing that Trump posed a unique threat to democracy, authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser include fresh anecdotes and quotes from his tumultuous presidency. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
8 min
correction

This review incorrectly said that the authors of “The Divider” held back revelations about Donald Trump before the 2020 election for publication later in their book. The text below has been corrected.

No president has ever been as obsessed with the media as Donald Trump. His top Twitter insult was “fake news,” which he never tired of directing at the “failing New York Times.” So consumed was he by his hatred of The Washington Post and its owner, Jeff Bezos, that he sought to deny Amazon federal contracts and access to the U.S. Postal Service. Trump tried for months to kill a merger that involved another detested media company, CNN, and even encouraged Rupert Murdoch to buy CNN’s parent company (at the fire-sale price his efforts had produced).

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