Answering Trump, McCain warns a free press is vital to democracy
Muzzling journalists is 'how dictators get started,' says one-time Republican presidential candidate, as Trump slams media
US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Senator John McCain speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 15, 2016. (AP/Susan Walsh, File)
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain said a free press is vital “to preserve democracy as we know it.” And he cautioned about efforts to muzzle a free press, saying “that’s how dictators get started.”
The Arizona senator was asked in an interview for NBC’s “Meet the Press” how he felt about President Donald Trump’s tweet criticizing “the fake news media” that said “it is the enemy of the American people.”
McCain told “Meet the Press,” “The fact is we need you.”
He added: “When you look at history, the first thing dictators do is shut down the press.”
McCain said he isn’t saying Trump is trying to be a dictator but “we need to learn the lessons of history.”