Right-Wing Media Shouldn't Be Surprised At Trump's Escalating Issues With The Press

A History Of The Trump Campaign's Battle With The Fourth Estate

An alleged March 8 incident involving GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump's campaign manager and a reporter is the latest salvo in an increasingly aggressive -- and now violent -- battle between Trump's campaign and the press.

On March 9, Politico reported that Michelle Fields, a Breitbart News reporter, was “forcibly grabbed on her arm” by Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, which nearly caused her to fall to the ground. After Lewandowski denied the events and called Fields an “attention seeker,” Politico released audio supporting “the reporter's version of the events.” Dismissing the evidence, which also includes photos of bruising on Fields' arm, Trump doubled down against the reporter, claiming that “nobody saw anything” and suggesting that “perhaps she made the story up.”

Many right-wing media figures expressed shock at the events and heavily criticized the Trump campaign. The Blaze's Dana Loesch tweeted that if conservative media “don't call this what it is,” they are “treading dangerous new ground.” Breitbart News' Ben Shapiro asked, “Since when is it okay for campaign managers to assault journalists? What the hell is wrong with these people?” Fox's Katie Pavlich also responded on Twitter: “Press being able to work freely is a crucial America value. The man running for President, Trump, & his campaign manager don't believe in it.”

The Fields incident is just the latest in what has become a pattern by the Trump campaign, which has battled the press for months. For a candidate who has said the Constitution is “set in stone” and whose son has referred to him as a “great Constitutionalist,” here's a look back at Trump's ironic history of attacking the First Amendment and the reporters who use it to do their jobs:

June 30: Donald Trump sued Univision for $500 million for dropping its coverage of his Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants following Trump's disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants.

July 27: Trump's attorney Michael Cohen threatened a Daily Beast reporter: “So I'm warning you, tread very fucking lightly, because what I'm going to do to you is going to be fucking disgusting. You understand me?”

August 7: Trump said Megyn Kelly has “blood coming out of her wherever” after being unhappy with her debate question pressing him on sexist comments.

August 25: Trump booted Univision anchor Jorge Ramos out of a news conference after he asked about Trump's controversial immigration proposals.

September 23: Trump tweeted that he would boycott Fox News for “treating me very unfairly.”

October 15: Trump threatened to not participate in the CNBC Republican debate if the network did not limit the timing to two hours and give the candidates opening and closing statements.

October 16: CNBC gave in to demands on length and opening statements for its Republican debate.

November: The Daily Beast's Olivia Nuzzi was blacklisted from Trump events and “kicked off the press email list.”

November 18: CNN's Noah Gray tweeted a video showing Corey Lewandowski threatening to “pull [press] credentials” if reporters left the press pen.

November 24: NBC's Katy Tur tweeted that media being confined to “the pen” is “official policy that the secret service is enforcing.”

November 24: Trump mocked New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski's disability after Kovaleski expressed doubts about Trump's claim that thousands of Muslims cheered in New Jersey during the 9/11 attacks.

December 7: Trump pointed out NBC journalist Katy Tur in front of a South Carolina rally crowd, which booed, and he called her a “third-rate journalist.”

December 8: Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for “running his country” and being “a leader” when pressed about Putin's alleged killing of critical journalists.

January 26: Trump dropped out of the second Fox Republican primary debate due to Megyn Kelly's presence as a moderator.

January 28: Mother Jones' Pema Levy penned a piece on being banned from a Trump rally along with other journalists.

February 26: Trump promised to sue the media for negative stories about him if he's elected president.

February 29: Time magazine photographer Chris Morris was choked by a Secret Service agent at a Trump rally in Virginia.

March 8: Breitbart's Michelle Fields was allegedly forcibly grabbed by campaign manager Lewandowski.