Rep. Stephen Lynch Says Media Has Treated President Trump Unfairly
BOSTON (CBS) – Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts said President Donald Trump's address to Congress was a "significant shift" from previous rhetoric coming from the White House, adding also that the president has been treated unfairly by the media in recent months.
"I think his words were a significant shift from his previous, sometimes inflammatory rhetoric. I thought he was much more conciliatory," Lynch told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Joe Mathieu. "He urged us at one part to get past the trivial differences and work together. That's not been his mode of operating, at least up until this point."
Despite the shift, Lynch said he remains "highly skeptical of (Trump's) rhetoric" during the address.
Specifically, Lynch said he does not understand how Trump plans to reduce taxes while also funding education, replacing Obamacare, building a wall on the Mexican border and increasing military spending.
Lynch also questioned Trump's continued claim that he will "drain the swamp," when the Congressman says the president has "actually filled the swamp" by continuing to hire Goldman Sachs executives to cabinet positions.
The Massachusetts Congressman said press coverage of the Trump administration has been unfair, adding that it negatively impacted the credibility of several media outlets during the campaign.
"I don't think he's been treated fairly in the media. I really don't," Lynch said. "I thought that one of the biggest casualties of this past election was the credibility of the media. I read probably six or seven newspapers a day, my staff sends me the clips, and there was just a steady drumbeat of attacks against Donald Trump.
"It seemed like some press outlets became completely unshackled from responsible journalism."
Following Trump's address to Congress, Lynch said the most important thing for the president to achieve is uniting the nation.
"We'll just have to wait and see if his actions are similar to the speech last night, or more akin to what we've seen thus far," Lynch said.