David Frum: Trump Attacking US Press While On Foreign Soil Empowers ‘Every Dictator Around The Planet’

While appearing on CNN’s Reliable Sources, The Atlantic senior editor and former Bush speechwriter David Frum had some strong words while describing President Donald Trump’s behavior at an impromptu press conference POTUS held as he departed the G7 summit early.

In case you missed it, Trump used the presser to directly attack American media outlets and past presidential administrations. While a president calling the press “fake news” while ridiculing his predecessors is obviously outside the norms anyway, the fact Trump did this while standing on foreign soil led to widespread criticism and outrage.

Host Brian Stelter asked Frum how unusual it was for the president to make fun of the press while abroad. The conservative writer didn’t pull any punched with his response.

“When the president does these things he empowers every thug, every dictator around the planet,” Frum sternly stated.

He went on to address Stelter’s question at the beginning of the show regarding “news fatigue” and how the majority of Americans feel worn out by the onslaught of news. Frum took the opportunity to point out that many things can cause fatigue but it doesn’t mean you don’t continue to do your job.

“If your child is feverishly ill, it can be very fatiguing to sit by her bedside and take care of her but it’s what you do,” he said. “That’s your duty and I think your responsibility and it’s also a source of satisfaction to you. if your country is ill, you have the same responsibility.”

Later on, Stelter noted that Frum had written a tough piece on Trump for The Atlantic in which he stated that the president was going to war against the democracies of the world. The CNN host wanted to know if it was appropriate for Frum to be so critical of POTUS as he heads into the North Korean summit.

“I don’t even understand that question,” Frum responded. “I had a chance to get inside the meeting a little bit and to tell people what had happened.”

He added that the White House is setting it up that if the North Korean meeting isn’t a success that “Trump can package” to the American people, it will be the fault of Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“I’ve written about this, people need to understand the difference between actual success that secures the security of the world and the peace of the world and what Trump is going to pass off,” Frum explained. “Which will actually be a tremendous — which is actually a series of concessions from the North Koreans that will make the United States less safe.”

Watch the clip above, via CNN.