Hitting out at former president Donald Trump ahead of the presidential elections, veteran newsman Dan Rather explained why he sees the GOP contender as a threat to democracy.
Taking to his social media handle X, Rather said that he "vehemently" opposes Trump, making it explicitly clear that “it is not about politics” as he had previously cast ballots for both Republicans and Democrats.
"It's about me, as a patriot, rejecting a cheating, lying, racist, treasonous, fascist, and vile man who attacks the free press, and wants to lead the country I love," he wrote, adding that "It's really that simple."
He went on to urge his 2.6 million followers that if “they think journalists should defend the country they love against Trump, please subscribe to my newsletter using the link in my bio.”
"If you can, please consider upgrading too. It allows me to keep my work free for those who cannot afford it, in a critical time. Thank you, Rather added.
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{{/usCountry}}Dan Rather's post gets mixed response
Rather's scorching post, which has gone viral on social media with over 54,000 likes, received mixed response from the netizens. While some users hailed him for targetting Trump, others called the veteran journalist a “clown and a "fraud”.
“I respect the hell out of you Dan,” one X user commented, agreeing with the 92-year-old.
"Perfectly said," a second user said.
“Trump doesn’t want to “lead” this country. He wants to run it into the ground for his own personal benefit,” another added.
Other users who didn't back Rather for his post wrote: “You're just an old man yelling at a cloud,” while one more said: “You're a clown on top of being a fraud.”
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This isn't the first time that Rather has blasted Trump. In 2021, he told The Daily Beast that he was further motivated to continue covering politics well into his eighth and ninth decades by Trump's electoral ascent.
Rather, the former CBS Evening News anchor, targetted Trump over widespread and unrelenting attacks on the press. The former US president “didn't just attack individual journalists or individual journalist institutions—it was a blanket indictment of the press,” he added.