Donald Trump is baiting the press with his tweets — and the media is falling for it

The continued coverage of Trump’s tweets trashing the media — and the media dutifully passing along his criticism to the general public —  will only further erode the public’s tenuous trust of the press and their reporting.

And if the public doesn’t trust the press, reports on any possible Trump scandals in the future will fall on deaf ears, giving Trump more leeway to defy the democratic norms that have developed over 200 years of constitutional government.

By getting the country to distrust the press, Trump could be inoculating himself from facing backlash from real issues the press may report down the line. He could also be softening the blow if he chooses to freeze the press out of his White House. The media needs to stop taking Trump’s bait, or this cycle will only continue.