The President of the Republic criticized the new rules of the White House for the media and warned the risks that democracy faces.
The head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, criticized US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, for the rules of the White House for the media and warned to “slide from democracy for dictatorship.”
The President of the Republic spoke at the Press House in Lisbon at the opening session of a debate on the 1975 Press Law, published 50 years ago, which enshrined the ban on any form of censorship.
“Not knowing what dictatorship is, the risk of dictatorship is not understood and there is no risk of sliding ramps from democracies to dictatorships. To assist in democratic countries of the strongest to what is the slide of democracy by dictatorship, “he said.
And, referring to Donald Trump specifically, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa added: “When the president of the oldest and most reputed as strong democracy has just made known which journalists are authorized to put questions to him at the press conferences, at the downtown, everything is said“.
“It’s all said,” he repeated.
O Head of State criticized the new rules of the White House for the mediacommenting that “only missing that the chief executive of this country ask the questions” he himself, then “give the answers he wants to give.”
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, “from this moment, no one truly respecting ethical codes, feels good participating in a press conference, meeting with the power of a democracy, knowing that only him, not the others who They are in the room, they are allowed to ask questions. “
“Journalists become invisible. They may be there, but it is a present body figure. They are not“He considered.
“It’s hard to convince allies or ancient allies”
Yesterday, what was being “difficult to convince” the new US administration to participate in Ukraine’s “security effort” because it is not realized whether or not it is the NATO ally.
“We all want to be peace, but we want just peace, sustainable peace and understanding peace,” but the Portuguese head of state admitted that “it is difficult to convince the allies or former US allies, to participate in this effort to security”.
