Before he blacklisted members of the media and publicly declared the press to be “the opposition party,” Donald Trump stood at a podium in Manchester in 2014 and delivered a keynote address in honor of the First Amendment.
It was well before the billionaire had declared his candidacy for president, but there were many familiar themes in the speech he gave to audience members at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications’ First Amendment Awards – that year, honoring slain New Hampshire journalist James Foley.
“I think nobody really understands the freedom of the press a lot better than I do because of the fact that I believe in speaking my mind,” Trump said.
When it comes to President Trump’s current tone with members of the press, Foley’s mother Diane said she is giving him the benefit of the doubt.
“I like to think that he does recognize that there are outstanding journalists that truly are truth seekers . . . witnesses to events,” Diane Foley said in a recent interview. “I’m hopeful that he can come to see that there are good people in the media. I feel strongly that freedom of information and speech is vital to our democracy.”
Before the award was presented in 2014, Trump took a moment to speak to the family alone and wrote their foundation a check for $25,000. Diane Foley remembered Trump as kind and sympathetic.
“He was very supportive,” she said.
Though Trump slammed President Barack Obama as “incompetent” during his speech, he was far more gracious when speaking about First Amendment Award winner James Foley – a freelance journalist working to document the Syrian Civil War, who was abducted and killed by the terror group ISIS.
“Your son was far greater than I and far greater than I will ever be,” Trump told Diane and her husband John. “What James was doing at the risk and ultimate loss of his life was telling stories of innocent people caught up in terrible, terrible circumstances. He did this because he felt those stories needed to be told. And he was right.”
James Foley had done extensive reporting on the Syrian conflict before his abduction, and Diane Foley said Trump’s recent travel ban on countries including Syria would have saddened her son.
“Jim became incredibly devoted to many Syrians because they were so good to him,” she said. “Personally, I am saddened by it. I know so many good people from those countries myself.”
However, Diane Foley said she agrees with Trump that the United States’s vetting process needs to be beefed up, in addition to fighting homegrown terror.
“I applaud him to look at this issue,” she said.
Diane Foley said James W. Foley Legacy Foundation plans to work with the Trump administration as they did with the Obama administration, advocating to bring American hostages home and for independent journalists to work safely in conflict zones.
“I’m hopeful (Trump) will truly make the return of American hostages a priority,” she said. “I pray for him to be honest; he’s got a huge and incredibly difficult job. I want to be able to engage with him in a very positive way so Americans can come home.”
While Trump was complimentary of James Foley during his 2014 speech in Manchester, he also noted his complicated relationship with journalists – saying he had both friends and enemies in the press.
“As often as I’ve been praised for speaking my mind, I’m often vilified for the same thing,” he said. “My entire life has been based on freedom of speech. I say what I want to say.”
A year before Trump formally declared his candidacy for president, he was already honing his message – slamming President Obama and listing off the country’s failures.
“A few months back, I used the word ‘incompetent’ to describe the president,” he told the Manchester audience. “It’s a very strong word and I was met with a lot of anger and fury. Now, it’s a word that’s commonly used.”
Later, Trump said he had very little respect for Obama, “because I like winners.”
New Hampshire Union Leader publisher and president of the Loeb School Joe McQuaid said Trump was just the latest in a long line of speakers he thought would draw a large crowd.
“I’m constantly on the lookout for good speakers,” he said. “It’s the main fundraiser each year for the school.”
McQuaid likes to alternate between big personalities on both sides of the political spectrum, including former vice president Joe Biden, Sen. John McCain and conservative Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.
Having met Trump earlier at a Politics and Eggs event, McQuaid said he thought the billionaire would fit the bill.
“Trump is Trump and always has been and will be,” McQuaid said. “I thought he was a perfect speaker on the First Amendment because he is certainly a guy who uses the First Amendment every day, sometimes to extremes.”
Looking back, McQuaid said he suspects the billionaire already had bigger aspirations.
“I’m thinking, in retrospect, maybe he was already planning his run,” he said. “Hell, I’d be happy to have him come back again and explain himself.”
(Ella Nilsen can be reached at 369-3322, enilsen@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @ella_nilsen.)