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  • The Atlantic

    What Julian Assange and Donald Trump Have in Common

    They share enemies—and they use similarly nihilistic tactics toward similarly antidemocratic ends.
    by George Packer Jan 13, 2019 3 minutes
    Source: Frank Augstein / AP

    Editor’s Note: This article is one of 50 in a series about Trump's first two years as president.

    When a court filing in Virginia last November inadvertently revealed that Julian Assange faces unspecified criminal charges in the United States, Donald Trump had nothing to say. He’s had almost nothing to say about Assange since being elected president. But while running for president, Trump couldn’t stop talking about WikiLeaks.

    At the time, Assange’s organization video surfaced. Assange became a hero to the right-wing media, hailed as a brave oracle by Sean Hannity. Trump could hardly believe his good fortune. “WikiLeaks! I love WikiLeaks!” he shouted to a cheering crowd in Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsylvania, on October 10, 2016. By , Trump mentioned Assange’s organization at least 164 times in the last month of the campaign.

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