Any president that did not sway public opinion using media would not be doing their job. Manipulation of the media is a basic tool for anyone in politics, including the good guys.
"Any president that did not sway public opinion using media would not be doing their job"
Right. Lying to get your point across
"Media is a tool."
The only tools are the people that believe the lies of our politicians...which seems to be a vast majority of the US population.
"including the good guys"
The problem is that people don't respond to good things. To win, you need to smear your opponent and destroy all credibility. Anybody who does this isn't a "good guy", which leads only to one conclusion..
Media is a tool.