Why Donald Trump's comments about the media are no laughing matter.

If there’s one thing we know for sure when it comes to President Trump, it’s that he is not a fan of the media.

In fact, he’s quite adversarial when it comes to press. Through his Twitter account @realDonaldTrump, the President of the United States has been taking aim at specific media outlets and encouraging his followers to call out “fake news”.

But do his constant accusations of “fake news” and his dressing down of the media mean a lot more than we think?Are they more than something that we can simply laugh off?

In a recent tweet, outspoken US Senator Bernie Sanders compared Trump's interactions with the media to totalitarianism.

In Trump's view people should ignore all the news except what comes directly from him. That is what totalitarianism is all about.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 18, 2017

He wrote: "In Trump's view people should ignore all the news except what comes directly from him. That is what totalitarianism is all about."

It's a sentiment echoed by former Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Mamamia Out Loud on why it’s time to stop shouting and start trying to understand the people we don’t agree with.

On a episode of NBC's Meet the Press, set to air on Sunday night, McCain said that attacks on the press are "how dictators get started."

“I hate the press. I hate you especially," McCain told NBC's Chuck Todd.

"But the fact is we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital. If you want to preserve – I'm very serious now – if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started.”

'That's how dictators get started': @SenJohnMcCain defends the free press in exclusive @MeetThePress interview pic.twitter.com/yUINj0plIU

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 18, 2017

McCain's comments were in response to a recent tweet from POTUS, declaring that the media is the “enemy of the American People.”

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

He wrote: "The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"

Within the last 24 hours, President Trump has tweeted again, telling people not to believe the mainstream media.

Don't believe the main stream (fake news) media.The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2017

"Don't believe the main stream (fake news) media.The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it," he tweeted.

This is not the first time President Trump has taken aim at the media on Twitter. Here are just a few of Trump's tweets from the month of February:

FAKE NEWS media, which makes up stories and "sources," is far more effective than the discredited Democrats - but they are fading fast!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 16, 2017

The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

Just leaving Florida. Big crowds of enthusiastic supporters lining the road that the FAKE NEWS media refuses to mention. Very dishonest!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2017

While on FAKE NEWS @CNN, Bernie Sanders was cut off for using the term fake news to describe the network. They said technical difficulties!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2017

The failing @nytimes does major FAKE NEWS China story saying "Mr.Xi has not spoken to Mr. Trump since Nov.14." We spoke at length yesterday!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2017

The failing @nytimes writes total fiction concerning me. They have gotten it wrong for two years, and now are making up stories & sources!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017

I call my own shots, largely based on an accumulation of data, and everyone knows it. Some FAKE NEWS media, in order to marginalize, lies!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017

Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election. Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017

Thank you to Prime Minister of Australia for telling the truth about our very civil conversation that FAKE NEWS media lied about. Very nice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2017

According to McCain, this is exactly how dictators begin their reign of terror.

"They get started by suppressing free press,” he said.

"In other words, a consolidation of power when you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history.”

Bras, Births and A Kinder, Post-Trump World on Mamamia Outloud. 

McCain withdrew his support of Trump in October after a tape was released in which Trump bragged about groping women. He is now calling for an investigation into Russian attempts to influence the presidential campaign.

The most dangerous 'enemy of the people' is presidential lying--always. Attacks on press by @realDonaldTrump more treacherous than Nixon's.

— Carl Bernstein (@carlbernstein) February 18, 2017