The only reason you know about this is because there is a free press. IOW not totalitarian

We have a free press that has (largely) chosen to permit itself to be manipulated by an administration that uses social media dishonestly.

There are many steps towards totalitarianism. Since you mentioned the Sopranos line (and very inappropriately), I'll use a better one. CancerMan at the end of X-Files season five, who replies to one of his associates that it's all just a game, by saying, "Of course it's a game. You just take their pieces one by one until the board is clear"

And speaking of inappropriate, the WASP line is over the top.