Commentary
I know of no president who has been the target of the leftist media so fiercely and unfairly over such an extended period of time than President Trump.
It began in June 2015 when he announced his 2016 candidacy for president following an escalator ride down in New York’s Trump Tower.
Slate Magazine referred to the ride as an “absurd visual message,” the Tower as an “ugly fortress,” the escalator as a “ridiculous form of transport,” and referred to the whole scene as “amateurish,” while describing Trump riding on the moving stairway, behind a stony, sleeveless Melania.”
The Associated Press wrote about “the over-the-top staging.” Having a successful show in The Apprentice, Trump knew something about showmanship, and he enjoyed seeing the press scramble. He still occasionally refers to coming down the escalator.
His First Two Years
The media was critical of everything he said or did, especially his Make America Great Again phrase. Believing the media wasn’t giving him credit for having done more than virtually any other administration in its first two years, he began referring to “fake news” by the “enemy of the people.” Of course, that made the media more antagonistic, but it didn’t bother the president because he knew that the public didn’t trust the media. He rejected calls to tone down his rhetoric.
CNN noted that “while he is a novice politician, Trump is by no means a novice at politics.
“The concept of an outsider or a business person or a media personality winning the presidency is no longer a fantasy,” – Matt Schlapp, American Conservative Union
Later
The media didn’t buy his assertion that the 2020 election was rigged even though there were scattered voting discrepancies, judges were unsympathetic.
The Attempt Block Him in 2024
Despite the denial of the Biden White House, Attorney General Garland weaponized the DOJ. Trump faced courts in New York, Atlanta, Washington and Florida on varied charges by DA’s and Judges known to be funded by billionaire George Soros. In the highly politicized New York case, Garland’s number three man joined Letitia James for the prosecution, and Garland’s selection of Jack Smith as a special counsel was contested.
With a decision by the Supreme Court on Trump’s immunity, the cases slowly faded and seeing Trump behind bars was not to be. The result was a public who saw through the attempt greatly, improving his chances of winning in 2024.
Two Assassination Attempts
Despite two assassination attempts on his life, the Media Research Center revealed that 95 percent of news coverage by ABC, CBS, and NBC regarding Trump was negative.
It reignited a long-standing debate over the mainstream media’s treatment of Trump and its broader perception, particularly in the wake of such a high stakes event. The media continued to frame him in a predominantly critical light, prioritizing his controversial statements, legal challenges and ongoing investigations.
Things Are Changing
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, laid it on the line when she was asked if she sees her role as an advocate for the president or providing the truth. She unhesitatingly responded, “to telling the truth.”
“While I vow to provide the truth from this podium, we ask that all of you in this room hold yourselves to that same standard,” as she spoke of “correcting the lies and the wrongs of the past four years, many of the lies that have been told to your faces in this briefing room.
“We know for a fact there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family and we will not accept that. “We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this White House.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump and members of his administration have moved beyond the usual anti-news media rhetoric to take a variety of actions that have limited some outlets access while hitting others with lawsuits and directives.
ABC agreed to pay $15 million as part of a legal settlement with Trump and put to bed a dispute that centered on an interview in which, Trump alleged, anchor George Stephanopoulos defamed him.
Still to be settled is Trump’s suit against CBS over a 60 Minutes interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris in which the actual dialogue was changed from the released transcript.
Meanwhile, Trump has answered questions from the media every day, some of them while signing executive orders or entertaining a visiting country official. Regardless of if it is in the White House, at Mar-a-Lago or on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews or Walm Beach, it is clear evidence of his claim to be the most transparent president.
The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, made the decision not to endorse Kamala Harris for president, disappointing a number of their reporters, many of whom resigned.
The owners of these papers must now report truthfully in their news pages or lose White House access.
Foolishly, former CBS News correspondent Marvin Kalb saw it as CBS and other news organizations “on bended knee before a president … a big step towards autocracy,” adding, “Now, more than ever, only a fearless press stand between an aggressive White House and the public,” as if opinions are not allowed in a free press.
May God continue to bless the United States of America
