It is becoming Donald Trump versus the left-leaning media in the early going of his presidency. The support Trump is getting from ordinary Americans is stunning many media outlets. Many have never been on the defensive and are at a crossroads as to what they can do to protect themselves while being accused of “fake news” daily.
The media can continue pounding the new president that they obviously do not like and hope will fail. But that threatens any credibility they still have with a growingly weary nation tired of their negative outlook on anything Trump.
In a poll on Tuesday conducted by Emerson College, it was found that 49 percent of U.S. voters believe the Trump administration is “truthful,” while only 39 percent feel that way about the news media. Worse, for the so-called “opposition party,” 53 percent of those surveyed described the media as “untruthful.” [PDF]
That is not good news for the newspaper or TV management more concerned about ratings than anything else. They have become nothing more than an extension of the Democratic Party.
Will this mean smaller audiences, a backlash to their liberal slant? The poll also showed that Americans are divided on Trump’s performance so far, 48 percent of registered voters approve of the job that Trump is doing, compared to 47 percent who disapprove.
It is a far cry from where most outlets thought Trump would be after the election. Perhaps the outcome should be making more sense to the Trump-haters who automatically discount his boisterous image as merely a carnival barker. Could it be that the American people know something they have yet to find out? Have the people had enough of one-sided, intolerant liberal opinion?
The poll notes that 89 percent of Republicans approve of Trump, while 81 percent of Democrats disapprove. According to the poll, Trump’s “failure to pass the 50 percent threshold” for approval is because of his standing among independents, a group in which 52 percent disapprove. The country is no more divided than it was under President Obama.
Meanwhile, Trump and his surrogates have been combative with the media, often referring to CNN as “fake news,” and bashing the industry in general, labeling it the “opposition party.” If this fight between Trump and the media accomplishes anything, it may lead to a more bi-partisan configuration of the written word. For that, every American should be eternally grateful to the bombastic Trump who is not afraid to go toe to toe with the media elite.
