Presidents usually fade from the spotlight as their successor takes office. Donald Trump will not.
The press must adapt to cover Trump post-presidency. Journalists cannot again allow him to manipulate the media to his advantage, whether on television, over the radio or in the press. This will especially hold true if he makes another bid for the presidency. Perhaps no reporter has better understood this than ABC chief White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl.
Consider coverage on ABC, CBS and NBC on Nov. 11. Karl was the only correspondent to mention Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s snarky remarks about a second Trump term, calling his words “an apparent effort to please Trump.”
On Nov. 12, only Karl called out Kayleigh McEnany after the White House press secretary told Fox News that a certain question should be referred to the White House.
“A question for the White House? She’s the White House press secretary,” Karl said.
On Nov. 20, he alone reported that Trump left his press conference without taking questions.
“In fact, neither he nor the vice president has answered any questions in the more than two weeks since the election,” Karl said.
In the waning months of this presidency, Karl has stood out for his deep understanding of the way Trump and his allies operate. He has routinely pointed out the strangeness of the administration’s unprecedented actions, rather than simply reporting them.
To the president’s supporters, Karl’s reporting may appear anti-Trump and elitist. But more important than trying to appear nonpartisan is journalists’ duty to highlight the danger that Trump and his brand of politics pose.
Trump has taken the helm of the Republican party, and he will remain a power broker in the party after leaving office. Setting aside his campaign’s fruitless legal battles, his refusal to concede defeat has forced prominent Republicans to either denounce him or humor his grievances.
Early in Trump’s term, the GOP shied from rebuking the president for fear of facing his wrath. The reigns loosened in the weeks leading up to the election, but Republicans campaigning in deep red states portrayed themselves as staunch allies of the president for fear of losing the support of his unwavering base. To win Congressional seats, future GOP candidates will have to align with Trump and his base.
Network news and the press must emphasize that Trump and his allies threaten American values. Baseless claims that Trump was cheated in a rigged election may soon define the president’s Republican party.
If journalists only strive to appear nonpartisan, they will draw false equivalence between this political faction and lawmakers on both side of the aisle who show regard for the common good. Journalists must point out that Trump’s grievances and politics are not simply different from Democratic politics –– they are anti-democratic and don’t align with traditional GOP principles.
Journalists must call Trump, his populism and his defining grievance for what they are: dangerous. Just as Karl has, almost nightly, since the election.
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