It seems like just yesterday, but one year ago today, President Donald J. Trump returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to finish what he started in 2017. Unsurprisingly, the leftist media appears to still be donning sackcloth and ashes, mourning the return of the titan. Thus, it is no surprise that this same group of people masquerading as journalists continues to lick its wounds. And nothing proves this thesis more than their own writings about the first year of Trump’s second term. These assessments are nothing short of a film noir script with a predictable apocalyptic ending.
It’s Fascism! Trust Me, Bro!
The Fourth Estate is in no mood for jubilation. From accusations of fascism to a Chicken Little chorus of imminent disaster, the nation’s press seemed to revel in a dystopian notion that, for those not afflicted with TDS, simply does not exist. Here are the top five comments that will lighten the mood of Trump supporters as radical leftists in the media continue to howl at the moon.
Number one in the crazy-aunt-in-the-attic category comes from none other than the Old Gray Lady – The New York Times – and it’s a doozy:
“In Europe, attention has been unwavering. Journalists are writing articles and making documentaries about America building a concentration camp. On these shores, we have simply become a country that builds concentration camps. It’s only one of the changes we have absorbed in the last year.”
Opinion columnist M. Gessen went on to say, “We have become a country where people are disappeared by a paramilitary force that hunts them down in their apartments, on city streets and country roads, and even in the courts.”
Next up is an organization called Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which claims it “defends the right of every human being to have access to free and reliable information.” Its mission almost sounds farcical: “Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which monitors ‘press freedom predators’ worldwide, has compiled a timeline of [the Trump] administration’s assaults on the media in the past year and warns that he risks sinking to the levels of authoritarian regimes.” One need go no further than their subhead, which claims in bold print:
“One year into Trump’s second term: increasingly repressive US president on track to join ranks of world’s worst press freedom predators.”
It’s becoming increasingly difficult not to engage in sarcasm, so we will push on to the third example of the media that can’t resist Trump-bashing.
Trump — King of the Spotlight
USA Today took a somewhat different approach to the anniversary, publishing readers' opinions. As the outlet noted, “Trump has carried his bare-it-all instincts from reality TV and ‘The Apprentice’ to his new role in politics.” It began with a Debbie Downer from someone who might need medication to get out of bed in the morning:
“After year one of President Donald Trump's second term, I am feeling more hopeless than I was after his first 100 days. Everything seems to have regressed and gotten worse. Affordability is still an issue; his immigration raids are getting more aggressive. The United States has taken a turn for the worse.”
USA Today did manage a backhanded kudos for the man in the Oval Office, saying his one success “may be reclassifying marijuana,” but then it had to tack on “But his failures are so many.” (Included in its failure list was the “takeover of Venezuela.”)
Newsweek went straight for the jugular with the headline: “Most Americans Say Trump’s First Year Back in Office Is ‘A Failure’: Poll.” The poll cited came from – drumroll, please – CNN. The survey had Trump down in every category and punctuated it with this:
“When asked if Trump has 'gone too far' by ‘using the power of the presidency and executive branch,’ 58 percent said yes, while 34 percent said it has ‘been about right.’ Meanwhile, 8 percent said Trump has ‘not gone far enough.’"
At least Newsweek feigned impartiality by quoting a poll, but then it did itself no favors by using a CNN survey, which was bound to be lopsided.
Number five comes from ABC News, whose top complaint was Trump’s acceptance of a Boeing 747 jet from Qatar, which is being refitted to become the next Air Force One. Hard to imagine that this made the naughty list, but here it is:
“U.S. defense officials in May accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar for Trump to eventually use as Air Force One, brushing aside ethical and legal questions and even anti-bribery constitutional provisions.”
The president’s ever-present persona could be responsible for the continued TDS epidemic. When 2029 comes around, Trump will no longer be the president, and his influence on the GOP and the country will be far smaller – although likely not to the extent of Joe Biden’s disappearing act. But today, a full three years remain in his term, and if the next 36 months are anything like the first 12, it will be a roller coaster ride of epic proportions.
It is not the present or the past that fuels the Trump Derangement Syndrome evident in the nation’s press; it is the daunting prospect that the president may just be warming up.
