The Mainstream Media Is Awful But Not Always Wrong

Donald J. Trump has been President of the United States for only a month. Let that sink in for a second. It has only been a month, but it has felt like months. Every day there is a new breaking story on the Trump administration, a new Trump tweet that may or may not be worth covering, a new reported “scandal,” and the list goes on and on. I think it would be beneficial for everyone to take a deep breath, maybe have a drink and gather their bearings.

“Are Liberals Helping Trump?” was a trend on Twitter recently. Of course, the question is referring to Liberals who have been protesting, marching and rioting as well as to the mainstream media, which has not cut President Trump any slack whatsoever. Through an objective lens, yes, Liberals are helping President Trump in some ways. However, Conservatives, at the same time, are countering this “help” by hurting their own credibility.

"Are Liberals Helping Trump?" Yes, in some ways. But Conservatives, at the same time, counter that help by hurting their own credibility.
— Micah (@MicahT1995) February 19, 2017

When Liberals show their crazy side, it helps Conservatives and Conservatism without question. Rioting, marching with vagina hats on, silencing Conservative speech on college campuses, becoming outraged over “orange swastikas” on the pavement, and having celebrities attack President Trump during their award acceptance speeches, does not benefit the Left like they think it does. There is a reason why Donald Trump is the President of the United States and the Left does not seem to understand that they are continuing to fuel a fire that caused their crushing loss this last November.

Walking to get coffee saw these all over a sidewalk in the town I'm in. Is this an attempt at swastikas? Do neo nazis not have google? pic.twitter.com/A4ses1G3ru
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) February 12, 2017

When the mainstream media picks fights with President Trump over small issues, when they write an article that is over a thousand words to simply say there is no evidence for members of Trump’s administration having ties to Russia (I am looking at you The New York Times), and when they are outraged that Trump chooses who can ask questions at his press conferences, it hurts the media’s credibility. All one has to do is look at a Gallup poll from September to understand that people, especially Republicans, are losing trust in the national media.

To be clear to viewers around the world, in the last 3 press conferences, Trump has ONLY called on conservative news outlets for questions
— Katty Kay (@KattyKayBBC) February 15, 2017

While Liberals and the mainstream media are helping Trump in several instances with their pettiness, a broken clock is still right twice a day. It is time for Conservatives to admit this and simply admit when Trump crosses the line.

I would like to take the time to make this important point. The words “conservative” and “Republican” are not synonymous. There are plenty of Republicans who are not conservative by any stretch of the imagination and they have ignored some of President Trump’s most glaring issues. For Conservatives, loyalty is supposed to belong to the Constitution; not to the party and not to the President. The United State's Constitution does not change but the party and President ultimately will. Conservatives need to remember this and stand up for the principles and values that they claim to hold.

With that said, during his first month in office, President Trump has had some issues that are not the end of the world but are still issues that should be addressed by Republicans and Conservatives. One of these issues regards the mainstream media. President Trump tweeted that the mainstream media is the “enemy of the American people."

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

The mainstream media can certainly be awful. On the other hand, they are not always wrong and simply because they have done away with journalistic integrity, does not mean they are the enemy of the American people or that they do not have valid questions and concerns. The tweet from the President was unnecessary and Republicans and some Conservatives praised it. The statement hurt President Trump’s standing with the media more so than it helped him and resulted in #NotMyEnemy trending on Twitter in response.

In a press conference President Trump gave the other day, a journalist asked valid questions about the United States’ relationship with Russia and how Russia's aggression will be addressed by the administration. If a Democrat was in the White House and the news was breaking as it has been on Russian actions, Republicans and Conservatives would never let it slide. While evidence of collusion with Russia is lacking, or that America’s relationship with Russia is getting worse, there are questions that need answering and Conservatives should not dismiss those inquiries.

Another instance from this month was when President Trump did not like a ruling from a federal judge who placed a hold on President Trump's executive order that implemented a travel ban. Once again, President Trump took to Twitter and took shots at a “so-called” judge. Whether Conservatives liked the ruling or not, many did not, the tweet was in the wrong. There is a reason why we have a system of checks and balances. Again, if a Democratic President had done this, Conservatives would have been outraged and would say that the President was destroying the nation’s separation of powers.

The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017

There are other statements that President Trump has made that are blatantly false yet he has managed to escape criticism. One such claim made by President Trump is that he had the greatest margin of victory in the Electoral College since President Reagan. While this instance may be small, instances like it should not happen and Conservatives should not spend time defending them. Conservatives need to state the President was wrong and move on. Is it too much to ask for a little honesty from those right of center? Can Conservatives take responsibility for a mistake before they let the mainstream media blow it out of proportion?

My hope is that Conservatives will start adhering to the Conservative values they claim to hold in the coming months. The Republican party needs a party of Conservatives, not a party of President Trump loyalists who are loyal to a fault. Conservatives should praise President Trump when he does something right and they should not wait for the Left's foreseeable outrage, whether it be faux or legitimate, to be capitalized upon.