Whenever we think of Donald Trump, we think of a man who is filled with hypocrisy and outrageous statements. So is it such a stretch to think that his relationship with the media is one characterized by hypocrisy? Repeatedly, we have seen Trump criticize the media for their coverage of him, but what if Trump relied heavily on the media?
The fact is that all presidential candidates rely on the media to both get their message out and also to put them on the map. I wonder how many Americans can name the other Democratic candidates that dropped out earlier in the race. I also wonder how many Americans can name John Kasich, the GOP candidate that is polling the lowest. The point I am trying to illustrate is that Trump has a love-hate relationship with the media.
I also think it’s important to say that the media gives Trump and the other candidates what some may consider to be free advertising. Trump has received $1.8 billion in free publicity, according to a New York Times article. To compare that with the other candidates, Hillary Clinton is the second runner up with $746 million. Yet, with this thought in mind, we see Trump quoted as saying the following:
“The New York Times, which is losing a fortune, which is a failing newspaper, which probably won’t be around much longer… but I think the New York Times is one of the most dishonest media outlets I’ve ever seen in my life. They have an agenda that you wouldn’t believe.”
“I do hate them (journalists). Some of them are such lying, disgusting people… (They’re) among the most dishonest groups of people I’ve ever met.’’
He has even said that he plans to strengthen libel laws when he gets into office.
“One of the things I’m gonna do, and this is only gonna make it tougher for me, and I’ve never said this before, but one of the things I’m gonna do if I win... is I’m gonna open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money,” Trump said. “We’re gonna open up those libel laws.”
So why does Trump say these things about the media? I think it’s quite simple. The American public doesn’t like the media, and it serves Trump’s message to ignore the media. Trump has built his reputation as a presidential candidate on confrontation and, above all, setting himself apart from what people consider to be mainstream politics. Only about 40 percent of the American public actually trusts the media, according to a Gallup poll.
If there is one thing that Trump is good at doing it is crafting a message that appeals to Americans who are fed up with mainstream media and politics. This is practically what the entire Trump campaign has run on. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise when he goes around criticizing the mainstream media.
In a way, Trump reminds me of Sarah Palin, who also criticized the media while reaping the benefits of being in the media’s spotlight. We can all only hope that Trump will be like Palin and go back to being on reality TV shows instead of scaring the American people.
