Donald Trump Going Down? In what is another sign of our deeply divided nation, the top news story can look quite different depending on which outlet is doing the reporting.
It is very much a tale of two world views.
If you logged onto the websites for Fox News, Newsmax, OAN, or other conservative news outlets on Wednesday morning, you’d have found there was absolutely no sign of former President Donald Trump in the news. It was as if nothing happened. It was, of course, a very different story on MSNBC, which still had Trump front and center.
This was just a day after a New York jury found the former real estate magnate turned reality TV star turned president guilty of sexual abuse and defamation. Trump must now pay $5 million in damages for sexually abusing magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defaming her by branding her a liar.
Trump’s legal team has vowed to appeal.
That isn’t to say that Fox News and other outlets dismissed the news of the verdict entirely. Those news organizations reported on it, but then as quickly moved on – returning to Hunter Biden where and when possible. Moreover, the comments sections in the conservative news world were of course filled with those who questioned why it took so long for Trump’s accuser to come forward and called it politically motivated.
By contrast, comments from liberal news outlets called this a victory, with suggestions that it was a stake through the heart of Donald Trump.
Is Donald Trump Done?
There was a time in politics when one’s political career was alive unless you were caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy. That of course is hardly the case anymore.
As CNN’s Stephen Collinson wrote on Tuesday evening, Trump’s court loss isn’t likely to hurt his primary bid. Trump loyalists – the ones who have invested in flags, hats, and other MAGA materials – are going to stand by the former president. However, Collinson is also among the political pundits who suggested that it isn’t going to help his 2024 viability.
It is very true that current Oval Office occupant Joe Biden is facing some of the worst poll numbers for a first-term president in modern history.
However, Biden will head into the Democratic primary season next year with essentially no opposition – as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. barely counts as a serious challenger. Instead, Trump will face a number of challengers, which under normal circumstances could only make him battle-hardened for the general election after securing the nomination.
That is unlikely to be the case this time around.
At least some of those challengers are going to bring up Carroll next year. And even if the GOP goes radio silent on it, the media certainly won’t – nor will the Biden campaign. To win the White House, both candidates will need every vote at the polls.
Trump surely lost some support among women on Tuesday, and he’s unlikely to win them back. He may secure the nomination, but lose the election.
In other words, Donald Trump needs to win every battle to win the war, and he’s already going down in defeat.
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Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
