'Weird reluctance to criticize': Expert explains why media ignores Trump's decline

The Washington press corps saw Joe Biden’s aging, but it doesn’t seem to notice Donald Trump’s. Why? It’s pretty simple, really. Trump acts like a big, tough man. He spends a lot of his time demonstrating his big, tough manhood. Biden never did that. It’s not in his nature. Guess which personality type gets more positive attention from reporters?

So even if Trump lies and lies and lies, even if he inexplicably sways and bops to music for minutes on end, even if he descends into outright gibberish, and even if he demands that you and everyone you know accept as gospel truth his maniacal delusions — even if he does all these things that old men with dementia often do, he’ll never be called old.

Because he looks big and tough.

Fact is, he’s weak. He’s always been weak. And his weakness is always on display, if you’re paying attention, even as he daily demonstrates his so-called dominance. Indeed, there is no other way of putting it honestly.

When you do a thing that triggers a reaction, then pull back that thing as a consequence of that reaction, that’s textbook weakness. That’s what he’s been doing with tariffs since he took office. On again, off again, no consistency, no logic, utter chaos – because he’s weak.

I don’t have much faith in recent polls that show majorities disapproving of his job performance, but I do think they could be useful in one important way: getting members of the press corps to take a harder look at Trump, perhaps even draw a lesson from their time covering Biden, and come to a conclusion about the president.

That said, I don’t have much faith in the press corps, as I say below to Jennifer Schulze. She does, though, and you should take her seriously. She’s a longtime Chicago journalist and publisher of Indistinct Chatter, a newsletter about the news. While the mainstream media has a “weird reluctance” to criticize Trump, she says, independent media and local news reporters don’t. She puts her faith in them. I’m inclined to agree.

John: So the president wore a blue suit to the pope’s funeral. He fiddled with his phone. He chewed gum. He fell asleep. If a Democrat were violating decorum like this, the press corps would be all over it.

Jennifer: Rightwing media will ignore all of it. Mainstream media might mention it in a throwaway sentence or as part of a pundit panel. But I doubt any will do it as a stand-alone story. (The New York Times did do a story on the blue suit, but it was by the fashion editor.) I do expect to see coverage of Trump’s behavior in independent media and in newsletters. That’s been the pattern for years with Trump coverage and especially since the start of the 2024 campaign.

There is a weird reluctance to criticize Trump. The thinking that it’s just “Trump being Trump” or “nothing new here” gets in the way of telling some hard truths about him, his patterns of behavior, etc.

John: That seems to be grounded in the belief that he’s dominant.

Jennifer: The press has always had an odd, hands-off approach to Trump. Now I think it’s driven by fear – of losing access, like the AP and others did; of being called out and then being targeted by Trump, Elon Musk, or the Maga hordes; of angering corporate media owners who seem more interested in protecting their other business interests.

A good test is to ask yourself if a Democrat (like Joe Biden) did this, how would the press cover it? Biden’s polling 100 days in was significantly higher than where Trump is now (52 percent versus 39 percent), yet much of the press seems to buy the Trump spin that he’s all powerful, overwhelmingly popular, etc. Is that because they are locked in the Trump bubble and can’t see what so many of the rest of us see? I think that’s certainly part of it, combined with fear.

John: You have written a lot about local news reporting, and how the administration’s policies are being reported on the ground level. There, representations of reality are very different. Why is that?

Jennifer: The job of local news is to tell stories about real-life community impacts. If a Head Start program is cut by DOGE, there are compelling stories to tell about the families hurt by those cuts.

The same is true if Trump’s tariffs result in layoffs at the local factory. Or if fewer people come to visit the nearby National Park that is a key economic driver for a region. In every case, there are real people who are impacted and telling those stories is what local news does best.

I’d also add that local news does a really good job of covering voter outrage. With some few exceptions, the national media is not capturing the deep anger and frustration we are seeing at these town hall meetings, “Tesla Takedown” protests and marches.

The reporters covering these stories haven’t parachuted in. The people impacted are their friends and neighbors, as well as their audience. All of this is also big news in cities and towns around the country. It’s what people are talking about, it’s hitting their pocketbooks, their livelihoods. Of course, local news is going to be on top of it.

John: Trump’s polling is falling. I don’t expect his behavior to change. He didn’t respond to polling the first time. I doubt he will this time. Even so, polls might affect the press corps’ rose-colored glasses. Thoughts?

Jennifer: Throughout the 2024 campaign, polling seemed to drive almost all the coverage, so I’m very curious to see how much ongoing coverage there is of these various polls that show Americans are pretty upset with everything Trump is doing. Some of the initial headlines are brutal and accurate. ABC News: “Trump has lowest 100-day approval rating in 80 years.” USA Today: “More than 75% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, new poll finds.”

The DC press corps may eventually start to be a little more critical of Trump as his popularity tanks. But I don’t expect any significant changes, at least in the immediate future. It’ll be like turning the Queen Mary with slow, barely perceptible shifts in tone. No matter what, I’m not sure we will ever reach the level of riotous behavior we saw towards Biden. I mean the press was literally screaming at a sitting president. I do expect independent media to continue to be as fearless, as it’s been all along, no matter what the polling shows.

John: I have very little faith in the press corps. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an award-winning reporter said journalists have to regain public trust, and pointed to the “cover up” of Biden’s age as an example of what they need to do better. This, in the context of Trump’s very obvious cognitive impairments.

Jennifer: I think there are pockets of excellent coverage by the mainstream media outlets. NBC News is excellent on everything Pete Hegseth and Signalgate. Reuters, the AP and CBS News are breaking lots of news about the DOGE cuts at the health agencies, National Weather Service, NOAA, etc. The beleaguered Washington Post has had some excellent DOGE cuts reporting. But it’s the independent outlets that are really doing remarkable work.

I agree with media critic Mark Jacob who suggests that the daily media circus at the White House is best covered by a camera and an intern. We need experienced reporters digging up real news, not regurgitating lies from Trump and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

John: The DNC’s new chairmen has said it’s important for the party to build its own media infrastructure. I see movement here and there. First, do you think that’s important and why? If so, what are you seeing?

Jennifer: I’m one of many folks who have long suggested that Democrats – whether it’s the DNC or Congress – must offer the country a daily fact-based counternarrative. That should be the core of any new media infrastructure. Remember the very popular daily COVID briefings from Democratic Governor JB Pritzker here in Illinois? The Democrats should be doing that right now. Don’t try to dream up some new podcast or something like that. Make a commitment to putting someone in front of a microphone every single day to tell Americans the truth. That should include specific stories about the impacts of Trump’s policies, how regular people are organizing, play clips from voters at town hall meetings, share what Democrats are actually doing to push back, etc. There is an information void just waiting to be filled.