The inaugural events on Monday stirred a mix of feelings among the attendees, especially for supporters of Donald Trump who were pleased to see his return to Washington D.C. Many experienced emotions such as excitement, relief, anticipation, elation, and inspiration.
The atmosphere was filled with a sense of joy and release that some compared to the optimistic vibe of the Harris-Walz “Campaign of Joy,” a sentiment previously dismissed by some for portraying conservatives as bitter and angry. This contrast became clear as reactions from the left and the media appeared critical and disapproving during the events.
During much of President Biden’s term, there was a noticeable divide in the nation, which he himself acknowledged upon entering office in 2020. Despite his initial promise to mend these divisions and unite the country, his actions seemed to deepen the divide by condemning those who did not align with his policies. The media also played a role by supporting his agenda and criticizing those who opposed it.
In those years, I will not say that those on the right were cowed, but with the media playing the dutiful harridans it impeded discourse and open discussion. All of the tired accusations – from racism, the list of “-phobias,” and charges of “denialism” – were delivered and designed to shut down opposition. For a time, it had enough traction to push things along. But by late 2024, there was a seismic cultural shift, and suddenly, the tactics were neutered, and those on the right rose with a notable new level of energy and confidence. It delivered Donald Trump back to the White House.
Two significant events occurred in succession and delivered differing but intertwined results that drove this newfound power for the right: the initial presidential debate and the assassination attempt at the Pennsylvania rally. To lay out this shift in the country, we’ll start with the second item.
The attempt on Trump’s life drove home the fact that the fracture in the nation was not just real but was made manifest. Moreover, the people who were most likely to decry the rift in the country were also those who were pushing the intolerant narratives in suggesting every manner of calamity would descend on the country if he were reelected. What made this worse was the aftermath. Instead of decency and an ethical call condemning such violence, there was equivocation. Immediately, we saw attempts to suggest Trump’s rhetoric inspired this violence and/or his policies and those of the Republicans were driving forces to this attack.
That repugnant reaction followed what happened at the debate. For the first six months of the year, the media were in unison with their coverage of Joe Biden; the two-pronged game plan was to deny his mental condition was failing and then attack those who dared to show his decline was real. It was a complete bastardization of journalism practice – they not only abandoned their duty to the public, they fought against the facts getting out.
Then, when President Silveralert was live on camera at the debate, displaying all the previously exhibited frailties that were fought against becoming known, the press industry lost most of its influence. Journalists and outlets could no longer claim a high road on news matters, and their influence on the national narratives eroded. Thus, as they tried to lecture us after Donald Trump nearly lost his life, they failed entirely because after the debate, the months — or years — of lying to us were not just exposed, their position as any kind of valid source was blasted into confetti.
The balance of the year showed the media struggling with their normal tactics, the Democrats’ reliable messaging of attacks was mostly shooting blanks, and most importantly of all, conservatism found its voice, in large part to the dropping of barricades on Elon Musk’s Xitter. The usual efforts from those sources were soundly beaten back, many times, they were mocked, and leading up to the election, the Dems and the press were playing catch-up.
As the media attempted to rewrite the Kamala Harris resume, they were countered with solid facts. The incessant drumbeat of promised evils to be delivered by Trump was deflated by noting he did nothing of the sort when he served as president. They sold Tim Walz and Doug Emhoff as alpha males, and we just laughed. An attempt to generate controversy about Puerto Rico failed to land as it was pointed out they were screeching about a joke. When Jeffrey Goldberg tried to create an October surprise claiming Trump vulgarly insulted a fallen soldier, his effort was debunked within an afternoon.
And Trump parlayed this newfound cultural power shift to his advantage. As the press attempted to scorch him about the claim Kamala never worked at McDonalds he instead put in a shift at the drive-thru. After Joe Biden called Trump supporters “garbage,” the press not only failed to defend him with a lame “he spoke with an apostrophe” defense, but Trump climbed into a customized refuse truck and completely flipped the narrative.
Just ahead of the election, one network executive admitted his concern that their efforts at driving a Trump characterization were failing, and the election result placed that negative reality in the spotlight. The press is facing its self-made obsolescence.
Gone (at least for now) is the way negative coverage would have a lasting impression. No longer are the hit pieces greeted with a shrug. Now we see more vociferous defense and even having the attempts turned into an offensive strike. In recent weeks, networks have buckled under defamation suits. The Democratic Party and the press have become exposed as the snarling dog behind a curtain that turned out to be a spayed Yorkie.
After 2016, they all pledged to rise up and beat down the oppressive scourge of Trump. After Russian collusion, Hunter’s laptop, Biden is “sharp,” and “Kamala is competent,” we find they are unmoored. This time, they have reacted with a whimper, like the lapdog that behaved in rabid fashion when left alone but now is cowering in the corner after getting swatted in the snotbox with a rolled-up Newsweek magazine because it soiled the carpet.
It is time for the alpha dogs to romp.
