When Will Legacy Media Finally Learn Who Trump Is?

There were no winners at the reconvened White House Correspondents Dinner

White House Correspondents Association President Weija Jiang said in her opening remarks at the reconvening of the White House Correspondents Dinner: "We are back, we will not be intimidated, we refuse to let an act of violence have the final word."

So instead, Donald Trump had the final word, offering up gems such as these:

“Ilhan Omar and her brother are thinking about moving together.”

“[Kaitlan Collins] never smiles. Do you ever smile?”

“Pritzker—don’t call him a fat pig, okay?”

“James Tala-freako… he hates sex, hates women.”

“People wanted me to apologize to Elizabeth Warren. I ended up apologizing to the real Pocahontas.”

“What about Bruce Springsteen? What the hell happened to that guy? He looks like hell.”

“I’m pleased to announce my intention to run for a fourth term as president of the United States.”

I understand the WHCA not wanting an act of violence to “have the final word.” But thinking that offering Donald Trump the final word instead is somehow going to uphold the sanctity of the event, the institution, or a free press is not only naive, but frankly, unacceptable for journalists who - of all people - should know better.

In effect, what Trump got was yet another platform from which he could undermine the very institution that the WHCA thought they were bolstering. Trump stood at the podium and spent the bulk of his remarks attacking the very people in that room. The only thing more irresponsible than allowing him to once again disparage the free press is thinking that this time he would be different.

The White House Correspondents Dinner is supposed to symbolize something bigger than any one president — a night where the press and the White House can occupy the same room, roast each other, and still walk out with mutual respect for the First Amendment intact. It’s not supposed to be a MAGA rally. It’s not supposed to be a campaign stop. But to the surprise of no one, Trump used it as another stage from which he could further erode trust in the First Amendment. Trump doesn’t care about the press; he hates the press (unless of course it’s completely loyal to him). But he’s more than happy to have a platform from which he can destroy them. And the WHCA granted him exactly that.

I would ask when legacy media will learn, but they won’t. There is no recognition that conferring favor onto Trump or Republicans buys you exactly zero goodwill. But still, they will roll out the red carpet, give him a primetime speaking slot, genuflect at his altar— they will put him on a pedestal, and he’ll stand up there and destroy them from it.

None of this helps journalism. None of it protects reporters doing their jobs under increasing hostility, growing threats, and vanishingly thin protections. What it does is teach every strongman-curious politician watching that you can walk into the belly of the free press, mock it to its face, and still get invited back next year while these journalists pretend that everything is fine— just fine. Politics as usual. Nothing to see here.

But you cannot do politics-as-usual with a guy who, if he got his way, would eliminate the ability of a free press to exist.

Look, I understand that journalists want to be neutral. But if you are a journalist in the United States of America, you have an obligation to be biased— in favor of democracy. And Trump’s movement is anti-democratic. Autocrats like Trump do not want a free press. He has broadcast as much on a daily basis. He has issued subpoenas to reporters for the crime of reporting on his lies and corruption. He has blocked journalists from entering the Pentagon. He has sicced his FCC on comedians who commit the cardinal sin of making fun of him. The longer the press pretends that Trump is not an enemy of their profession, the more runway he has to undermine them.

If you’re tired of a legacy media that outright refuses to acknowledge the dangers that Trump poses, that refuses to recognize that this is not politics as usual, please consider subscribing to this newsletter. Unlike the legacy outlets, I cannot be leveraged by the federal government. I don’t need approvals for any mergers or acquisitions. I am not owned by some rightwing billionaire. Hell, Trump is so threatened by me and independent media that he put me on his enemies list. I will continue to speak out and I will not pretend that any of this is normal. Because it’s not.