When President Donald J. Trump body slammed a CNN effigy in an Independence Day weekend Twitter meme, he may have put the so-called “Fake News” organization down for the count once and for all.
Dubbed a counter-puncher, Trump has been returning shots to the mainstream media since garnering the national and international spotlight as a public figure and reality TV star. During the presidential campaign, Trump declined to make attempts to placate the Left-leaning information outlets, and instead went toe-to-toe against an obviously biased field of journalists that overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton.
But the more the pugnacious Trump stood his ground, the more unraveled the news media appeared by his assertions they were “Fake News.” Liberal pundits went as far as to create a visual electoral map and demonstrate that candidate Trump had no path to the 272 required votes. Topping 300 electoral votes was equivalent to Trump’s first full-on suplex of the mainstream media, and the ensuing combat makes the Hatfield-McCoy feud look like a family picnic next to the daily outpouring of Leftist vitriol.
President Mocks the Elitist Media
Political scientists sometimes point to the point when everyday people start to mock a movement as the moment of its demise. It happened to the “political correctness” wave when filmmakers started churning out satires such as PCU and the “Safe Spaces” were widely laughed at outside hyper-left circles. The pro-wrestling meme appears to be the tipping point.
Ordinary, hard-working folk generally like professional wrestling, and even a non-avid fan thinks it’s a hoot. Non-elitist American enjoy sports like baseball, football, basketball, reality TV, action movies, chick flicks and county fairs. These are things that friends, family and neighbors enjoy, and forums members of the Washington Swamp breeze through for a photo-op. Trump’s CNN smack-down clip is as American as apple pie.
Even Trump’s return volley that “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski had a facelift passes muster with Americans. Why? Because Brzezinski made fake news claims that the economy and unemployment was worsening when it was actually improving under Trump. She then claimed it was the mainstream media’s job to “control exactly what people think.”
That Freudian Slip sent up a flare that American’s had long suspected. Even though some White House correspondents have tried to backtrack on that position while on camera, saying they’re a “filter,” they cannot un-ring the ball. We have been witnessing a high stakes game of information dominance plain and simple. It’s The Swamp vs. Pres. Donald J. Trump. Turnabout is fair play and the mudslinging now goes both ways.
Why Trump Keeps “Winning”
A recent YouGov poll reported that 70 percent of Americans agree that news outlets engage in biased reporting. Of those that identify as Republicans, 85 percent claim “news organizations tend to provide only one side of the story depending on who owns them or funds them.” A 52-percent Democrat majority also agreed. Only 21 percent of Americans disagreed with the premise, and 53 percent of Americans thought the mainstream media was downright untruthful.
In other words, a majority of Americans believe the mainstream media lies to them. That’s the foundation for Trump successfully beating back, and sometimes beating up on “Fake News” outlets such as CNN. But think about this from a factual basis with regards to major reporting and outcomes.
• Russian Collusion: The widespread allegations that Mr. Trump and his campaign workers conspired with Russian hackers and Vladimir Putin himself has ballooned into up to nine independent investigations, and not a single shred of evidence supports the claim. Outlets such as the New York Times have been repeatedly outed as incorrect by Obama-era intelligence officials, and former FBI Director James Comey testified that Trump was never under investigation. CNN had to retract allegations against a Trump ally and fired three top-level employees. When the president calls it a “witch hunt” and deems CNN and others “Fake News,” he’s on pretty solid ground.
• Travel Ban: Left-leaning pundits flooded CNN, MSNBC and other Left-leaning broadcasts and publications to explain how the trump Travel ban was unconstitutional. As for the U.S. Supreme Court…not so much. It passed muster with flying colors. Media wrong again.
• Paris Climate Accord: Leftist outcry that the agreement was a cornerstone in curbing carbon emissions turned out to be factually incorrect. It required billions in American tax dollars to be sent aboard, made no real impact on the climate, and would have resulted in the loss of American jobs. Trump emerged as the smart dealmaker yet again.
The mainstream media repeatedly reports incorrect information and engages in scandal spreading over substance. In contrast, President Trump posts executive orders – proclamations and signed legislation online. These are factually correct documents.
Where’s The Beef?
The mainstream or “Fake News” media has under-reported the American employment uptick, 600,000 new jobs, reduced unemployment to a 16-year low and the stock market setting several records. According to Gallup, the U.S. Job Creation Index hit an all-time high in May and this did not make headlines. Several favorable trade agreements have been reached and US Beef has returned to China. The media ignores the effective America First policy.
The gross neglect by the biased media cements Trump’s informational high ground and ability to circumvent outlets and use forums such as Twitter, YouTube and other social media to take his message directly to the people. The Fake News media got counted out when that wrestling meme hit social media – President Trump won the Royal Rumble.
~ Liberty Planet
