OPINION:
President Donald Trump uses Twitter. And frequently. In fact, his tweets have become The News — the Big News of the Day that surpasses all other news.
Well, note to media: We don’t really care. Not in the way you imagine, anyway. Not as a way of indicting Trump of the next unforgivable crime.
Trump’s “tweet or not to tweet” daily decision isn’t all that agonizing for mainstream America. In the overall scheme of mass media consumption, it’s not a front-and-center headliner — it’s not, say, Obamacare reform, or border control.
Most read Trump’s tweet about Mike Brzezinski’s requested trip to Mar-a-Lago — “She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!” — and went on with their lives.
But since CNN’s been outed for skewing coverage on the Russia-Trump collusion matter, and journalists have been fired, the press — particularly, the left-leaning press — has to find some other scandal to tie to this administration. So Trump’s Twitter?
Might as well.
Here’s a sampling of headlines from around the web, all about Trump’s scandalous tweeting.
“The Memo,” blasts The Hill. “New GOP angst over Trump tweets.”
From CNN: “Delegitimizing his presidency, one tweet at a time.”
Another, from Don Lemon with CNN: “President Trump should be ashamed.”
Here’s a blunt one from The Washington Post: “Donald Trump is not well.”
And from the Kansas City Star: “The Latest: MSNBC anchor pair strike back at Trump’s tweets.”
And this, from Mashable, “Twitter ignoring Donald Trump’s vitriol is just inexcusable at this point,” a story that goes on to ask, “But what’s Twitter going to do about [this]? Is Trump immune from being banned on the platform?”
It’s not just the media going nuts over Trump’s Twitter account. It’s politicians — from both sides of the political aisle.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted, “@realDonaldTrump’s tweets today are sexist, an assault on the freedom of the press & an insult to all women. Apologize!”
On the Republican side, came this, from Sen. Lindsey Graham: “Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.”
And back to the Dems, from Rep. Ed Markey: “If you can’t stifle the press, then you attack them personally. Today’s tweets from Donald Trump are unpresidential and warrant an apology.”
Perhaps.
But once again: America doesn’t really care about Trump’s tweets so much that they warrant the nonstop, around-the-clock coverage — the critical coverage. And here’s why: Because such coverage, at root, is rather hypocritical.
The Brzezinski-Joe Scarborough team at MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” has been regularly bashing Trump for weeks, characterizing and painting him as a clown who doesn’t belong in politics. They’ve done this by both personal remarks and by bringing on guests and pundits who are simply echoes of their own vicious anti-Trump rants. They’ve done this in a most unfair and unbalanced way — and, dare it be said, they’ve done this knowing the president would respond.
They’ve done this for ratings, and to drive the media cycle their way.
But now this same left-leaning media wants to mount its high horse and play the victim — to gasp astonished at Trump’s less-than-gentlemanly hit-back at “Morning Joe?”
And politicians who’ve never liked Trump in the first place want to hop the wagon behind that horse and do similarly?
Once again: The media may have found its newest scandal. So, too, anti-Trumpers and politicians seeking to score some quick and easy points with the people. But most in America? It’s just not that big of a deal.
Trump’s Twitter account, while refreshing to read and a daily go-to for an unfiltered look at the president’s inner musings, is not, to most, Big News — even when it contains less-than-flattering remarks about various personalities and politicians.
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