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The media's coverage of Donald Trump
October 30, 2015
By Kelly Coyle
 2016 Republican presidential nominee Running mate: Mike Pence |
Republican National Convention • Polls • Debates • Presidential election by state |
Domestic affairs • Economic affairs and government regulations • Foreign affairs and national security • Trump University • Republican officials on Trump • Litigation and Trump's campaign • Violence and Trump's campaign • The Trump Foundation • Media's coverage of Trump |
Hillary Clinton (D) • Jill Stein (G) • Gary Johnson (L) • Vice presidential candidates |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
During what a Washington Post reporter called the "the summer (and early fall) of Trump," businessman and 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump frequently expressed his disdain for certain members of the media on his Twitter account and in campaign speeches and interviews.[1][2] On September 27, Trump told CBS News anchor Scott Pelley, "You know, some of the media is among the worst people I've ever met. I mean a pretty good percentage is really a terrible group of people. They write lies, they write false stories. They know they're false. It makes no difference."[3][4]
How has this "terrible group of people" treated Trump in their coverage of his presidential campaign? Although members of the media seem to disagree on whether Americans have been watching "The Trump Show," the "Trump-o-rama," "the Donald Trump phenomenon" or "the Trump tsunami," the media seems to have come to an early consensus that Trump should not be elected president because of his character and because of the "bare policy bones of his presidential campaign," as illustrated in the study below.[5] In their assessment of Trump, they have insulted him in much the way he has insulted them, and they have written stories that are decidedly negative in tone.[6]
New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni attacked Trump's character in an article discussing his unlikely appeal with evangelical Christian voters. He wrote, "He just about runs the table on the seven deadly sins. He personifies greed, embodies pride, radiates lust. Wrath is covered by his anti-immigrant, anti-'losers' rants, and if we interpret gluttony to include big buildings and not just Big Macs, he’s a glutton through and through. That leaves envy and sloth. I’m betting that he harbors plenty of the former, though I’ll concede that he exhibits none of the latter."[7]
Trump's character (and hair) was similarly attacked in an article contrasting him with Pope Francis. New York Times reporter Timothy Egan wrote, "In a few weeks, Pope Francis will visit our fair land, a fitting pivot from the Summer of Trump, closing out a gluttonous episode of narcissism, rudeness, frivolity and xenophobia. For all that the orangutan-haired vulgarian has done to elevate the worst human traits a public figure can have, Francis is the anti-Trump. He has more power, media magnetism and authenticity in his lone functioning lung than Donald Trump has in his entire empire of ego."[8]
Despite their efforts to attack Trump and his campaign, the insults and name-calling may be helping him maintain his lead in the polls, something Trump recognizes. When Trump was asked why he had not spent any money on advertising, he replied, "I’ve gotten so much free advertising, it’s like nothing I’d have expected. When you look at cable television, a lot of the programs are 100 percent Trump, so why would you need more Trump during the commercial breaks?"[9]
According to Boston University professor Tobe Berkovitz, "The problem with the media is that the voters who support Trump hold the media in contempt. So for the media to try to pound The Donald just reinforces the idea that Trump is correct, and is the hero for a lot of people who are dissatisfied."[10] If Berkovitz is correct, and voters' comments and polls suggest he is, some members of the media may in fact be helping Trump's campaign, which seems to be the opposite of their intention. In order to understand how the media has portrayed Trump in their coverage, and possibly helped his campaign, a corpus of articles from the top five most popular news websites were chosen for analysis. Two-hundred and fifty articles from June 22, 2015, to September 22, 2015, were collected for analysis. The data collected can be viewed below.
Method
Research question: How is the media covering or portraying Donald Trump?
Data collected: Using Alexa.com, the top five news websites with the most traffic in the United States were chosen for analysis. "Donald Trump" was entered in each site's search engine, and articles published from June 22, 2015, to September 22, 2015, were collected. Fifty articles from each site were collected, for a total of 250 articles.
The following sites and articles were excluded from the data collected because they did not meet the criteria for collection: Reddit, Yahoo News, The Guardian, Google News, The Weather Channel, Forbes, BBC News, Associated Press articles, articles from other sources or multiple sources, transcripts of television shows, videos, and articles that appeared more than once in the search results.
| National news | Data collected |
|---|---|
| CNN | The search term "Donald Trump" was used. The results were sorted by "Stories," "Relevance" and "Date," which returned 343 results. Every sixth article was collected. |
| The New York Times | The search term "Donald Trump" was used. The results were limited by "Date: June 22, 2015 - September 22, 2015," "Articles" and "Relevance." The first 50 articles were collected. |
| The Huffington Post | The search term "Donald Trump" was used. The results were sorted by "Relevance" and "News." The first 50 articles in the date range were collected. |
| Fox News | The search term "Donald Trump" was used. The results were limited by "Date (June 22, 2015 - September 22, 2015)" and "Story" and sorted by "Relevance." The first 50 articles were collected. After a second sweep of the data, five articles were excluded because they were from other sources, and five more were added. (824 results) |
| The Washington Post | The search term "Donald Trump" was used. The results were sorted by "12 months" and "Relevance." The first 50 articles in the date range were collected. |
Coding: The articles collected were coded using Ballotpedia's 2016 presidential issue categories. An issue category code name (e.g., "Taxes," "Character," etc.) was given to each article according to where it would be included on a 2016 presidential candidate's page. Articles that discussed multiple issues were assigned multiple issue codes. All of the articles were assigned an issue category code name during the first reading of the articles; these were verified during the second reading.
After the first reading, the following codes were created because they appeared frequently:
- Trump's comments about Mexico sending "rapists" and drug dealers to America
- Trump's comments about Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.)
- Trump's handling of a question about Muslims in America
In some cases, the three issues above were briefly mentioned in one or two sentences, but were not the main focus of the article. The three issues above were coded because of how frequently they appeared. Minor mentions were separated from major mentions during a third reading of the articles.
Analysis: How is the media covering or portraying Trump?
The reporting on Trump has focused mostly on his character, his controversial comments on a variety of issues and what he has done on the campaign trail (his feuds with members of the media and feuds with other presidential candidates), rather than in-depth analysis of his policy positions. This may be because Trump does not deliver detailed policy speeches, preferring to speak in "broad strokes" about his views. He said, "I don’t think the voters care about specifics. I think the press cares, but I’ve never had a voter ask for my policy papers." However, Trump may need to get specific soon, according to New York Times columnist Patrick Healy. Healy interviewed voters in New Hampshire who said they came to a "rally in hopes of hearing more details from Mr. Trump." One voter said, "I’m open to Trump but I want him to calm down a little and start delivering some real meat about how he would solve problems as president."[9]
Another possible reason for the lack of issue coverage is that Trump has only outlined three issue positions on his website: tax reform, immigration reform and Second Amendment rights.[11] Because Trump does not have a voting record or policy platform from a previous political position, his media coverage has been different from other candidates who have held political office. In the absence of a voting record, the media has focused on comments Trump has made, both before and after he declared his candidacy. He has also received significant criticism from the media for lacking in substance and for his inability to articulately answer questions about important issues concerning national security, foreign relations, immigration and job creation.
The New York Times has been most critical of Trump's "lack of substance," as the following statements demonstrate:
- While describing Trump's performance in the CNN Republican debate, New York Times journalist Adam Nagourney wrote, "While he offered some hints of what a Trump presidency could be like — suggesting that he would use his business acumen to help the country in its economic and foreign policy struggles — he added little to the bare policy bones of his presidential campaign to date."[5]
- Describing an exchange between Trump and moderator Jake Tapper during the CNN Republican debate, New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni wrote, "The CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who was the debate’s moderator, pressed hard to get Trump to say, with even a scintilla of specificity, why he believes that he’d be more effective in dealing with Vladimir Putin than Obama has been. And all that Trump could muster was: 'I would get along with him.' How? Why? Not a single detail. But Trump doesn’t do details. He just crows that he will know the most, be the best and win. He’s a broken record of grandiose, self-infatuated music."[12]
- After Trump's statement that he would bring jobs to the United States by using his negotiating skills with China and Mexico, New York Times contributor Brendan Nyhan wrote, "He has made similarly vague and unlikely promises to achieve superior outcomes through tough negotiating on issues like the nuclear deal with Iran and relations with Democrats in Congress."[13]
- In an op-ed contrasting Donald Trump and Pope Francis, New York Times contributing op-ed columnist Timothy Egan wrote, "Trump is the demagogue we can’t stop watching, the freak show that cable television can’t stop promoting. His core message is spectacle. It’s crazy to take any of his 'policy' assertions seriously, because he himself does not."[8]
- According to the New York Times, "A review of public polling, extensive interviews with a host of his supporters in two states and a new private survey that tracks voting records all point to the conclusion that Mr. Trump has built a broad, demographically and ideologically diverse coalition, constructed around personality, not substance, that bridges demographic and political divides. In doing so, he has effectively insulated himself from the consequences of startling statements that might instantly doom rival candidates."[14]
- In an August 2015 article, New York Times reporters explained, "In interviews with voters in Michigan and New Hampshire over the past two weeks, after events hosted by Mr. Trump, none cited his policies as chief motivation for backing him. Many pointed, instead, to his wealth, saying they believed it set him apart from career politicians and freed him of the demands of donors."[14]
The media outlets that were chosen for analysis in this study focused the most on issues that would appear in Ballotpedia's "On the issues" section. There were 183 mentions or in-depth discussions of policy-related issues; immigration policy and Trump's controversial comments about Mexico and immigration accounted for 89 of the 183. Trump's response to a question about Muslims in America and his comments about Sen. John McCain were the other two issues that were discussed most frequently. There were 139 mentions or in-depth discussions of campaign-related issues and events that would appear in Ballotpedia's "On the trail" section. Trump's campaign, relationship with the media and interactions with other candidates were discussed most frequently. There were 54 mentions or in-depth discussions of Trump's character, communication skills and personal life that would appear in Ballotpedia's "Political savvy" section. Trump's character, persona and business career were discussed most frequently.
Trump's top 10 most covered issues
Trump's issue coverage by Ballotpedia's categories
Trump's issue totals by Ballotpedia's categories
Trump's top 4 topics in the "On the issues" section
Immigration policy and comments
In a speech announcing his candidacy for president of the United States on June 16, 2015, Trump said, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best. They're not sending you, they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they're telling us what we're getting."[15] Those words and the immigration policy that Trump later released received, and continues to receive, more attention from the news outlets included in this study than any other issue.
| Donald Trump "talks immigration and criticism about his controversial Mexico comments with CNN's Erin Burnett," June 25, 2015 |
Examining the 55 articles that discussed Trump's views on Mexico and immigration revealed that there is some confusion about what Trump said and what he meant when he said, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best..." Some heard him calling all Mexican immigrants "rapists" who bring drugs and crime, while others heard him talking about "illegal" Mexican immigrants. Still others heard him saying that the Mexican government sends "bad" people to the United States to hurt American citizens.
Washington Post national political correspondent David Weigel wrote about the confusion that has resulted from Trump's "incoherence" on immigration and other issues. After his campaign clarified his comments in response to a question about Muslims in America, Weigel wrote, "This keeps happening to the Republican front-runner. In fact, it helped launch his campaign. Three months ago, in New York, Trump suggested that Mexico was 'sending' a criminal element across the border. ...Trump's tangled syntax made it sound like he said literally everyone coming across the border was a rapist -- which was not what he meant. That led to months of disconnect, exemplified by Fusion/Univision reporter Jorge Ramos, who framed many segments on the understanding that Trump was saying every border-crosser was a rapist."[16]
On July 23, CNN's Alisyn Camerota asked a group of Trump supporters about his immigration policy and reported that "none of the six Trump supporters were bothered by his comments that Mexican immigrants are 'rapists' and drug dealers." Jerry DeLemus, one of the six Trump supporters, characterized Trump's comments differently. He said, "He [Trump] didn't say Mexicans, he said Mexico. His point was that Mexico is outmaneuvering America and they are out maneuvering us. What other country in the world would allow that type of illegal immigration to come across the border?"[17]
Trump's comments about the Mexican government sending people to the United States who "have lots of problems" were included in 55 of the 250 articles collected. His comments were the focus of 18 articles and were mentioned in 37 articles. Most of the articles characterized Trump's comments as referring to all Mexican immigrants. Trump's immigration policy, including his comments on birthright citizenship, was included in 34 of the 250 articles collected. His immigration policy was the main focus of 17 articles and was mentioned in 17 articles.
The coverage of Trump's stance on immigration was mostly negative in tone, with some members of the media personally attacking Trump and calling his ideas dangerous, as New York Times op-ed columnist Thomas L. Friedman did when he discussed the importance of pluralism in American society and characterized Trump as a threat to it. He wrote, "This is not funny anymore. This is not entertaining. Donald Trump is not cute. His ugly nativism shamefully plays on people’s fears and ignorance. It ignores bipartisan solutions already on the table, undermines the civic ideals that make our melting pot work in ways no European or Asian country can match (try to become a Japanese) and tampers with the very secret of our sauce — pluralism, that out of many we make one. Every era spews up a Joe McCarthy type who tries to thrive by dividing and frightening us, and today his name is Donald Trump."[18]
The only instance of a member of the media or contributing columnist writing about Trump's comments "about the criminal element crossing the border" in a positive tone was Todd Starnes, the host of Fox News' radio show Fox News & Commentary. Citing the murder of Kate Steinle by a convicted felon who was in the United States illegally, Starnes wrote, "it’s easy to understand why Mr. Trump’s message about illegals pillaging and plundering our nation is resonating with average Americans. But what I can’t seem to understand is why Country Club Republicans find his honest and straightforward appraisal is impolite and ill-mannered." He concluded his article by writing that Trump should "crank up the volume" on his message, not tone it down.[19]
Many articles discussed how Trump's comments resulted in various companies and organizations ending their business relationships with him. On July 4, Fox News reported that "NBC and Univision, for example, have decided not to air the Trump-owned Miss Universe Pageant, Macy’s is dropping his signature clothing line, New York Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered a review of Trump's city contracts and NASCAR is moving an annual banquet from the Trump National Doral resort in Miami."[20][15]
Public response
A central focus of the reporting on Trump concerned what different groups of people (white supremacists; older, white men; average Americans; Latinos; etc.) think of him and his immigration policy. Again, the tone of the coverage was negative and often insulting to Trump's supporters. Here are a few examples:
- New York Times columnist Eduardo Porter argued, "The core constituency of Mr. Trump, the Republican front-runner — white, older voters like him who are more likely to believe that immigrants take Americans’ jobs, housing and health care than accept that they contribute to the economy — came of age largely at that stage in history, from the 1950s through the early 1970s. 'It was a unique period of rapid economic growth, when the children and grandchildren of Europeans were blending into a homogeneous mass,' said Douglas S. Massey, a Princeton sociologist. 'That world is gone.' This transformation provides the most convincing explanation of the runaway popularity of Mr. Trump’s proposition to kick out the estimated 11 million immigrants living illegally in the United States today and close the door to future migrants with a 2,000-mile border wall."[21]
- In an article discussing Trump's appeal with white supremacist groups, Huffington Post reporters Daniel Marans and Kim Bellware wrote, "While Trump denies that he is racist and would no doubt disavow the support of white supremacist groups, his race-baiting, immigrant-bashing rhetoric has clearly struck a chord within their ranks. These predominantly white and male individuals and organizations -- who sometimes call themselves 'white nationalists' or defenders of 'European American identity' -- differ on some of the details, but are united in their belief that white people are under attack from the country’s growing minority groups and an elite power structure that does those minorities’ bidding. Although these white supremacists have a long list of groups they hate -- including African Americans and Jews -- they are mostly drawn to Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies."[22]
- New York Times contributing op-ed columnist Héctor Tobar said that Latino children fear Donald Trump. He wrote, "Now we can add a new boogeyman to the repertoire of scary Latino bedtime stories. His name is The Donald. ...He’s a villain in a flaccid pompadour, spewing threats and insults that have filtered down into the bosom of many a Latino family, to be heard by children gathered by the television set or at the dinner table."[23]
Character & overall presence
The news outlets included in this study seem to have a fascination with Trump's character, lifestyle, rhetoric and overall presence. The character of a presidential candidate is always considered by the media and voters, but the coverage is often on par with a candidate's policy positions. This has not been the case with Trump. Again, the media may be focusing on Trump's character because he does not have a past political career and has only released three policy position papers. Whatever the reason, the media, and more specifically The New York Times, has focused on what they think makes Trump tick.
Fifty-four of the 250 articles collected discussed topics that would be included in the "Political savvy" section on Trump's presidential campaign page. Trump's character, persona and communication style were the focus of 25 articles and were included in 10 articles, for a total of 35 mentions. Eighteen of the 35 articles appeared on the New York Times' website. His personal life was discussed in 22 articles, 15 of which discussed his business career. More specifically, the 15 articles discussed businesses and organizations that cut ties with Trump because of his comments that were perceived as offensive to Mexican immigrants.
New York Times contributing op-ed columnist Arthur Goldwag explored "the roots of his [Trump's] vast insecurity — his compulsive need to trumpet his wealth, his smarts, his popularity" by examining a story that Trump told to Howard Blum in 1980. Trump described a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge where politicians, who initially opposed construction, took all of the credit for the bridge, while the engineer went unmentioned for his efforts. Trump said, "I realized then and there that if you let people treat you how they want, you’ll be made a fool. I realized then and there something I would never forget: I don’t want to be made anybody’s sucker." From this story, Goldwag concluded that Trump puts his name on everything that he does because he does not want to be a "sucker," and his desire to not be a "sucker" is what appeals to his supporters. Goldwag wrote, "Mr. Trump’s angry certainty that immigrants and other losers are destroying the country while the cultural elites that look down on him stand by and do nothing resonates strongly with the less-educated, lower-income whites who appear to be his base." He concluded the article by stating that Americans will be considered "a bunch of losers" if Trump is elected.[24]
One of the goals of many of the articles that examine Trump's character is to understand why Trump appeals to many Americans, as Goldwag's article attempted to do. Citing a Google Consumer Survey sponsored by Echelon Insights, New York Times journalist Nate Cohn wrote, "half of his [Trump's] supporters said they liked him because of his authenticity, compared with 14 percent who mentioned a policy."[25]
New York Times reporter Jeremy W. Peters discussed Trump's obstacles with conservative voters because of his lifestyle and what seem to be his values. He wrote, "But Mr. Trump also faces a different and, in some ways, deeper divide with the social and religious conservatives so essential to the party he seeks to lead. For some of them, Mr. Trump’s Manhattan lifestyle, his celebration of decadence, and his lack of humility and religiosity make him seem alien to their lives and their values."[26]
Trump and the media
Discussion of Trump's media coverage and his relationships with certain members of the media appeared in 37 of the 250 articles that were collected and included the following topics: Trump's "war" with Fox News, Trump's campaign denying press credentials to media outlets that have insulted him and the quantity of Trump's media coverage. Although Trump has a difficult relationship with some members of the media, and the overall tone of Trump's media coverage has been negative, it has not hurt him in polls. Fox News reporter Howard Kurtz offered a possible explanation for this, writing, "Trump is a media master who knows how keep stoking a story by doubling and tripling and quadrupling down. And the press is now happy to play along for ratings and clicks, turning the campaign coverage into The Daily Donald."[27]
Fox News
On September 22, CNN reporter Brian Stelter discussed the ongoing "war" between Trump and Fox News, noting, "The Fox-Trump feuds almost have the feel of an on-again, off-again relationship."[28] The feud began after the Fox News Republican debate on August 6, 2015, when Trump criticized Megyn Kelly and the other moderators. During an interview on CNN, Trump said, "You could see there was blood coming out of her [Kelly's] eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever." After being criticized for his comment, "Trump's campaign said he meant Kelly's 'nose' when he said 'wherever,' and 'only a deviant would think anything else.'" Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch defended his anchors, tweeting: "Baier, Kelly, Wallace great job Thursday. Fine journalism, no more, no less. Friend Donald has to learn this is public life."[29]
On September 21, Trump once again attacked Fox News. He tweeted to Fox News' Bill O'Reilly: "Why don't you have some knowledgeable talking heads on your show for a change instead of the same old Trump haters," reigniting the Trump-Fox war.[28] Washington Post columnist Erik Wemple argued that Trump's tweets showed how "thin-skinned and petty" he is, and he also pointed to Trump's "hypocrisy." He wrote, "Whenever the chance arises, Trump enjoys boasting about the ratings success of his reality show "The Apprentice," even when he’s dead wrong. Speaking of ratings success, that’s what has defined "The O’Reilly Factor" for ages — it’s the No. 1-rated cable news show. And O’Reilly has gotten there by relying on, yes, a stable group of commentators. If Trump is really so tired of the 'same old Trump haters' on the show, surely he can find new ones on a competing network."[30]
Denying press credentials
On July 17, Ryan Grim, Huffington Post Washington bureau chief, and Danny Shea, Huffington Post editorial director, announced that coverage of Trump and his campaign would be included in the entertainment section, rather than the politics section. They explained:
| “ | After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, we have decided we won't report on Trump's campaign as part of The Huffington Post's political coverage. Instead, we will cover his campaign as part of our Entertainment section. Our reason is simple: Trump's campaign is a sideshow. We won't take the bait. If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette.[31] | ” |
CNN reported that Trump's campaign denied press credentials to Huffington Post reporters after the site started covering Trump in the entertainment section. However, Scott Conroy, the Huffington Post's senior political reporter, said that "when it's within the context of the broader campaign," Trump appears in the politics section. In the same article, it was noted that Trump started denying credentials to reporters from the Des Moines Register in July after they published an editorial that asked Trump to drop out of the race. Brian Stelter wrote, "From the Trump campaign's perspective, the Register's editorial and the Huffington Post's entertainment branding are examples of disrespect and unfairness."[33] According to Fox News, the editorial that ran in the Des Moines Register said, "Trump's comments were 'not merely offensive, they were disgraceful. So much so, in fact, that they threaten to derail not just his campaign, but the manner in which we choose our nominees for president.'...if '[Trump] had not already disqualified himself through his attempts to demonize immigrants as rapists and drug dealers, he certainly did so by questioning [McCain's] war record.'"[34]
Quantity of media exposure
On August 23, CNN reporters Brian Stelter and Lee Alexander discussed Trump's media domination, explaining that Trump had received the most coverage of any candidate on the nightly news shows. They also cited a study that examined how many times Trump and the other GOP candidates were mentioned on the New York Times' website between August 7 and August 22. "Trump led with 318 mentions, followed far behind by Bush with 180, Rubio with 115, Scott Walker with 105, and Christie with 84." They also noted that "Rather than saying that Trump is taking away oxygen from other candidates, [New York magazine columnist Frank] Rich said, 'my feeling is, he is the oxygen.'"[35]
On September 22, Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University and Washington Post contributor, discussed whether or not the media has played a role in Trump's high poll numbers. He wrote, "No doubt, the attention paid to Trump has been an easy way for him to get his message across. But also no doubt, Trump’s ascent in the polls makes him a very newsworthy story."[36] In order to understand whether the media contributed to Trump's success, Drezner suggested comparing Trump's media coverage to Bernie Sanders' coverage because, according to Drezner, they "occupy similar positions in each party’s race." He wrote that because Sanders is not generating as much media coverage as Trump, the media may be complicit in "creating [the] Trump phenomenon." However, he then wrote that the public is more interested in Trump, according to Google Trends, which supports the idea that the American public is interested in Trump and wants to read about him.[36]
Feuds & insults
Trump has found himself in quite a few feuds with other candidates—Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham to name a few. His feuds, the insults that he has hurled at other candidates and the ones he has received in return appeared in 29 of the 250 articles collected. Candidate feuds and insults were a major focus of 12 articles and were mentioned in 17 articles. Paul, Bush, Graham, Hillary Clinton, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Joe Biden and Carly Fiorina were all mentioned as being insulted by Trump, insulting Trump or engaging in a back-and-forth feud with Trump.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Trump commented on Fiorina's appearance. He said, "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!" When asked about his comments during an interview with Fox News, Trump said, "Probably I did say something like that about Carly. I'm talking about persona. I'm not talking about look."[37] Trump's comments about Fiorina's face or "persona" appeared in 11 articles.
While recapping and analyzing the CNN Republican debate, New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni described how insults have, at times, overshadowed the discussion of issues during the 2016 campaign. Bruni wrote, "But that substance had to muscle its way through the show business, by which I mean Donald Trump’s attempt to turn everything into an adolescent popularity contest and CNN’s willingness to reward that by filtering the entire evening through the prism of the Republican field’s proven ratings magnet: Trump, Trump, Trump. What did Trump think of something mean that someone else on the stage had said about him? What did someone else think about something nasty that Trump had said about him or her? Trump had insulted Jeb Bush’s wife: Discuss! Trump had insulted Carly Fiorina’s business career: Respond!"[12]
Washington Post opinion writer Dana Milbank argued that Trump's frequent insults could lead to the downfall of his campaign. Milbank wrote, "Trump can beat anybody in one-on-one insult spewing, but if his rivals — and conservative thought leaders generally — take him on consistently and jointly, voters will read their cues and Trump’s moment will end."[38]
The anti-Muslim question
During a campaign event in New Hampshire on September 17, a man asked Trump the following question: "We have a problem in this country. It's called Muslims. We know our current president is one. You know he's not even an American. We have training camps growing where they want to kill us. That's my question. When can we get rid of them?"[39] Trump responded: "We're going to be looking at a lot of things. A lot of people are saying there are bad things happening out there. We're going to be looking at that and a lot of other things."[39]
| "Trump fields anti Muslim question at town hall," September 17, 2015 |
After receiving criticism for not correcting the campaign attendee and telling him that President Barack Obama is not a Muslim, Trump tweeted: "Am I morally obligated to defend the president every time somebody says something bad or controversial about him? I don't think so!"[40]
Trump's response to the unidentified man who asked "when can we get rid of them [Muslims]" was the focus of 12 articles and was included in, but not the main focus of, 10 articles. Of the 22 total articles about Trump's comments about Muslims, the Washington Post accounted for 15 total articles. Trump's comments were the focus of seven and were mentioned in eight. Articles that included this moment on the campaign trail also discussed Trump's opinion about a Muslim being elected president of the United States, Trump's "birther" comments questioning President Obama's American citizenship and Ben Carson's comments about voting for a Muslim president. The articles also often included a comparison of how Sen. John McCain handled a similar exchange in 2008 while campaigning for president.
| "Trump discusses Muslim remark with '60 Minutes,'" September 22, 2015 |
In an attempt to clarify the confusion surrounding Trump's response to the question about Muslims, Washington Post national political correspondent David Weigel wrote, "But last week, when I asked the campaign what Trump heard from the supporter, spokeswoman Hope Hicks clarified: He heard the stuff about 'domestic or foreign training camps.' The befuddlement over what Trump actually heard and said bailed him out." Citing his comments about Mexico "'sending' a criminal element across the border," Weigel then argued that Trump's "gaffes" have not hurt him because voters are so confused by what he says that they "cannot agree on what mistake he made."[16]
The confusion about what Trump heard and his response resulted in Washington Post contributor Rula Jebreal writing, somewhat misleadingly, that "He’s taken populism to new depths, tacitly embracing a call to 'get rid of' all American Muslims."[41]
McCain comments
After Trump held a rally in Arizona where he discussed immigration, Sen. John McCain called the attendees "crazies."[42] Trump responded by calling McCain a "dummy" on Twitter.[43]
While speaking at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, on July 18, Frank Luntz asked Trump if calling McCain a "dummy" was appropriate. Trump responded by criticizing McCain's status as a war hero. Trump said, "He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured. ...Perhaps he's a war hero, but right now he's said some very bad things about a lot of people."[44][43]
| "Donald Trump Comments On John McCain at Family Leadership Summit," July 18, 2015 |
Trump later said that he called McCain a war hero four times, adding, "people choose selective pieces [to report]." PolitiFact called his statement "Mostly False." PolitiFact's Linda Qiu explained, "Trump literally said McCain is a hero five times, but never without caveats. Once, he added 'perhaps, I believe' before conceding the point. Twice, he was interrupted. And the last two times, Trump said, 'He is a war hero because he was captured.' In other words, Trump also chose 'selective pieces' and misquoted himself."[45]
CNN, The Huffington Post, Fox News and The New York Times all reported on Trump's comments about McCain. The initial comments and Trump's attempts to clarify his comments appeared in 21 articles. Ten articles focused on the comments and 11 mentioned or briefly discussed the comments. Fox News reported on Trump's comments the most, with six articles that focused on the comments and five that mentioned the comments.
The Huffington Post reported on July 18 that, in an effort to clarify his comments, Trump said, "If a person is captured, they're a hero as far as I'm concerned. But you have to do other things also. I don't like the job John McCain is doing in the Senate. He's not taking care of our veterans."[46]
Fox News then reported on July 21 that "Trump appeared to back off some of his comments Monday, telling Fox News' Bill O'Reilly that 'if there was a misunderstanding, I would totally take that back.' However, Trump also said he 'used to like [McCain] a lot. I supported him ... but I would love to see him do a much better job taking care of the veterans.'"[47]
On July 23, CNN's Alisyn Camerota asked a group of Trump supporters if they were offended by Trump's comments about McCain's status as a war hero. She received the following responses:[17]
- "'Don't forget McCain insulted the 'crazies,' which is a blanket insult,' Susan DeLemus said."
- "And Paula Johnson pointed out that some of Trump's supporters are also, veterans."
- "'Mr . Trump did say four times that McCain was a war hero and again,' Sean Van Anglen, a Republican, said, adding that 'the media and everyone is only playing that one clip.'"
- "And Jerry DeLemus, a veteran, said that Trump has an issue with McCain as a 'sitting senator,' not as a veteran. 'As a Marine ... we like guys who don't get captured, too,' he said. 'I don't think that he meant that as an insult to POWs or the military at all.'"
Similarly, Fox News reported that Trump's comments did not hurt his image with some Republican voters. One individual interviewed by Fox News said, "Trump talks like the rest of us and not some buttoned up cautious scared politician. Never afraid to take a stand. He said what he did to retaliate McCain's calling us the 'crazies'....which is insulting to many."[48]
Trump & the media: Personal insults
Trump's negative opinion of MSNBC, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, CNN, Fox News and Univision, among others, and their reporters is well documented on his Twitter feed. He called Washington Post reporter Chris Cillizza "One of the dumber and least respected of the political pundits."[49] According to Trump, Arianna Huffington is a "liberal clown," and New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin is "dishonest."[50][51] He criticized the "Ratings starved @CNN and @CNNPolitics," noting that they were not covering him "accurately." "Why can't they get it right - it's really not that hard!" he tweeted.[52] After the Fox News Republican debate, Trump tweeted: "I really enjoyed the debate tonight even though the @FoxNews trio, especially @megynkelly, was not very good or professional!"[53] His comments about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly were covered extensively, as was his exchange with Univision's Jorge Ramos.[54]
Some members of the media fired back with their own insults. In at least 30 of the 250 articles analyzed, Trump's character was insulted. In their efforts to denigrate Trump's character and his campaign, members of the media compared him to a variety of fictional villains, including Biff Tannen from Back to the Future, Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, the Green Lantern, the boogeyman and the "pied piper of intolerance." He was also compared to politicians who are known for being divisive: Joe McCarthy, Pat Buchanan, George Wallace, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (twice). New York Times contributing op-ed columnist Beppe Severgnini wrote, "The similarities between Donald Trump and Silvio Berlusconi are striking: Both are loud, vain, cheeky businessmen, amateur politicians and professional womanizers. Both have a troubled relation with their egos and their hair. Both think God is their publicist, and twist religion to suit their own ends."[55]
Trump's behavior, intelligence and appearance were criticized in a variety of articles, as the following examples demonstrate. Henry Allen, former Washington Post editor and reporter, opened his article about Trump by writing, "Nothing has surprised me about the rise and shine of Donald Trump. I saw it all before, 25 years ago — despite ugly behavior and demonstrated ignorance, people cheering for this combover bankruptcy acrobat to run for president."[56] Washington Post opinion writer Dana Milbank wrote that Trump was a "huckster" who sounded "buffoonish." He also called his facial expressions "clownish."[38] Huffington Post comedy editor Andy McDonald called Trump "a misogynistic, pompous buffoon."[57]
Trump's hair
When ABC News' Martha Raddatz asked Trump why he insults others, Trump said, "People are constantly attacking my hair. I don’t see you coming to my defense. My hair is just fine."[58] Is it true that people are "constantly attacking" Trump's hair?
Trump's hair was mentioned 22 times in the 250 articles analyzed, and 13 of those mentions were negative. New York Times contributing op-ed columnist Timothy Egan called Trump an "orangutan-haired vulgarian," and former Washington Post editor and reporter Henry Allen wrote, "His brand was tacky, and his hair was weird."[8][56] The Huffington Post reported that John Stewart said, "Donald Trump: the only presidential candidate maybe in history who looks like the back of a Shar-Pei brought to life by an enchanted wig."[59]
It is difficult to determine if the attacks on Trump's hair are "constant," but it is clear that his hair has been a frequent topic of discussion on the campaign trail.
The Trumptionary
In an article discussing Trump's media coverage, Fox News reporter Howard Kurtz wrote, "Let’s face it, Trump’s presidential candidacy is no longer a political story. It’s a cultural phenomenon. We’re all living in Donald’s world now."[27] And in "Donald's world" the media has created a special Donald-centric language to describe "The Donald" and his campaign. A selection from the Trumptionary appears below:
- Donaldcare: The healthcare policy that will replace Obamacare if Trump is elected.
- Trumped: A synonym for bested or defeated. One can be "Trumped," as in "he’s [Jeb's] been Trumped."[60]
- Trumpeters' or Trumpservatives: A group of Americans who support Trump's presidency. When writing about the "Trump Lovefest," Huffington Post editor Andrew Hart noted that Sarah Palin called people who support Trump 'The Trumpeters' or 'Trumpservatives.'[61]
- Trump-i-copter: A helicopter in which Donald Trump flies around.
- Trumpism: The New York Times provided readers with two definitions of "Trumpism":
- Trump-mentum: Trump's force in the presidential campaign gained by voters who support him.[63]
- Trump-ward: The act of moving forward with and supporting Donald Trump and his policies. The title of a New York Times article read: "Trump-ward Christian Soldiers."
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ The Washington Post, "How Donald Trump destroyed Scott Walker’s presidential chances," accessed October 11, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump," accessed October 11, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Donald Trump's 'blood' comment about Megyn Kelly draws outrage," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ CBS News, "Trump Gets Down to Business on 60 Minutes," accessed October 11, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 New York Times, "A New Stage but a Familiar Donald Trump: The Brawler," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Trump Isn't a Media Creation," accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Trump-ward, Christian Soldiers?" accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The New York Times, "The Anti-Trump Cometh," accessed October 13, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 New York Times, "Willing to Spend $100 Million, Donald Trump Has So Far Reveled in Free Publicity," accessed October 23, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Media thumps Trump, but polls show he's winning big," accessed October 11, 2015
- ↑ DonaldJTrump.com, "Positions," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 New York Times, "An Overdose of Donald Trump at the G.O.P. Debate," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Donald Trump, the Green Lantern Candidate," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 New York Times, "Why Donald Trump Won’t Fold: Polls and People Speak," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Fox News, "Trump stands by statements on Mexican illegal immigrants, surprised by backlash," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Washington Post, "Donald Trump and the political power of incoherence," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 CNN, "What voters like about Donald Trump," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Bonfire of the Assets, With Trump Lighting Matches," accessed October 21, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Tone it down? No way! Donald Trump needs to crank up the volume," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Miss Universe pageant declares the show must go on, but will anyone see it?" accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Donald Trump’s Shaky Grasp on Immigration," accessed October 21, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Meet The Members Of Donald Trump’s White Supremacist Fan Club," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ 'New York Times, "Why Latino Children Are Scared of Donald Trump," accessed October 21, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Putting Donald Trump on the Couch," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Donald Trump vs. the Party: Why He’s Still Such a Long Shot," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Donald Trump Finds Defenders and Detractors Among Conservatives," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Fox News, "All Trump all the time: How The Donald achieved media domination," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 CNN, "Donald Trump restarts war with Fox: 'Trump haters,'" accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Trump attacks Megyn Kelly: 'There was blood coming out of her eyes,'" accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "In sure signal he’s feeling heat, Trump lashes out at Fox News," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "A Note About Our Coverage Of Donald Trump's 'Campaign,'" accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ CNN Money, "Why Donald Trump is freezing out reporters at these two outlets," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Des Moines Register calls on Trump to drop out of 2016 race," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ CNN Money, "Just how much media coverage is Donald Trump getting?" accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Washington Post, "Regarding Donald Trump and the media . . .," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Donald Trump Insults Carly Fiorina's Face, Er, 'Persona.' Yeah, Her 'Persona.'" accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Washington Post, "The beginning of the end of Donald Trump?" accessed October 21, 2015
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Huffington Post, "Donald Trump Responds To Question From A Birther By Demonstrating That He Is Still A Birther," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Trump breaks silence on no response to Obama Muslim comments, says not 'morally obligated,'" accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Donald Trump is America’s Silvio Berlusconi," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Trump won't apologize to McCain, suggests backlash led by trailing GOP rivals," accessed October 23, 2015
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 Fox News, "Trump won't apologize to McCain, suggests backlash led by trailing GOP rivals," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Donald Trump On John McCain's War Record: 'I Like People Who Weren't Captured,'" accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ PolitiFact, "Trump: I called McCain a 'hero' four times," accessed October 23, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Here's How Donald Trump Defended What He Said About John McCain," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Des Moines Register calls on Trump to drop out of 2016 race," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Media still don't get Trump, freak out over attack on McCain," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ Twitter.com, "Donald J. Trump," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Twitter.com, "Donald J. Trump," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Twitter.com, "Donald J. Trump," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Twitter.com, "Donald J. Trump," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Twitter.com, "Donald J. Trump," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "First Draft Aug.25," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 New York Times, "What Italy Can Teach America About Donald Trump," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ 56.0 56.1 Washington Post, "I learned everything I needed to know about Donald Trump 25 years ago," accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "This 13-Year-Old's Donald Trump Song Speaks For An Entire Nation," accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Jon Stewart Wonders 'What The F**k Is Wrong' With Donald Trump," accessed October 11, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Jon Stewart Takes A Ride On The Donald Trump 'Crazy Train,'" accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Jeb and Hillary: Flawed front-runners generating little excitement," accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Sarah Palin Interviews Donald Trump For Trump Lovefest," accessed October 11, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Why Donald Trump Won’t Fold: Polls and People Speak," accessed October 11, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Congrats, America! Donald Trump Is Now A 2016 Presidential Front-runner," accessed October 11, 2015
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