Narrative or News? Six Months In, the Media Still Can’t Quit Trump Derangement Syndrome”

It’s been six months since Donald J. Trump returned to the Oval Office, and yet much of America’s mainstream media is still acting like it’s 2017. They’re shell-shocked, spiteful, and—most importantly—still incapable of reporting on this presidency without turning every press conference, executive order, or even menu item at a state dinner into a dire constitutional crisis.

You’d think after securing over 80 million votes in 2024 and flipping Nevada, Minnesota, and Virginia, the press would’ve learned a thing or two. But no. CNN’s still in mourning, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is back on nightly “Trumpocalypse Watch,” and The Washington Post can’t seem to decide if Trump is a dictator or a reality TV rerun. It’s like Groundhog Day—only angrier and with worse ratings.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t journalism anymore. It’s resistance cosplay dressed up as analysis.

Lawsuits, Settlements, and Selective Amnesia

You probably didn’t hear this from Lester Holt, but President Trump has scored several legal wins against media titans who tried to smear him in the run-up to the 2024 election. First came CBS and “60 Minutes,” who agreed to pay $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit—after a segment falsely claimed Trump intended to suspend the Constitution and delay the 2024 vote¹. CBS never issued a formal apology, but you could almost hear the teeth-grinding in Dan Rather’s voice when he called the settlement a “sell-out” to authoritarianism².

Then came Meta, ABC, and Disney—all paying out millions over claims tied to Trump’s social media bans, manipulated content labels, and network commentators accusing him of “inciting terrorism” during a policy speech on border security³.

Funny how none of that made the front page of The New York Times. Maybe because those papers were too busy fact-checking Melania’s garden renovation plans.

The “Wrong Kind” of Journalism

In a completely unprecedented move, the Trump administration suspended Associated Press access to the White House press room after they refused to use the president’s preferred term—“Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.” Ridiculous? Maybe. But let’s not pretend the AP didn’t play politics when they selectively leaked damaging stories days before the election and refused to walk back proven falsehoods⁴.

And don’t forget the launch of “White House Wire”—a direct-to-public news stream that pulls 57% of its content from right-leaning outlets and 44% from internal press teams⁵. Naturally, media critics pounced, calling it “state-run propaganda.” Yet when the Obama White House sent daily talking points to the press corps, it was called “message discipline.” Amazing how the definition of fascism changes based on who’s in charge.

Meanwhile, PBS and NPR lost their federal funding in May when Trump signed Executive Order 14290, citing long-standing political bias and taxpayer misuse⁶. The move sparked lawsuits from both networks, claiming First Amendment violations⁷. But let’s be honest: for years, NPR sounded less like National Public Radio and more like the graduate seminar from a Berkeley sociology department. You don’t need a red MAGA hat to see the double standard.

Sanewashing and the Narrative Factory

Media bias isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s subtle. In 2025, it often takes the form of “sanewashing”—a clever euphemism coined to describe how mainstream media dulls the edge off Trump’s policy language to make it sound more “reasonable,” even while condemning him⁸.

Here’s how it works: Trump says something bold, maybe even a bit brash. Media outlets rewrite it to sound like wonky centrism—then proceed to attack the rewritten version. It’s narrative manipulation dressed up as restraint. And it’s everywhere—from Axios to Politico to The Atlantic.

This new wave of media pretends it’s simply being professional. But it’s not professional to sanitize a president’s intent, then critique your own paraphrased version. That’s not reporting—it’s ventriloquism.

Parallel Media Universes

One of the sharpest trends emerging in 2025 is the creation of parallel information ecosystems. Trump’s team now operates its own digital news channel—Truth+, powered by a partnership with Newsmax. It features daily segments on policy, guest interviews with cabinet officials, and plenty of red meat for the base. And yes, it has an entertainment wing, too—America First comedy and lifestyle shows are in production as we speak⁹.

The liberal media’s reaction? Pure panic. They say Truth+ is brainwashing Americans. But where was this concern when Disney, CNN, and Netflix practically synchronized their anti-Trump messaging from 2016 to 2024? Oh, right. Back then it was called “cultural awareness.”

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times recently introduced AI “bias meters” for their op-eds to ensure ideological diversity. This came after weeks of internal complaints that editors were squashing any Trump-friendly commentary. Predictably, journalists protested again—this time saying AI was diluting editorial independence¹⁰. So when humans silence dissent, it’s fine. But when algorithms try to balance it? That’s Orwellian.

The War on Press Freedom—Or Just Consequences?

Let’s address the obvious rebuttal: “But Trump’s attacking the free press!” No, he’s attacking the biased press. Big difference.

The press is free to criticize the president. That’s vital in a democracy. But when it morphs into partisan warfare—cherry-picking stories, erasing corrections, calling border agents “stormtroopers,” or branding every policy proposal as authoritarian—it loses the moral authority of a watchdog and becomes a political actor.

And political actors, in a republic, don’t get immunity. They get scrutiny.

Former NPR ombudsmen, NYT editors, and even The Atlantic have admitted—quietly—that the press never figured out how to cover Trump without inserting their own fear, anger, or moral outrage¹¹. Well, six months in, and that confession still rings true.

Instead of learning from 2016 or 2020, many outlets doubled down in 2024—and lost again. And now, rather than recalibrate, they’re inventing new boogeymen: AI disinfo, “dark money” media platforms, or “algorithmic fascism.”

Here’s a simpler explanation: Trump won. And they can’t accept it.

Closing Thoughts: The Real Threat

The greatest threat to democracy isn’t Trump tweeting in all caps or banning CNN from Air Force One. It’s a media establishment that sees half the country as a threat, questions the legitimacy of any Republican victory, and refuses to cover this presidency with even a shred of intellectual curiosity.

We need a media that’s skeptical, not scornful. Tough, not tribal. And above all, honest—not about their opposition to Trump, but about their own ideological blind spots.

Because let me tell you something: if journalism doesn’t self-correct soon, more Americans will tune out the Times, the Post, and NPR—and they won’t come back.

---

ENDNOTES

1. TIME Magazine, “Trump-CBS Lawsuit Resolved with Settlement,” May 2025.
2. People Magazine, “Dan Rather Slams CBS over Trump Settlement,” May 2025.
3. CT Insider, “Meta, ABC, and Disney Settle Trump Defamation Cases,” May 2025.
4. Wikipedia, “Associated Press v. Budowich (2025),” entry last updated June 2025.
5. AllSides, “White House Wire: Bias Assessment,” June 2025.
6. Wikipedia, “Executive Order 14290 (PBS/NPR Defunding),” May 2025.
7. Times of India, “Why NPR Is Suing Donald Trump (Again),” May 2025.
8. The Atlantic, “Sanewashing and the Trumpification of Normal,” April 2025.
9. Washington Post, “Trump Launches Truth+ Streaming Platform with Newsmax,” July 2025.
10. The Guardian, “LA Times Reporters Rebel Over AI Bias Monitoring,” March 2025.
11. New Republic, “The Real Mainstream Media Bias Is Against Itself,” February 2025.

---

Trevor Anderson is a contributor for Direct Line News.  Trevor can be reached at Trevor.Anderson@mcgopclub.com

About The Author