Why Trump, fighting media hostility, is declaring war on fact-checkers

As the media’s negative onslaught against Donald Trump grows louder, it’s taking on fact-checkers.

What is fascinating about the coverage is that the journalists and organizations that do this are treated as prophets delivering the tablets from Olympus. There is no hint, not even a whiff, that they may sometimes be wrong or over-involved.

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In a new Gallup poll, 36 percent said they “didn’t trust the media at all,” while only 31 percent said they found the media to be fair and accurate a “great deal” or “a fair amount “. Distrust was much greater among Republicans than among Democrats.

Now skeptics will say that Trump tells a lot of falsehoods, some decisions are clear and it’s worth trying to hold him accountable. I know these people work hard, having done it myself, but sometimes fact checks are controversial in gray areas, or even because of something Trump said jokingly at a rally.

Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures at a campaign town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Penn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

I don’t even have to argue that Kamala Harris gets overwhelmingly favorable coverage. Now that he’s come out of his cocoon in light of the poll drops, sitting down with Fox’s Bret Baier today, he has a short period of time to break after wallowing. With Democrats in panic mode, he’s also ramping up his rhetoric against the former president. And we’re seeing an explosion of columns and segments about what Harris needs to do to turn his campaign around: free advice from the media.

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As the Washington Post notes, Trump complained about ABC’s fact-checking in his debate with Harris (when it seemed 3-to-1). And in rejecting “60 Minutes,” he cited the fact-checking show’s tradition. (He also took the criticism out on CNBC yesterday after pulling out of an interview.)

Trump visits the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 in Chicago, IL. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

If there is a moment that crystallizes media opposition to Trump, it is his appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists. The opening question was a rant about how he was a horrible racist, building up why black voters should support him. Harris’ appearance, by contrast, was practically a love fest.

Behind the scenes, there was a tense, hour-long standoff in which Trump refused to take the stage if there was a fact-check. When he finally took the stage, the group lied and blamed the entire delay on audio issues.

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How is it that Trump says things that trigger journalistic outrage, sometimes with incendiary language, but do not raise doubts among many Republicans? The New York Times offers this explanation:

“One of the most peculiar aspects of Donald J. Trump’s political appeal is this: Many people are happy to vote for him because they simply don’t believe he’s going to do many of the things he says he’s going to do…

Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University on October 13, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“It’s how they rationalize their rhetoric, giving them the reverse benefit of the doubt.”

A 40-year-old Detroit publisher was quoted as saying he didn’t believe Trump would purge the federal government and hire only election deniers: “It might just be for publicity, just to get the news out there.”

Whether Trump wins or loses, he will have the support of about half the country. In 2020, this rose to 73 million voters.

And yet most of the media, with a few exceptions, have never really understood the unbreakable bond between Trump and his supporters. Most tend to travel in circles where allowing it to be a “danger to democracy” is unthinkable. He has made inroads among black voters, especially black men, some of whom say Democrats make campaign promises and then forget about their community.

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Indeed, some pundits have dismissed Trump supporters as dummies or racists. This ‘basket of deplorables’ approach means they fail to understand how the country feels and what their legitimate grievances might be. It would seem that this would require a thorough reassessment of their views on America if Trump wins a second term, unless the media is not big on self-reflection.