You’d think the mainstream press would have learned a lesson or two after committing so many embarrassing mistakes in its effort to “get” Donald Trump and cover up for Joe Biden over the past eight years. But no. It’s already back to its old and terrible habits.
Shortly after the election, Vanity Fair published a story that led with this admonition to the press: “Every outrage and insult can’t be a five-alarm fire, as it’s critical for the media to stay focused on the most serious threats to America’s democratic institutions.”
Former New York Times editor Jill Abramson cautioned her colleagues to “watch and restrain headlines on stories that are needlessly hyperbolic or over-the-top negative.”
Brian McGory, former Boston Globe editor, said it’s “time to cover his actions and policies, his successes and his failures. To do it through as conventional a lens as possible, while not normalizing mayhem, and a willingness to acknowledge when things go well.”
But instead of heeding this advice, the mainstream press went right back to its frantic Trump-hating roots.
News stories assume the absolute worst about Trump. Reporters run with thinly sourced stories to attack him. They freak out about everything he says. Stoke panic at every turn. Endlessly predict doom and gloom. Play up astroturf protests. And studiously ignore whatever successes Trump does achieve. When context is needed, it’s ignored.
This makes it all but impossible for the average American to know what they can trust, or when there actually is something to be concerned about. When everything is a crisis, nothing is.
When rogue federal judges started routinely issuing universal injunctions against Trump executive orders, a practice that is legally suspect and was extremely rare until Trump showed up, the story wasn’t how these judges wildly overstepped their bounds, it’s that Trump was creating a “constitutional crisis.”
When an illegal immigrant from El Salvador (widely depicted as a “Maryland father”) is deported back to a maximum security prison in his home country, the press acts as though any American citizen could suffer the same fate.
When DOGE starts pruning the fantastically wasteful government and firing a few overpaid bureaucrats, the stories aren’t about the $2 trillion deficit that President Biden left Trump, but sob stories about laid-off workers and how “lives are at stake.”
When Trump decides to enforce Visa restrictions for foreign students in the U.S., the New York Times runs a story headlined: “Losing International Students Could Devastate Many Colleges.” Note the weasel word “could.” You could put anything after that.
Every soft economic number is shouted from the rooftops as a sign of a coming economic collapse. But when employment numbers come in higher than expected, or inflation lower than expected, it’s crickets.
The good news is that nobody seems to care. CNN asked the public something they’ve never done during a Democratic administration: Do you regret your vote? Turns out, nobody regrets voting for Trump or voting against Harris.
The public is far less dissatisfied with the direction of the country today – 52% say it’s on the wrong track vs. 64% a year ago, according to RealClearPolitics.
Our I&I/TIPP poll finds that the public overwhelmingly supports his actions on DEI, transgender sports, and border security.
Are we saying Trump has done nothing wrong? Of course not. We have already pointed out how the unfolding of his tariff plan has been a complete mess and that he’s losing the narrative on the economy.
The fact that Trump is deeply underwater on his handling of the economy should be a wake-up call to the administration that it so far seems unconcerned about, but which poses enormous risks to his term and the future of the Republican party. You’d never know that, amidst the constant screeching about how the sky is falling whenever Trump opens his mouth.
But what else can the mainstream press do? After having predicted the end of democracy and the rise of “fascism” should Trump be elected, or reelected, they have a vested interest in proving themselves right.
If that means distorting the truth behind recognition, sacrificing basic journalistic standards, undermining the safety and security of the country, driving their reputations deeper into the mud, so be it.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. 'Vladimir, STOP!': Trump Says He Is 'Not Happy' With Russian Strikes On Kyiv As Death Toll Rises - BBC
In an update on social media, President Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia's President Putin: "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!
Ukraine's President Zelensky earlier called the strikes - which killed at least 12 in Kyiv - "difficult" and "impudent." During a cut-short visit to South Africa, Zelensky said "more pressure" must be put on Russia to achieve a ceasefire.
2. Details Emerge On U.S. Peace Proposal To End War In Ukraine - TIPP Insights
President Trump’s “final offer” to end the war in Ukraine proposes a freeze of the frontlines in exchange for terms that critics argue amount to a surrender to Russian interests.
The U.S. has been circulating proposals around Europe which include the formal recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, a commitment to permanently bar Ukraine from joining NATO, and the lifting of sanctions imposed following the invasions of 2014 and 2022. In exchange, the White House is not offering Ukraine any security guarantees.
3. China Denies Any Suggestion It Is Currently In Talks With The U.S. Over Tariffs - A.P.
China said any notion of progress was as groundless as “trying to catch the wind.”
Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said during a daily briefing that, “For all I know, China and the U.S. are not having any consultation or negotiation on tariffs, still less reaching a deal.” China’s comments come after Trump said that things were going “fine with China” and that the final tariff rate on Chinese exports would come down “substantially” from the current 145%.
4. China To Lift EU Sanctions In Move To Repair Ties With Brussels - RFE/RL
China and the European Parliament are in the "final stages" of discussions about removing sanctions on its lawmakers as part of a move to open the door for mended relations between Beijing and the bloc.
The discussions to lift sanctions come as Beijing tries to make inroads against the backdrop of an unfolding trade war with President Donald Trump's administration. In the face of 145 percent tariffs from the U.S., China's largest export market, Beijing is now looking to improve relations with the European Union after years of strained ties with the 27-country bloc.
5. China’s DeepSeek Transferred South Korean User Info Overseas: Seoul Regulator - RFA
DeepSeek transferred user data to three companies in China and one in the U.S. between Jan. 15 and Feb. 15, 2025, when the service was temporarily suspended following privacy controversies, South Korea’s data protection watchdog - the Personal Information Protection Commission - announced.
With approximately 50,000 daily users during its one-month service period, the PIPC estimated that information from around 1.5 million users may have been improperly transferred overseas.
6. Israel's Netanyahu Calls Hamas 'Nazis' At Holocaust Memorial - D.W.
Commemorated both in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world, this year's Holocaust Remembrance Day started with a ceremony on Wednesday evening at Yad Vashem, the world's most well-known Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again echoed his comparison of Hamas members to "Nazis, like Hitler," who were responsible for the deaths of 6 million European Jews during World War II.
7. Iran FM Says Ready To Visit Berlin, Paris, London For Nuclear Talks - AFP
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he would be willing to visit Germany, France, and Britain for talks on his country’s nuclear program.
Tehran recently reopened nuclear talks with its arch-foe the United States, engaging in two rounds of mediated negotiations in Muscat and Rome, with a third slated for Saturday back in the Omani capital.
8. Trump Officials Signal India Trade Deal Is Near, Gasparino Reports - TIPP Insights
Fox Business Senior Correspondent Charles Gasparino reports that people inside the Trump White House are alerting senior Wall Street executives that a trade agreement in principle with India is close.
Details on timing are unclear, and Gasparino notes that similar signals were given previously in talks with Japan, only for terms to be later renegotiated. Sources say that the structure could serve as a template for deals with Japan, South Korea, and Australia.
9. Rubio Describes N. Korea As 'Nuclear Armed' Country - Yonhap
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s use of the expression is an apparent recognition of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons capabilities, despite the Trump administration's stated commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of the North.
Rubio used the expression in a podcast interview, as he pointed to a series of security challenges facing the United States, including those from China, Russia and Iran.
10. UN Watchdog Chief Says North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal ‘Completely Off The Charts’ - RFA
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has grown “exponentially,” and urged talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
“I have been saying that we need to engage,” said Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. “You cannot have a country like this which is completely off the charts with its nuclear arsenal,” he said at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S. thinktank.
11. Tensions Rise Between Pakistan, India - D.W.
India has suspended a critical water-sharing treaty amid saber-rattling with Pakistan. The move comes after a deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir, which India blames on militants it says are backed by Pakistan.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar challenged India to provide any evidence tying Pakistan to the attack that killed 26 people near the city of Pahalgam.
12. U.S. Has No Specific Currency Targets In Japan Tariff Talks: Bessent - Kyodo News
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States has "absolutely no currency targets" in its trade negotiations with Japan. The two countries aim to find some middle ground following President Trump's imposition of severe tariffs on imports.
Bessent's statement, making it clear that the Trump administration will not pursue specific foreign exchange rates in the talks, came a day ahead of a meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato in Washington, with currency policy likely to top the agenda.
13. DR Congo, M23 Rebels Reach Cease-Fire Agreement - UPI
The Presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced a cease-fire between its government and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.
The peace agreement followed talks enabled by Qatar. The truce, if successful could bring peace to eastern DRC, where 7,000 people have been reportedly killed since January.
14. You Need This Retirement Income Strategy That Works In All Markets - IBD
Steep market downturns expose weaknesses in retirement income plans. Retirees must ensure they have enough access to cash, unaffected by market swings, to pay their monthly bills.
The best way to build an income stream that can weather all financial storms is to plan in advance of retirement. Start three to five years out, says Lance Sherry, a wealth advisor at Kovitz. "Do regular cash-flow assessments a few years out, and stress-test it regularly to see if you've built up enough guaranteed income to weather the storm," said Sherry.
15. Cryptocurrency Campaigners Call For Swiss Central Bank To Hold Bitcoin - Reuters
Cryptocurrency campaigners have stepped up calls for the Swiss National Bank to buy bitcoin, saying the global economic turmoil triggered by President Trump's tariffs made it more important for the central bank to diversify its reserves.
Supporters launched a referendum campaign in December to change the Swiss constitution to require the SNB to hold bitcoin in its reserves alongside gold. Switzerland has emerged as a hub for blockchain and cryptocurrency innovation, with projects such as Ethereum founded in the town of Zug – dubbed "Crypto Valley".
16. UN Warns Of Rise In Vaccine-Preventable Diseases - D.W.
The WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi vaccine alliance said there has been a rise in diseases like measles, meningitis, and yellow fever. Funding cuts, misinformation and humanitarian crises have worsened the problem.
The joint statement was made at the start of World Immunization Week, which takes place from April 24-30. The statement said measles was making a dangerous comeback, with cases rising by 20% within a year to reach 10.3 million in 2023. This upward trend is likely to continue in 2024 and 2025.
