MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin criticized the mainstream media for normalizing Donald Trump and downplaying his rhetoric.
She asserted that the media’s failure to report on Trump’s shocking claims and their attempts to treat the Republican Party like the Democratic Party have contributed to this normalization.
Additionally, Rubin labeled Trump’s supporters as part of a “fascist cult.”
“People don’t even want to watch clips of Donald Trump on our shows,” MSNBC’s Ali Velshi said.
“Well, I think two things are going on. One, this speaks to how badly the mainstream media has covered him. They have normalized him, they have cleaned up the rhetoric so he sounds in a clip or he reads in print much more coherent than he actually is. It’s only very recently that the mainstream media has been reporting on his really shocking totalitarian claims. But of course, he’s been this way all along,” Rubin said.
“And I think because they have done such a bad job, because they have made an effort to treat the Republican Party like the Democratic Party, this notion that he’s not so bad, that he’s just kind of a cartoon character has set in. And that’s on the mainstream media, that’s on the failure to be honest and to side with truth rather than having this false balance,” she said.
“Let’s be honest, there are a lot of them, but a lot of them does not mean that they are behaving logically or rationally. To the contrary, we’ve seen in other fascist regimes, that millions of people, sometimes even a majority of the country, becomes intoxicated with an authoritarian figure, and these people are utterly irrational,” she said.
Rachel Maddow also mentioned that MSNBC would not air Trump’s speech live, stating that broadcasting his “untrue” statements hurts the network’s brand.
“The reason I’m saying this is, of course, there is a reason that we and other news organizations have generally stopped giving an unfiltered, live platform to remarks by former President Trump,” Maddow said. “It is not out of spite, it is not a decision that we relish, it is a decision that we regularly revisit. And honestly, earnestly, it is not an easy decision.”
“But there is a cost to us, as a news organization,” Maddow said, “of knowingly broadcasting untrue things. That is a fundamental truth of our business and who we are. And so, his remarks, tonight, will not air here live. We will monitor them and let you know about any news that he makes.”
After winning the Iowa caucuses, Trump expressed his honor and gratitude for the victory.
“It really is an honor that, minutes after, they’ve announced I’ve won—against very credible competition—great competition, actually,” Trump said.
“It is a tremendous thing and a tremendous feeling.”
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