Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Trump’s second term has seen overwhelming negative coverage, with 92.2% of evaluations of him critical, according to a recent study. By contrast, Biden enjoyed highly positive media coverage during his first 100 days.

As President Donald Trump celebrates his first 100 days back in the Oval Office, mainstream media outlets are awarding him nearly 100% negative coverage. According to analysis conducted by the Media Research Center (MRC), major news and commentary programs on ABC, CBS, and NBC have treated the 47th president to 92.2% negative coverage since January 20, compared to nearly 60% positive coverage of then-president Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office.

Out of 1,841 “explicitly evaluative statements” about Trump and his administration, MRC found that 1,698 were negative, while only 143 were positive. MRC’s analysis only included “statements from reporters, anchors and nonpartisan sources” and did not count statements made by partisan sources, such as Democratic or Republican elected officials who appeared as guests on news or commentary programs.

In 2021, ABC, CBS, and NBC provided Biden with 59% positive coverage during his first 100 days in office but devoted less time to covering Biden’s presidency than Trump’s. So far, the networks have dedicated 1,716 minutes of coverage to Trump’s second turn in the Oval Office and devoted 1,900 minutes to Trump’s first 100 days during his first term, compared to only 726 minutes of Biden coverage during his first 100 days. During Trump’s first term, 89% of coverage was negative.

Trump’s Negative Coverage Comparison

One difference MRC discovered between coverage of Trump’s first term and his second is the subject actually being covered. During Trump’s first term, news coverage focused largely on personal controversies, including the debunked allegation that Trump colluded with Russian operatives in order to win the 2016 presidential election.

This time, news coverage from ABC, CBS, and NBC has centred on Trump’s policies. Overall, the networks have spent nearly 1,200 minutes focusing on Trump’s management of the economy and tariffs, immigration, and deportations, downsizing the federal government, and global conflicts, compared to only 162 minutes spent on other “controversies.” For example, MRC noted that less than one hour total was spent on Trump’s comments about acquiring other territories, such as Gaza or Greenland, and less than a half-hour was devoted to his pardons for accused January 6 protestors.

The top Trump subjects covered by the mainstream media outlets over the past 100 days were tariffs, immigration, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The networks spent 361 minutes covering the president’s tariffs agenda, providing 93% negative coverage. Much of what little positive tariffs coverage there was came from guests or interview subjects, such as a steelworker and local union leader who was featured on an NBC Nightly News segment.

93% Negative Coverage of Trump’s Policies

Since January 20, ABC, CBS, and NBC have devoted 233 minutes of coverage to Trump’s immigration policies, also with 93% negative coverage. ABC only spent nine seconds admitting that Trump has brought down illegal immigration and secured the southern border, CBS spent 90 seconds doing the same, and NBC spent 110 seconds. Almost all the remaining coverage has been negative. MRC noted that much of the negative immigration policy coverage has consisted of “magnifying the criticisms of pro-immigration advocates or those here illegally themselves.” Ironically, during Biden’s first 100 days, the same networks devoted 115 minutes of coverage — 82% of which was negative — to immigration issues.

The networks have also spent a total of 310 minutes covering DOGE, particularly layoffs and downsizing, treating the subject to 97% negative coverage. The networks also focused extensively on former government employees allegedly laid off by the Trump administration, featuring nearly 100 negative comments from ex-government employees. MRC observed in its report:

“Obviously, those who have suddenly lost their jobs are going to have a negative opinion of those who have fired them. The networks’ heavy use of such sources during these weeks was an easy way to convey harsh editorial criticism of the DOGE cuts, rather than seek a true debate over the size and scope of the federal government.”

Trump’s administration officials were also not exempt from negative coverage. MRC noted that 82% of Trump administration coverage focused on the president and his policies, but the remainder blasted administration officials and allies like Elon Musk (96% negative coverage), Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (89% negative), and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (100% negative). The Trump administration’s use of a Signal group chat to discuss military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen also garnered 100% negative coverage, according to MRC.

Media Trust Declines Amid Negative Coverage of Trump

Americans’ trust in mainstream media has, over the past year, reached an all-time low. An October Gallup poll found that 36% of Americans do not trust mainstream “at all” and 33% do not have “very much” trust in mainstream media. Media insiders and experts alike have suggested that political bias is a significant factor in the declining trust in mainstream media. MRC found, for example, that mainstream media outlets were overwhelmingly biased in favour of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris against Trump in the lead-up to November’s election. Harris was given 78% positive coverage, while Trump was given 85% negative coverage.

In comments to The Washington Stand, FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter addressed the mainstream media’s crumbling credibility and fading relevance. “I think a big reason why Kamala Harris and the Democrats have failed to gain traction with voters in recent years is because they’ve been insulated from any critical media. They’ve relied on corporate media to be both their attack dogs and their shield from criticism,” Carpenter explained. He added, “This has allowed some of their public relations muscles to atrophy.”

“On the other hand, Trump — who has faced a uniformly negative press since 2015, survived multiple assassination attempts, and lawfare — has only grown stronger,” Carpenter continued. He observed, “If the corporate media refuses to moderate, they risk irrelevance. In fact, they very likely are already irrelevant.”

___

Republished with thanks to The Washington Stand.