Rod Thomson



The events in the above headline are not unrelated.

Once the literally “no news” two-year news cycle of Trump-Russia collusion ended with the thump of the Mueller report finding no collusion and not recommending any obstruction of justice charges, it turns out Americans are OK with President Trump. More than OK.

The Zogby Poll has Trump’s job approval at 51%, 3 points above Obama’s in the same poll at the same point in his first term.

Again, it cannot be said enough, this is after two years of media hyperventilating over something that did not happen.

Maybe more interesting: A majority of Millennials approve of Trump’s performance as President, which has been a huge GOP fear — that Trump would turn off young voters to conservatism for a generation. This may not end that worry, but it sure tamps it down. Further, Trump is winning back Hispanic, Independent, college educated and urban voters.

Rasmussen polls have already placed Trump above Obama at the same time in his term for awhile now.

This is astonishing considering the very friendly, to put it mildly, coverage of President Obama and the nakedly partisan coverage of Trump.

On that point, Trump’s approval ratings are giant leaps ahead of the media’s trust ratings. Maybe not apples to apples, but close. The Columbia Journalism Review, the most prestigious publication for and about the media, reports with surprisingly little verbiage (I think we know why) just how bad the problem is through a commissioned Reuters poll.

Here’s what they found: The media led all institutions for which the public has the lowest confidence. Nobody’s lower. And of all demographic groups, only Democrats expressed a positive confidence in the press. Gosh, I wonder why?

Here are the numbers, which an honest media look at and admit they have a severe bias problem: 42 percent of Democrats believe the media isn’t biased. But only 10 percent of Republicans said the same.

Reagan used to talk about going over the head of the media and talking directly to the American people. Because even then, the media bias was pronounced, albeit nothing like today. Now, it looks like the American people are going over the head of the media directly to reality.

All of this means that the attempt to bring down Trump through what is now demonstrably “fake news” has backfired magnificently. The media as constituted probably cannot recover legitimacy from it’s past 10 years combined of covering for Obama and making it up over Trump. Which is a shame, and shame on them, because the Fourth Estate is an important part of America.

Rod Thomson is an author, radio and TV commentator and former journalist, and is Founder of The Revolutionary Act. Rod also is co-host of Right Talk America With Julio and Rod on the Salem Radio Network.



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