The press’s obvious effort to secure Donald Trump the 2024 GOP nomination is a classic case of “be careful what you wish for.” Major newsrooms may see the ratings and subscription boosts they enjoyed between 2015 and 2020, and for an industry that donates overwhelmingly to Democratic candidates, it probably doesn’t hurt to have someone as troubled, toxic, and legally tied up as Trump to run against the Democratic incumbent. However, another four years of President Donald Trump is not what the press wants.
Trump is no longer a circus act, performing hitherto unthinkable acts of political insanity for a captivated, shocked audience, including the press. He’s now a one-trick pony, just an older, more tired boor and loudmouth, obsessed with relitigating the 2020 election. The press is tired of it, in fact positively exhausted, despite their attempts to appear excited.
The public doesn’t want another four years of what the media dished out during Trump’s term. No one wants another four years of news cycles dedicated to how the president walks down ramps or how he drinks from a glass of water. No one wants another four years of members of the press tearing their hair out over Rose Garden remodels or how the president misspells words such as “hamburger” and “coffee.” No one except for Trump and his most loyal acolytes want this.
The New York Times recently gathered a group of its columnists and opinion writers and asked them the same boilerplate questions we’ve been asking since Trump announced his candidacy months ago. Many of the writers tried their best to say something interesting and original about the figure who has dominated every facet of the news industry for eight years now. With one exception, it amounted to nothing, as it has all been said and done. Originality regarding Trump has become nearly impossible.
Ross Douthat was the only one who had the moral courage to have a little fun with the exercise, to go where his colleagues didn’t dare to go for fear of appearing to be unserious thinkers. He was the only one essentially to admit, “Everything about Trump, including this exercise, is boring.” He was the only one unafraid to say the obviously correct thing we all feel and know.
Douthat’s contribution was laugh-out-loud funny and the only one that said anything of actual interest, with any wit or inspiration. The hard truth here is that the news industry, even though they’re eager for a Trump nomination because they think he’d be easy for Biden to beat, absolutely cannot manage another four years of the same nonsense. The press likely assumes another Trump presidency will be great for business. But the media may find themselves heading down the path to terminal, soul-crushing boredom, dragging any remaining viewers and readers with them.
