A Question for Trump Supporters

What do you want from journalists?

What is it that Trump supporters want from the media? Not what they say they want — but what they really want.

Do they simply want fair play as they claim — something they often don’t get from partisans in the liberal media? Or do they want something more?

I suspect Trump loyalists, especially the MAGA faithful, don’t really want fairness so much as they want compliance … loyalty to President Trump. They were outraged when they concluded (rightly) that liberal journalists were too chummy with President Biden (or Barack Obama before him). But now, it’s somehow OK for journalists to be chummy with President Trump? How does that work?

Journalists aren’t cheerleaders — or at least we’re not supposed to be. When I took on liberal journalists for misleading the American people on Joe Biden’s mental state I was one of the good guys. When I wrote about liberal bias in the mainstream media, I had their admiration and support. But when I challenged Donald Trump … that’s when I became one of those journalists Trump supporters wanted to throw over the side.

Actually, I understand (up to a point) the frustration. From the time he came down that escalator at Trump Tower to announce his candidacy for president, liberal journalists haven’t even tried to hide their disdain for Mr. Trump. The press went too far in one direction and now Trump loyalists figure fair is fair — it’s reasonable that they balance things out by tilting (more than mere tilting, actually) in Mr. Trump’s favor.