Main question: how are the American media now dealing with Trump?

Jeff Zucker, the former CNN president, ruefully confessed after Donald Trump’s surprise election victory in November 2016: “We made a mistake. We probably broadcast way too many Trump rallies live.”

This insight is shared by the media experts. While the mainstream media disliked Trump, it gave him a lot of leeway because while he was bad for politics, he was good for business. Not only Fox News, but also CNN and MSNBC exploded in ratings thanks to Trump.

If the mainstream media hadn’t played Trump so big, he almost never would have moved to the White House. Reports went so far that the Trump jet could be seen on the runway for minutes, including the oversized decal. This free publicity worth hundreds of millions of dollars has not missed its mark.

Have the media learned from their mistakes? So far this does not seem to be the case. CNN on Wednesday aired a so-called Town Hall with Trump, a live interview that lasted 70 minutes and took place in front of a viewing audience that was largely fans of the ex-president. Chris Licht, the new strong man at CNN, wants to put the channel back in the political spotlight.

David Zaslav, CEO of CNN’s parent company, even described this town hall as “important to America” ​​- a very steep statement. CNN made a supposedly good choice with moderator Kaitlan Collins. Collins was a White House correspondent during the Trump era and stood out with persistent questions, so persistent that Trump stopped answering her questions.

It was of no use at all. In the TV format of a town hall with a friendly audience, Trump feels like a fish in water. Fueled by the laughter of his fans, he ruthlessly crushed Collins with a deluge of lies. Here some examples:

Trump is known to lie blatantly. What is new is that the ex-president is not afraid to plunge the US into economic chaos. He urges Republican lawmakers not to raise the debt ceiling, even if it would have catastrophic consequences. “I say to all Republicans, MPs and Senators, if you’re not promised huge savings, don’t concede,” he said when asked by the moderator.

In the 2016 election campaign, Trump was a political exotic who gave no one a serious chance of winning. He provided quotas, clicks and fun. Trump is likely to be the Grand Old Party’s presidential nominee again in 2024, but this time the situation is different for the media. They know that Trump should not be underestimated, that a serious economic crisis or a flare-up of inflation, for example, could make it possible for him to win the election again.

Given this situation, the question arises: Can the mainstream media give Trump so much space again? Can they invite him to shows where he can spread his lies uncontrollably? Will they rebroadcast his meetings with his effectively publicized private jet in the background?

In other words, are the media really so stupid or greedy as to confirm Lenin’s statement that the capitalists also sell the rope from which they are hung?

There is no doubt that a second term for Trump would be catastrophic and likely the end of American democracy. His example already sets a precedent. Also on Wednesday, New York Republican George Santos was charged with multiple fraud.

Santos is Trump’s clumsy brother. He has earned a reputation as the biggest liar in recent memory. Apparently, he also cheated on a massive scale. The indictment alleges that he misused campaign donations for personal expenses during the lockdown and received unemployment benefits, even though his income was more than $100,000 at the time.

Santos may be a bad copy of Trump, but he has the basics: despite the overwhelming evidence against him, he denies everything and presents himself as the victim of a political witch hunt. With success: the GOP leadership is not considering expelling him from the group.