Donald Trump has successfully harnessed the media’s narcissism, baiting journalists into obsessing over his attacks on the press as opposed to focusing on more substantive issues, comedian Jon Stewart has warned.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, the former Daily Show host berated the media for allowing Trump to “change the conversation,” replacing pressing issues with petty social media squabbles.
“I think that journalists have taken it personally, they are personally wounded and offended by this man. He baits them, and they dive in,” Stewart said. “What he’s done well, I thought, is appeal to their own narcissism, to their own ego.”
Stewart mimicked the media’s self-absorbed mannerisms, noting that when Trump lobs insults at the press, journalists respond: “‘We are noble, we are honorable, how dare you, sir!’ And they take it personally.”
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The media’s focus on being somehow personally wounded by Trump has had disastrous consequences for American political discourse.
“Now, he’s changed the conversation to not that his policies are silly or not working or any of those other things, it’s all about the fight and he’s able to tune out everything else and get people just focused on the fight, and he’s going to win that fight.”
The veteran comedian also pointed out that the media has a clear financial motivation to participate in what Amanpour described as a “daily Trumpfest.”
“You gotta’ make money to. You got bills to pay, man, you got electric bills, you got food.”
Donald Trump coined the now ubiquitous term “Fake News” during his presidential campaign, and has taken a particular disliking to CNN. According to Trump, a “large percentage” of media outlets are “the enemy of the people.”
READ MORE: ‘If Trump resigned, left-wing media bosses would be jumping out of windows’
Ironically, liberal-leaning outlets that vocally oppose Trump would likely be devastated if the president was forced out of office, media analyst Lionel told RT in a recent interview. Liberal journalists would be “jumping out of windows” if Trump left the White House, Lionel insisted, adding that the Left would become “like the parasites of a host that has died.”
“They love him so much!” he said.
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