Dan Abrams argued major media outlets can try to “restore credibility” by covering President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in a more balanced fashion than they have previously.
Abrams, founder of Mediaite, joined Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin on this week’s episode of Press Club to discuss everything from the end of his NewsNation show to Trump’s second term to the public’s relationship to a quickly evolving media landscape. Abrams said he’s ending his NewsNation show to focus on his numerous other media ventures, including Mediaite and Law&Crime.
On how media outlets should be covering Trump’s second term, Abrams said they need to “give credit” to Trump when he gets something right instead of being so open in their “hate” for a man that many cable news hosts openly branded a threat to democracy.
“I think that the media needs to try to restore credibility,” Abrams said.
He argued that Trump could have successes in foreign policy like the war in Ukraine or the Middle East and covering those topics will be a challenge for media outlets opposed to his presidency.
Abrams said:
There will be successes for this administration. They may have a very successful Middle East policy. I don’t know. Donald Trump may come in and the war in Ukraine may end because Donald Trump forces them to sit down or whatever. The media has to be able to not sit there and — they have to be willing, even the people who hate Donald Trump, if you want to be seen as a remotely fair broker, you got to give credit where it’s due. And that allows you to then also to criticize where it’s warranted.
Abrams argued earlier in the interview that some controversies surrounding Trump ended up being a “gift” to him, including the hush money trial in Manhattan where he was convicted on felony counts stemming from payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair. Trump continues to deny knowledge of the payments and insists the affair never happened. The trial received major coverage on MSNBC, CNN, and other outlets.
Abrams said there is a “Trump derangement syndrome” in some of the media where hosts and pundits are incapable to giving any credit to Trump because of their opposition to him.
The problem is the folks who just want to criticize because they hate Donald Trump so much. And I do think that there is a level of Trump derangement syndrome, people on the right use that term, I think there’s validity to that. I do think there is a level of Trump derangement syndrome among some that they are completely incapable of giving him credit for anything. And you want to restore credibility? Try and call balls and strikes. Give him credit when it’s warranted, recognize successes. I think that allows you then the freedom to criticize as well.
Watch above via Mediaite’s Press Club, which airs in full Saturdays at 10 a.m. on Sirius XM’s POTUS Channel 124. You can also subscribe to Press Club on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
