It started right after former President Donald Trump announced his pick for his running mate: Ohio's JD Vance, who is less than two years into his first term as a U.S. senator. Some of the reaction from media outlets included the following:
"He's unqualified. It's a singular issue" … "He is a radical authoritarian and Trump has picked him" … "He is now picking a vice president who has pledged 100% loyalty to the cult of Donald Trump" … "He would never stand for the Constitution before he would stand for Donald Trump."
Vance is young – only 39 – and known as much for his best-selling book and accompanying movie "Hillbilly Elegy" as he is for being a senator from the Buckeye State. He was a "Never-Trumper" in 2016 but says he changed his mind after Trump's first term. He's expected to follow Trump's lead on all policy matters – as is expected in a vice president – and that's what's got the media in a tizzy.
Republican strategist Tricia McLaughlin says she expects the name-calling. "'A radical authoritarian'? 'Bowing to the cult'? This is the exact kind rhetoric that is so central to the Democrats' message, to Joe Biden's message," she states.
But in this post-assassination attempt election season, she says the media needs to dial it back a bit. "That, again, leads to extremism like we saw on Saturday," says McLaughlin, "and I think Joe Biden needs to speak out against this."
Well … it's not happening
Less than two days after a bullet nearly took Trump's life, a testy encounter ensued on the convention floor between Donald Trump, Jr., and MSNBC reporter Jacob Soboroff. The journalist stuck a mic in the face of the former president's son – and it was on:
Soboroff: "Your father as president – I think you would even say – was a divisive figure. What's it going to look like in a second term?"
Trump: "I don't think he was a divisive figure at all. I think the media created divisiveness around him."
Soboroff: "I know immigration's important to him. I covered the family separation crisis closely. Will we continue to see policies like separating 5,000 children deliberately from their parents?"
Trump: "You mean the Obama administration?"
Soboroff: "You know they didn't do that, sir."
Trump: "Sure."
Soboroff: "Will there be a second family-separation policy?"
Trump: "It's MSDNC, so I expect nothing less from you clowns. Even today, even 48 hours later you couldn't wait – you couldn't wait with your lies and with your nonsense. So, just get out of here."
Donald Trump, Jr., then waved Soboroff off … and the interview ended.
Source of image above: MSNBC
