President Trump has expressed frustration about receiving “93 percent negative publicity.” This sentiment resonates with research from the Media Research Center, indicating that evening news on broadcast networks tends to skew about 90 percent negative monthly. So, how could this be? Well, it seems like, regardless of the actions or events surrounding the president or the nation, there’s always something negative highlighted by these networks.
This trend might convey the idea that “good news is no news,” or perhaps it just doesn’t capture the bigger story.
Take the Artemis moon mission, for instance. On April 1, ABC’s “Good Morning America” ran seven anti-Trump stories for over 15 minutes before touching on space news. They were particularly focused on claims alleging that Trump was trying to erode faith in the upcoming midterm elections by questioning the integrity of mail-in voting.
Later that day, after Artemis’s successful launch became clear, NBC’s Tom Costello offered a different perspective. He seemed hesitant to fully celebrate the U.S. achievement, stating, “We should be proud of what we’ve accomplished… not just as Americans, but as human beings.” Perhaps that’s true, but it felt a bit reserved coming from a network correspondent.
Then there was the rescue of an airman from Iran, which, I mean, is clearly great news. But during CBS’s Easter edition of “Sunday Morning,” out of the 4 minutes devoted to the Iran conflict, only 43 seconds highlighted this positive event, making up just about 18 percent of the coverage.
The bulk of the airtime featured Pentagon reporter David Martin presenting critiques of Trump’s threats against Iran’s infrastructure. For instance, former Obama aide Tess Bridgman argued, “We will destroy all power plants and threaten coercive action against civilians.” Martin also quoted former President Reagan advisor Elliott Abrams, who remarked that Trump’s message—wanting to align with the Iranian people—was misguided.
It’s rather striking to note that while the Easter edition of CBS’s “Sunday Morning” dedicated just a minute to the positive story of the rescued airmen, more time was spent underlining negative angles.
Indeed, the coverage of President Trump has been consistently negative, with the Iranian regime often receiving more favorable treatment. While networks discuss Trump’s punitive measures against Iran, they largely overlook the hundreds of protesters killed by the Iranian government prior to the war.
Trump’s Easter remarks about truth and society’s stance against Iran sparked outrage among journalists. His comment, “Open the strait [of Hormuz], or you will live in hell,” was particularly incendiary.
The following night, CBS’s Weijia Jiang presented an opposing perspective, citing a letter from over 100 international law experts who claimed that bombing power plants could be considered a war crime. Trump had dismissed such concerns, suggesting that negotiation was part of his approach.
While the media can easily find experts to label Trump’s actions as potential “war crimes,” it seems more challenging to locate similar voices condemning Iran’s human rights violations.
PBS interviewed one of the signatories of the letter, former military lawyer Rachel Van Landingham, known for her strong criticisms of Trump. She vehemently accused him of endangering U.S. military honor and committing indiscriminate attacks, calling for accountability over actions she described as war crimes.
When Trump announced a cease-fire on Tuesday, the media’s tone shifted. He even cheekily named it “TACO Tuesday,” a play on the liberal narrative of his perceived reluctance to engage directly with conflicts. It’s a strange way to frame military actions against Iran as “taunting,” yet it fits the narrative strategy of the networks.
The streaming service of CBS featured Financial Times commentator Robert Armstrong, who previously coined “TACO” to describe Trump’s negotiating style. It was meant as a humorous jab, which seemed to resonate in liberal circles.
Late-night shows were quick to mock as well. ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel remarked, “Everyone today thought their civilization would end, but it didn’t—a TACO Tuesday, indeed!”
In a similar vein to the Gaza cease-fire, the networks continued to propagate a negative narrative, emphasizing every “disruptive” element as proof of a chaotic ceasefire.
This recurring pattern of negativity is exhausting.
Even right after Trump was shot in 2024, media coverage remained resolutely negative.
It doesn’t seem to matter which direction Trump takes; it’s often perceived as wrong. Maybe that’s why he’s labeled the coverage as “fake news.”
This cycle never truly stops.
