Rep. James Clyburn (Ds.C.) on Friday took a page from President Trump’s playbook and took the media account for a downward shift in Democrats’ approval ratings.
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi pointed to his recognition of the lack of a message from Democrats as a reason for the decline in voter belief in the party, particularly following the huge losses in the 2024 election. Clyburn pushed back the concept and instead turned his fingers to the news organization.
“I think the message from Democrats is a good message,” the South Carolina Democrat told the “The Last Word” host Friday night. “The problem we have is we have to rely on the media to provide it.”
He pointed to criticism of the Washington Post and its relationship with owners Jeff Bezos and Trump as an example.
“If there’s, for example, there are other media entities who fall into this aspiring dictator, pushing the narrative that turns to newspapers and television and don’t actually make fair hearings or reporting what we’re doing,” he added. “
His comments come as the vote shows a downward surge in approval from the party.
A CNN survey released in mid-March found that the Democratic Party’s favorable rating received a record-breaking rating. In the poll, 54% of respondents said they viewed the party as a general disadvantage, while 29% said they disagreed. 16% had no opinions.
A subsequent poll released by Harvard Caps/Harris later last month gave similar results.
Despite his criticism of the media landscape, Clyburn praised Versi’s reporting.
“I have to resort to people like me,” he said in the clip. Emphasised by MediaIte. “You do a great job with this, so I like to come to your show on weekends.
He said, “But when there are people who say we’re not going to fact check, we’re going to worry if you’re telling the truth, and we’re just going to let the report out there, that’s what kills us as Democrats.
Scrutiny by lawmakers in news organizations is similar to Trump, and Trump has also avoided his attacks on public broadcasters and outlets that the president says are particularly critical of him.
The latest examples include the White House feud with the Associated Press, his lawsuit against CBS News over a “60-minute” interview with former Vice President Harris, and pressure on Congress to strip the federal funds from NPR and PBS.
