Watching the news these days is to stare at a screen, confused, as the TV anchor shouts at the viewer, “Aren’t you mad about this tweet?!”
In the short time since President Trump was elected, and in the even shorter time since he was sworn into office, the public has been made to endure a parade of media obsessions that barely qualify as news and certainly aren’t scandals.
Since Election Day, Trump has saved hundreds of jobs in Indiana, convinced business CEOs to commit to new investments in the economy, started negotiations with foreign countries and signed a raft of executive orders to undo Barack Obama’s legacy.
There’s plenty to scrutinize there, but it’s Trump’s side gig as a culture commentator on Twitter that preoccupies journalists, who swear his murmurings about ratings for the new “Apprentice” are a looming threat to the republic.
After Meryl Streep wept over the election results at the Golden Globes this month, Trump on Twitter called her “one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood.”
Leaving aside that that’s objectively true, undermining an actress’s talent isn’t particularly consequential, even if it’s coming from the then-president elect.
But cable news was stacked with segment after segment analyzing why Trump would tweet that, what it meant and is this okay?!
They’re used to controlling the narrative.