Jennifer Rubin, a prominent columnist for the Washington Post and a regular contributor to MSNBC, has criticized the mainstream media for their portrayal of former President Donald Trump.
Rubin suggested that the media has attempted to normalize Trump, making him appear less threatening than she believes he truly is.
In a conversation with MSNBC host Ali Velshi, Rubin responded to Velshi's observation that viewers were increasingly reluctant to watch clips of Trump on their shows. Velshi suggested that Trump had been treated as a "quirky abstraction," rather than a potential threat to democracy.
Rubin agreed, stating, "I think two things are going on. One, this speaks to how badly the mainstream media has covered him. They have normalized him, they have cleaned up the rhetoric so he sounds in a clip or he reads in print much more coherent than he actually is." She added that it was only recently that the mainstream media had begun to report on Trump's "shocking totalitarian claims."
Rubin further criticized the media for their perceived failure to accurately portray Trump and his administration. "Because they have done such a bad job, because they have made an effort to treat the Republican Party like the Democratic Party, this notion that hes not so bad, that hes just kind of a cartoon character has set in," Rubin said.
Rubin also made a bold claim about Trump's supporters, describing them as part of a "fascist cult." She argued that their support for Trump was not rational or logical, comparing them to the followers of other authoritarian regimes.
Meanwhile, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow announced that the network would not broadcast Trump's speech following his projected victory in the Iowa caucuses. Maddow explained that the decision was not made out of spite, but out of a commitment to journalistic integrity. "There is a cost to us, as a news organization, of knowingly broadcasting untrue things," Maddow said.
Following his victory in the Iowa caucuses, Trump expressed his gratitude. "It really is an honor that, minutes after, theyve announced Ive wonagainst very credible competitiongreat competition, actually," Trump said. He described the victory as a "tremendous thing and a tremendous feeling."
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