The Media Has a Trump Problem

When the Fourth Estate folds under pressure, democracy doesn’t just wobble—it breaks

I never thought I’d have to write this. Not like this.

Not after spending my life in newsrooms that—despite their flaws—still believed in something bigger than any one man. Something called truth.

But here we are.

And the reality is this: the media, as we once knew it, is slipping into the hands of Donald Trump.

Not just figuratively—literally. From network executives to high-profile anchors to the boardrooms of major conglomerates, Trump’s influence is everywhere. He’s not just shaping the narrative—he’s buying the microphones.

What’s happening in front of us is a hostile takeover of the Fourth Estate, with Trump sitting in the executive chair—or the executive throne—grinning.

His orbit now includes media moguls, tech billionaires, and power brokers who are trading journalistic integrity not just for profits, but for political influence, favorable coverage of their own companies, and narratives that align with their increasingly conservative leanings. It's not always about ratings. It’s about control.

Meanwhile, media executives and producers—the ones making daily editorial calls—are trading integrity for clicks, access, and ratings. They know the formula: stir the pot, book the loudest voices, chase the viral moment. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it keeps the ad dollars flowing.

But it’s not journalism.

And this isn’t hypothetical—it’s happening in real time.

ABC News reportedly settled with Donald Trump after George Stephanopoulos referenced a judge’s statement that Trump’s conduct amounted to “rape” in the common sense of the word. Trump sued. ABC paid $15 million to his presidential library and covered his legal fees. All over semantics.

That’s not accountability—it’s surrender.

At CBS, there’s talk that the fallout from a 60 Minutes interview could derail the sale of its parent company, Paramount Global. That’s not editorial judgment. That’s a business deal muzzling journalism.

Even the Associated Press—nonpartisan and respected—was recently denied its usual access in the White House press corps because it refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” The AP stuck to the facts. But facts don’t matter much in a world where obedience buys you a seat in the room.

When corporate consolidation meets political intimidation, the public loses. And truth becomes collateral damage.

Not all journalists are complicit. Many are doing what they can under extraordinary circumstances. There are still reporters digging, editors pushing back, producers quietly risking their jobs.

But let’s be honest: in the back of their minds, they’re asking a question no one should have to ask in a democracy—

Will this story get me fired? Will this question make me disappear?

They’ve seen what’s happening to university presidents, students, and activists who dared to speak out. Rounded up in broad daylight. Deported without due process. No hearings. No headlines. Just gone.

These same pressures make it far too easy for producers to book guests who are there to argue, inflame, and go viral. It’s a desperate, unoriginal ploy for attention. And while the audience is distracted, democracy is eroding in the background.

Here’s what really gets me: the bar is now so low that the bare minimum of pushback is considered brave. A slightly tough question? A polite follow-up? Suddenly, that reporter is trending for “doing their job.”

It wasn’t always like this.

I remember when Sam Donaldson stood in front of President Reagan and kept firing. I remember Helen Thomas sitting in the front row—fearless, unbothered, and unafraid. They didn’t care about staying in the good graces of power. They cared about truth.

They got into good trouble. And they knew that was the point.

The First Amendment doesn’t exist to defend access. It exists to defend truth. To protect tough questions. To safeguard journalism that makes the powerful uncomfortable.

If we lose that—if we lose the press—we don’t just lose a profession.

We lose part of our democracy.

That’s why more and more Americans are turning to independent media—platforms and voices free from corporate pressure or political influence. They’re not perfect. But they’re not owned. And right now, that matters more than ever.

I’m writing this because I love journalism.

Because I believe in it.

Because I refuse to let it be swallowed up without a fight.

And because someone has to say it out loud.