Unforgivable.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Donald Trump is a polarizing figure. (In other news, it gets hot in Texas in the summer.)
More than any recent president, Donald Trump evokes a visceral reaction among a large proportion of voters. Millions of people – disproportionately concentrated in coastal states – despise the man.
A big reason is his outsized, brash personality that is unlike that of any politician in our time. Since the 2015 escalator ride that kicked off his first campaign, we have observed his penchant for incendiary statements, insulting personal attacks and often outlandish exaggeration. To a significant degree, Donald Trump himself has contributed to much of the animus against him. (To be fair, many of these characteristics have been greatly muted in his second term.)
But for my money, one of the biggest and most consistent contributors to Trump hatred is the corrupt and fundamentally dishonest legacy media. Shrinking in size, scope and influence as the legacy media are, a meaningful percentage of Americans still rely solely on the likes of ABC, CBS, NBC, et. al. for their news. In the same way that the diet of a college kid is carb heavy, the news diet of a legacy media consumer is agenda heavy. Members of the legacy media almost to a person see it as their civic and sacred duty not to merely report on what Donald Trump does and allow readers and viewers to form their own conclusions. They see themselves instead as specially charged with saving the republic from him. Example: If Trump vigorously prosecutes attacks on Iran, the media says he’s a “war criminal.” If he extends a ceasefire, they say he’s a “TACO” (i.e. Trump Always Chickens Out.)
The once-trusted legacy media are using the last shards of the credibility they once enjoyed to intentionally and shamelessly lie about Trump, his policies and his accomplishments.
And there’s a key word: accomplishments. They are many.
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has essentially stopped illegal immigration. Not slowed it down. Stopped it. It’s a campaign promise kept.
Another campaign promise: energy independence. The president has unleashed the American oil & gas industry in way that is completely reshaping the world geopolitical landscape for the long term in America’s favor. (It’s worth noting that in times not so long past, a war in Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz wouldn’t have simply caused gas prices to go up, as has happened. There would have been gasoline lines.)
Some agenda-laden reporting to the contrary notwithstanding, very soon Trump will have completed the neutralization of a terroristic, nuclear weapons-seeking Iran – a regime that vexed seven prior administrations while holding the entire world hostage.
All of this while lowering the tax burden on every single American taxpayer.
There’s more, but space doesn’t permit.
The real knock on Trump boils down to this. The man has had the temerity to actually take on and solve problems that establishment politicians – of both parties – merely fundraise on.
In the realm of high-level Washington politics, that’s simply unforgivable.
Well said paul
I’m sorry that there are gullible target audiences who lap up any derogatory spin the media presents in an effort to be… original? Edgy? High-minded? We’re absolutely in the middle of 5th Gen WWIII and most of the voters lack the historical perspective to realize it. It is the height of info chic to decry a trusted institution now, and our enemies worked hard to achieve that. Tailgunner Joe was right.
I also can’t see the word”unforgivable” without hearing it in Nat King Cole’s voice.
Bravo! Love those pithy comments!
The actions of both Republican’s and Democrats reflect something Brit Hume said way back in the early 2000’s ( I think, could have been the 90’s). He was being quizzed by anchor who ask him about the Republican Convention and what Democrats were in attendance. Brit said something really interesting that made me perk up and really listen. He said, paraphrasing of course, that at both the Democratic and Republican Conventions were a mix of Representatives and Senators all yucking it up, black slapping, and going for drinks afterwards. Said the “conflicts” we see on t.v. were not there, at all. It was more of a Fraternity atmosphere than an adversarial one. So, what do we make of that? They are ALL in bed with each other? Hey, you guys can score one for the next month or two and they we get to counter and blast you all; on and on. I cannot stand Congress and We The People allowing them to make careers out of their terms. Term Limits need to be in place in the worse way.
Now President Trump comes along and blows up this “Good Ole Boy and Gal” Fraternity\ Sorority with name calling and exposing them both for who they really are. No wonder they hate him; but I don’t.
For a few years, my wife and I wrote for Paul Harvey ABC News. We all remember his “Rest of the Story”. The rest of the story today is that we have a president who may be the greatest in Americal history. He’s not “playing president”. It’s for real, and this is “The Rest of the Story”.
We’ve certainly never had a President like this one. He doesn’t “wear the suit.” He wears the coveralls.
And it’s really sad that so many low information voters don’t see him in the same light as we do.
The greatest leaders ever have not been swayed by public opinion. They are attempting to change the course, so opposition is inherent. They don’t force you to follow, but convince you their direction is the best. They act accordingly to accomplish the job, though not always correctly. If public opinion is used to shape battle plans, you end up with Vietnam style results. Politicians are concerned about politics. Donald Trump is NOT a politician but is a leader. Politicians are always looking toward the next election. Every decision is analyzed to affect the results of the power grab, and not on what is best for the country. They want to abolish the filibuster, impeach anyone eligible, and influence voter interactions with gerrymandering and propaganda campaigns. They will never suggest term limits as a solution to anything!
Know I’ve said it before Paul, but think this is your best. While I hate all the things you described about Trump and “almost” didn’t vote for him because of it, but thanks to my son, I held my nose and did. I’m glad I did as I believe in results and in my lifetime, I don’t recall any president producing anywhere near the results this man has. When I’m on the road, I’m tuned to KTBB and at night, I watch Fox News, but occasionally will watch ABC News. It’s not so much what they say, it’s what they don’t say. When you take out the commercials, it’s only around 15 minutes and even that is not all news. If there is anything that Trump did that day that was good, you wouldn’t know it as they report it in a way that the average viewer will think otherwise. To hear their take on Iran, Trump and Hegseth are war criminals and should face a firing squad before sundown. Like you said, a large portion of our population only gets their news from the MSM and when they don’t report news honestly, the country suffers. Again, great article and as usual, I forwarded it to friends and family in Georgia so they too will be informed.