Sure, Trump's news conferences aren't perfunctory or cautious. But they are a stream of ignorant lies and pompous bragging from an uninformed narcissist. This business failure should be challenged on his constant lies and ludicrous policy notions, don't let him get away with this. He's assuming most Americans are uninformed, enraged, racist, sexist, and fascist, and it's terrifyingly looking more and more like he's right. This fascist must be stopped, or America is doomed.
7
Trump is obviously a hands on CEO, basically a control freak, so why isn't anyone asking what does he plan on doing with his businesses if he's elected President? We've never had a true businessman, at least in modern history, elected President. Modern Presidents put all their stocks and financial holdings in a blind trust. Will Trump do the same? How come we don't know this by now? Instead of falling for his name calling tricks the media has to nail him on business questions. His plans from building the wall to taxing imports do not make business sense. Make him accountable for his statements in business terms and people will soon see that he's full of hot air. PT Barnum knew how to attract people, put on a good show and make a quick dollar, but he would have made a horrible President.
9
I wrote earlier but the more I think about this article, the more steamed I become. My digust with the NYT —a resource I have read and trusted for decades—for publishing such drivel as this, is growing.
This piece was not even worthy of "tabloid" status, yet it got big play. (Slow news day?) It made no ovservations and produced no insights into this phenonema that anyone not living in a cave doesn't already know full well, whether they support him or revile him.
I am beginning to suspect that all media, the NYT included, is becoming increasingly "Fox-ized"—baiting its readership into an emotional digression of style and away from substance and analysis—exactly HIS tactics.
Americans by now are either willing to overlook or embrace his disgusting antics or are gagging on yet another media salute to the surreal theater of Trump's absurdist hyperbole. Enough already.
This piece was not even worthy of "tabloid" status, yet it got big play. (Slow news day?) It made no ovservations and produced no insights into this phenonema that anyone not living in a cave doesn't already know full well, whether they support him or revile him.
I am beginning to suspect that all media, the NYT included, is becoming increasingly "Fox-ized"—baiting its readership into an emotional digression of style and away from substance and analysis—exactly HIS tactics.
Americans by now are either willing to overlook or embrace his disgusting antics or are gagging on yet another media salute to the surreal theater of Trump's absurdist hyperbole. Enough already.
10
Until he comes clean and answers real questions with real answers that can be checked for accuracy, the media should boycott this circus. He is dragging down the media along with the rest of our democratic institutions. Media who go along with it and don't howl in protest are complicit.
5
I will put aside my criticisms of Barack Obama, who of course I do not support because those of us in the Black Community who respect our racial heritage never will. Let's talk about the press.
I attended my fourth White House Correspondents Dinner last April. Putting aside the horrible standup comedy routine, what struck me as I surveyed the room was that I was in a huge ballroom at the Washington Hilton with the President of the United States and every major news media outlet's best and brightest.
I didn't see one human being who works for a news organization in America that would qualify as a competent, mature, honest, or even decent human being. I saw (and as a Black lawyer in Washington DC who has vetted and seated his fair share of people for jury trials) a room filled with 40 somethings dressed and acting like college freshman, 30 somethings trying to impress the 40 somethings, and 50 somethings ogling 20 somethings.
I didn't see a serious journalist. Anywhere.
So America, when you read these whiny, scathing critiques in the NYT about how the press gets treated, please recall something my grandma once said:
"You get treated how you act."
I attended my fourth White House Correspondents Dinner last April. Putting aside the horrible standup comedy routine, what struck me as I surveyed the room was that I was in a huge ballroom at the Washington Hilton with the President of the United States and every major news media outlet's best and brightest.
I didn't see one human being who works for a news organization in America that would qualify as a competent, mature, honest, or even decent human being. I saw (and as a Black lawyer in Washington DC who has vetted and seated his fair share of people for jury trials) a room filled with 40 somethings dressed and acting like college freshman, 30 somethings trying to impress the 40 somethings, and 50 somethings ogling 20 somethings.
I didn't see a serious journalist. Anywhere.
So America, when you read these whiny, scathing critiques in the NYT about how the press gets treated, please recall something my grandma once said:
"You get treated how you act."
1
A portent of the spectacle driven media frenzy to come! It appears corporate media has given up even a show of analysis and critical reporting to inform the citizenry. This is as very sad piece of glitz.
2
I ask one thing from the media. I will not ask you to do your jobs. I will not ask you to engage the Trumpeter on his lack of policy or lack of knowledge of the issues. I will not ask you to negage him on his Mafia connections or multiple bankruptcies.
I will however ask you to ask him repreatedly about his tax returns. When I have applied for jobs in the past, I have been asked for my tax returns. I have been fingerprinted and had background checks done. I have been asked for letters of reference and permission to speak to former employers. And you know what? I wasn't trying to become the leader of the free world.
So let's get some transparency. Have Hillary release all her emails too. I keep hearing Americans describe this as "The Greatest Democracy in the World." Well, it is time we start living up to it.
As long as we keep talking about the Donald's hair and his stupid TV show, we are never going to have a serious debate about the challenges this country faces. The Donald would love nothing more. After all this clown actually appeared in the WWF.
I will however ask you to ask him repreatedly about his tax returns. When I have applied for jobs in the past, I have been asked for my tax returns. I have been fingerprinted and had background checks done. I have been asked for letters of reference and permission to speak to former employers. And you know what? I wasn't trying to become the leader of the free world.
So let's get some transparency. Have Hillary release all her emails too. I keep hearing Americans describe this as "The Greatest Democracy in the World." Well, it is time we start living up to it.
As long as we keep talking about the Donald's hair and his stupid TV show, we are never going to have a serious debate about the challenges this country faces. The Donald would love nothing more. After all this clown actually appeared in the WWF.
4
Riveting? You mean revolting? Wretched? Repulsive?
9
What if he gave a new conference - and nobody came?
p.s. I've stopped reading "news" articles about Trump - I just opened this one to make my suggestion.
p.s. I've stopped reading "news" articles about Trump - I just opened this one to make my suggestion.
5
In Chauncey DeVega's potent essay on Sunday’s Daily Kos titled "Sociological Imagination, Racism and Donald Trump" an excavation of what is going on in the hearts of the Great White American Man in The Age of Obama, he also derides the media for the curious absence of the more clearer prerogatives of Trumps 'Jedi-kraft' over these voters. Mr. DeVega writes, that the presence of this type of Times article's obtrusiveness and how it glorifies the "Trump-thug-licans" without also engaging at what lies beneath other reasons Trump has become the Iron Giant is unsettling. The ‘Trump-thug-licans’ with their emotions riled and unable to think clearly due to epistemological challenges makes this cover story unreadable. The nation is close to succumbing to Trump-it is. What is the purpose of journalism if not to dissect the innards of a man evoking such malice for the "other”? Das Volk never really want to hear it, do they? This article could and should be in People Magazine. Trump is the emblem of White Animus. It's so simple. As simple as the title photograph of this article where I imagine 'Big Daddy' coming up the stairs of the Veranda to mount the catafalque, then he winks at Mammie and takes his Virgin Mint Julep from the awaiting hands of his darkie footman and then to shout to all the whirring cameras and MSNBC microphones: "It's gonna be beautiful!" Enough of this man please! Let him pay for his own advertising. Basta!
12
Unless reporters challenge every single blatantly false utterance by this charlatan at the time it is uttered, they are not doing their jobs.
8
Donald Trump's campaign pseudo-news conferences are a joke, a spectacle to enhance his already bloated ego, empty of real content, a joker's cruelty masked as relevance in a circus of make-believe nonsense. This is a dangerous clown, not subject to any accountability, a flip-flopper shaming even the proudly displayed Romney's inconsistencies. If yo are looking for transparency, for honesty, for a modicum of decency, for basic knowledge of essential facts in politics and the workings of the world, please stop wasting your time...and look elsewhere. Although demagogues abound, this one has earned a 'high mark' in that department. As to his adoring fans, and some partisan hypocrites hoping for a piece of the pie (potentially, at least), they must be deluded if they thing he can deliver on his empty rhetoric of grandeur, delirious as it may sound. Loud bull, vulgar noise, twitter attacks to hide his own incompetence, won't cut it. Wake up people, and stop a soon-to- derail train from disaster. Trump is not interested in anybody but himself, and his "my way or the highway" capricious and unpredictable behavior is a 'killer' of this, by now, battered democracy of ours.
7
Hey thanks New York Times for giving that jerk so much press....That alone may get him elected.
Why not practice a little restraint...surely there are a millions of other issues that are more worthy of your front page.
Why not practice a little restraint...surely there are a millions of other issues that are more worthy of your front page.
6
Isn't it ironic that in a time when capitalism has run amok and become a caricature of itself that we have a candidate for President who routinely runs amok and is a caricature of all caricatures. Yes, he is entertaining and isn't that equally fitting for us, consummate consumers that we are. I am frightened to think of the possibilities for American debt and bankruptcies such as Trump takes on so cavalierly in his own dealings. I hope that this is not the kind of presidency that we "deserve," and am terrified that this is the kind we might get.
5
We clicked on this story, so the Times is pleased with its coverage of the Presidential campaign. The duty to inform seems to end at that moment, as advertisers applaud.
4
I have read through all of the posts so far. The general opinion here is summed up by this comment: "Please, stop showcasing this freak." The NYT is guilty of pandering to the ugliest representative of our embarrassing national shallowness because it makes their bottom line sing. That is just as cynical and disgusting as anything Trump is doing to promote his brand.
6
I understand that the giant media entertainment corporations make their living selling ad space, and the bigger the draw, the bigger the return.
But entertainment is not the reason the press gets First Amendment protections. They are privileged in order to inform.
Let's start hearing journalists challenge Mr. Trump for every false statement he makes. That should be about 90% of the man's utterances. The media is largely responsible for Trump's rise. Let's see if it can hold his feet to the firs as they would for any other presidential candidate.
But entertainment is not the reason the press gets First Amendment protections. They are privileged in order to inform.
Let's start hearing journalists challenge Mr. Trump for every false statement he makes. That should be about 90% of the man's utterances. The media is largely responsible for Trump's rise. Let's see if it can hold his feet to the firs as they would for any other presidential candidate.
6
As Les Moonves, CEO of CBS, admitted, Trump has been a profit center for media businesses whose old business models have been melted down by the Internet. Trump is attention-grabbing content, that costs virtually nothing to produce or cover, Who cares if Trump "news" conferences resemble Saturday Night Lives skits -- it's great entertainment. Unfortunately, as Neil Postman noted 30 years ago in "Entertaining Ourselves to Death," this kind of show is very bad for the health of most Americans. In the unlikely case, Mr Trump wins, he may, probably unintentionally, trigger wars (trade and military) and economic instability. But, I guess, that's the price we pay for really great show. I just wish that the showrunner of this one didn't have an obvious personality disorder and that the US population felt reliably secure to be immune to his appeal.
3
It is exactly the media's opinion that Trump's gross self-promotion is "riveting" that is the problem. The media feeds Trump's narcissism, and he feed yours. Shame on you for giving this wheel - which is grinding us all down - another spin.
3
Great. A photo-essay on Trump's "show". Ah yes, Trump. The "anti-establishment" candidate who in another article is boasting about the depth of his connections to Wall St. A show indeed. In the most utterly fantastical sense of the word. His poor supporters...Wait, I mean rich supporters? Ah, why bother.
1
Donald Trump brings the Republican electorate to their feet with a farcical belligerence and ferocity that he perfected as a Reality TV star. But why would any self-respecting voter want to elect Trump who has made a mockery out of the presidential campaign. Here is a candidate whose vulgar behavior is a disgrace to all Americans. Here is candidate who has used racist epithets to characterize Mexican immigrants as murderers and rapists. Here is a candidate who is so ignorant about fundamental economics that he thinks he can use his bankruptcy experience to give US bond holders a “haircut”.
He has made hundreds of statements that should disqualify any candidate for the presidency. When are millions of people going to realize he offers no real hope of improvement to their lives, only to his bottom line. When are they going to realize we need a leader and not a fast talking salesman to run our government. An uncontrollable Donald Trump in the White House would be a threat to the economy, world peace.
An extreme narcissist with a bad temper cannot be trust with the nuclear trigger.
He has made hundreds of statements that should disqualify any candidate for the presidency. When are millions of people going to realize he offers no real hope of improvement to their lives, only to his bottom line. When are they going to realize we need a leader and not a fast talking salesman to run our government. An uncontrollable Donald Trump in the White House would be a threat to the economy, world peace.
An extreme narcissist with a bad temper cannot be trust with the nuclear trigger.
7
And Trump calls Hillary Clinton an enabler? Why do revered journalists and news organizations continue to buy into their own manipulation by a master showman and marketer?
Reminds me a little of a statement attributed to Alice Roosevelt Longworth, "I never vote. It only encourages them."
The Times and others aren't encouraging Trump -- they are egging him on to greater heights (depths?) of fantasy politics. The problem is that this fantasy can have dire real-world consequences.
Ask yourselves, "What would Cronkite do?" and then do your jobs and stop chasing the shiny object.
Reminds me a little of a statement attributed to Alice Roosevelt Longworth, "I never vote. It only encourages them."
The Times and others aren't encouraging Trump -- they are egging him on to greater heights (depths?) of fantasy politics. The problem is that this fantasy can have dire real-world consequences.
Ask yourselves, "What would Cronkite do?" and then do your jobs and stop chasing the shiny object.
4
When you're a certifiable narcissist who meets all the psychiatric criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), it's always "all about me" 24/7 whether you're wallowing in self-promoting grandiosity with the the "big, beautiful wall" that you're going to construct on Mexico's peso, or building yourself up by knocking others down like Sen. John ("No Hero") McCain or Mexican "rapists,"or showing no empathy as with the recent crash of an Egypt Air plane [Disclosure: I'm a Professor of Psychology]. As the Twitterwit might Tweet, "WYSIWYG"--a cold-hearted, con-artist who manages to turn everything and everyone he touches, including himself, into Trump Trash. And, of course, it works as the media like deer in the headlights is so transfixed by all the arrogant and outrageous fantasy being spewed out of this big-mouthed bigot that they fail to see the truly insecure and unstable Disturbed Donny behind it.
9
A "riveting display," we might add, only for the members of the all-too-gullible media, who are simply incapable of taking a critical, substantive stance with what Trump puts before them. Indeed they are unable to resist just about any of the material he offers (the Versaille-like podium illustrating this article is a case in point). We seem to be witnessing a stunning systemic failure at present. An entire discipline—journalism—unable to offer its audiences any kind of critical mediation of the candidates in this election cycle.
Drool on.
Drool on.
5
Now is the time for the print and TV press to stop acting as if they are on the Trump payroll and get busy asking the necessary questions. Trump has had softballs lobbed at him since the beginning and it is high time that he get grilled and badgered like anyone who wants to be POTUS should. No more fearfulness and making nice. The time has come to get real. Let the sycophants (we all know who they are) be sycophants. However, no more softballs for Trump from the real journalists. Trump wants the most powerful office in the world and he should be closely and unceasingly examined. Why not start with the ties to the mob which David Cay Johnston has written about? Where's the tax return?
5
"Mob ties"? Yeah, I want to know. This is all beginning to smack of the cover-up by the Catholic Church clergy raping children. Over and over, for years, the victims tried to get press coverage and the press blew them off..... until they no longer could help hide the criminals. Then the story broke - and the cover-up.
New York Times: sooner or later all these tiny leaks on who this loonie is are going to break into a deluge. You have a choice: do it now before he is elected or do it later after he has blown up any of a dozen countries that he has sneered at. You and the Republican Party need to remember: There are consequences for helping to elect someone who is mentally unstable.
New York Times: sooner or later all these tiny leaks on who this loonie is are going to break into a deluge. You have a choice: do it now before he is elected or do it later after he has blown up any of a dozen countries that he has sneered at. You and the Republican Party need to remember: There are consequences for helping to elect someone who is mentally unstable.
2
Carnivals are always a lot of fun. Suckers.....
4
If the media would ask the hard questions about the issues that the American people need to know about before they vote and demand answers that make sense, instead of just the spewing of words, then perhaps a news conference would make sense, otherwise, why bother?
5
We've seen them for the past year, so please, no more "reporting" about Trump's antics. (Though the one positive I can come up with is that it 'feeds the beast', encouraging Trump to behave all the more his natural showman and not a candidate with substance.)
4
Surprise, surprise. We stage a two-year-long campaign cycle, and the best showman wins the votes of the TV-only crowd who are registering and voting for the first time. (His own family wasn't even registered in time to vote for him in the NY primary. What does that tell you?) He outlasts his competitors. He thrives on competition, so if "news" reporters hand him the election, we'll learn what kind of competition he'll get the USA into in his first 100 days. War? Trade? It's all the same to Drumpf. Otherwise, he'll be force to resign from boredom.
Please INVESTIGATE this candidacy as is your responsibility as members of the Fifth Estate. PLEASE. Stop with the polls-only reportage- that ISN'T news!!!
Please INVESTIGATE this candidacy as is your responsibility as members of the Fifth Estate. PLEASE. Stop with the polls-only reportage- that ISN'T news!!!
8
Those so-called news conferences often had Trump talking forever, praising himself on and on, and then when a reporter eventually got in a question we, the TV viewers, could not hear the question. There was no real two-way communication. These events depended on Trump's own engineers to set things up so that reporters could be heard. Or not? Remember, the word "government" shares the same root as the word "cybernetics" -- and both require reliable feedback and, in short, Open Society values. Trump is an egomaniac, untroubled by accurate feedback and Open Society institutions ... like genuine news conferences.
5
How long has it been since Hillary Clinton participated in a live press conference?
1
"How long has it been since Hillary Clinton participated in a live press conference?"
Or spoke in a rally with large numbers? Yesterday Sanders was in Irvine, CA drawing 13,000+ people and went to Santa Monica, Ca for another rally introduced by Dick Van Dyke.
Or spoke in a rally with large numbers? Yesterday Sanders was in Irvine, CA drawing 13,000+ people and went to Santa Monica, Ca for another rally introduced by Dick Van Dyke.
Yesterday, 5/23, before the S.E.I.U.. The day before that she was interviewed on Meet the Press, something the Donald is too afraid to do, because they'd ask him real questions and he doesn't have answers.
2
Members of the media, just do us this one simple favor: Every time Trump says something untruthful, point it out. Every time he changes positions, point it out. Say, "Actually, the correct number is..." Or, "A month ago, his position was..." Put that information in every single news story when it is warranted. You may sound like a broken record, but please, just do it. Otherwise, you're reporting lies. And as we all know, untruthful statements, if not challenged, eventually become accepted fact, so you would actually be complicit in brainwashing the American public.
10
I read this "report" with skepticism, hoping to find the punchline somewhere. There was none.
Here were tons of large photos and a classy, impressive important-looking layout—all free, glamorous publicity for someone who has nothing but loathing for you. Your mild jabs at his style and clever manipulations are to him like affectionate invitations to a shared insider laugh.
Even while recognizing his manipulativeness, you have yourselves been suckered into a puff piece to a contemptuous and contemptible man who will spin this straw into gold. Good job NYT.
Have you lost your collective minds?
Here were tons of large photos and a classy, impressive important-looking layout—all free, glamorous publicity for someone who has nothing but loathing for you. Your mild jabs at his style and clever manipulations are to him like affectionate invitations to a shared insider laugh.
Even while recognizing his manipulativeness, you have yourselves been suckered into a puff piece to a contemptuous and contemptible man who will spin this straw into gold. Good job NYT.
Have you lost your collective minds?
10
Some of the biggest sidekicks and props in Trump's candidacy have been the media, who have been breathlessly and endlessly fawning over every burp and fart he has emitted since last June.
Our mainstream media has been falling down on the job when it comes to Trump. Every statement he makes is re-broadcast or written up without any correction, contradiction, or rebuttal. It has been a gross mix of advertisement, bombast, branding, infotainment and lies.
To the media, and to the American people, this is the Presidency we are talking about. This is not a joke. This is the most serious and important position in our nation. Donald Trump has no more right to be a serious Presidential candidate than do the Kardashians.
I thought my opinion of the mainstream media couldn't have fallen lower than it did during their lapdog years of the George W. Bush administration. It turns out that I was, sadly, wrong. When it comes to Trump, our nation's journalists are little better than star-struck scatterbrains pawing for an autograph and a selfie.
Our mainstream media has been falling down on the job when it comes to Trump. Every statement he makes is re-broadcast or written up without any correction, contradiction, or rebuttal. It has been a gross mix of advertisement, bombast, branding, infotainment and lies.
To the media, and to the American people, this is the Presidency we are talking about. This is not a joke. This is the most serious and important position in our nation. Donald Trump has no more right to be a serious Presidential candidate than do the Kardashians.
I thought my opinion of the mainstream media couldn't have fallen lower than it did during their lapdog years of the George W. Bush administration. It turns out that I was, sadly, wrong. When it comes to Trump, our nation's journalists are little better than star-struck scatterbrains pawing for an autograph and a selfie.
5
Trump is responsible for his inconsistency & his vulgarity. But it's the reporters who are responsible for turning news conferences into absurd spectacles. Without obsequious reporters, politicians like Trump (and, for that matter, Cruz or almost any of the former GOP candidates) might be doing something useful for a living, instead of seeking glory & profit by pandering to the public's ignorance.
7
Is there any way that media, particularly the Times, could find some perspective when it comes to reporting on Trump? I'm sick to death of seeing his bulldog-like face on the front page. Every. Single. Day. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm completely bored of him. And the media that's over-covering him as well. It's like the news media, including the Times (which I expect more from) has a one-track-mind. Is it too much to ask for some moderation? A broader perspective? It seems to me that in the grand scheme of things, he's really just one small man in a great big world.
4
Replace every instance of the string "Trump" in this article with the string "Obama" and it would be just as accurate. Obama with his Greek columns and "I am the change you seek" pioneered a new era of narcissism in politics. At least Trump is honest about it.
Using "Trump" and "honest" in the same sentence--now that's funny!
4
You're joking, right? Are you equating a reality show host and businessman (with inherited wealth) with a serious and thoughtful (like him or not) public servant?
4
Why does the Times continue to play in Trump's hand covering this non-news?
7
Is THAT not what Trump is all about? SPECTACLE? The GOP asked for it. They got it. The American voters are left with just that - spectacle.
4
Members of the media, just do us this one simply favor: Every time Trump says something untruthful, point it out. Every time he changes positions, point it out. Say, "Actually, the correct number is..." Or, "A month ago, his position was..." Put that information in every single news story when it is warranted. You may sound like a broken record, but please, just do it. Otherwise, you're reporting lies, an untruthful statements, if not challenged, eventually become accepted fact.
8
Which Nazi was it that said, "Repeat a big lie often enough and everyone will buy it"?
I'm sure that DT knows the answer.....
I'm sure that DT knows the answer.....
2
At least now every member of the political media can say with certainty that they know exactly what it feels like to be a fiddle, as Trump has played them all as such for the better part of a year. And what a disquieting spectacle it's been!
12
I am not reading this: please stop the advertising. Even in an article about the Clintons and Kenneth Starr's belated acknowledgement of the "unpleasantness," the writer featured Trump.
13
Thank-you. Even when it's not about Trump, it's still all Trump all the time. And most of it is devoid of any substance.
11
To a degree, the media, pundits etc. have been steamrollered by Trump. They treat him with a mixture of revulsion for what he represents and articulates, and astonishment that he's getting away with it. Much of what they've dealt with is his style, his showmanship. They should now turn to the substance of what he says and what he stands for.
For example, the media has spent a great deal of time analyzing Sanders' various proposals on health insurance, wages, education. They're still talking about Clinton's e-mails and her "likability".
It's time to do he same with Trump. They know there will be no wall, no mass deportations, no ban on Muslims entering the US. Those are all essentially lies. And it's their obligation to reveal that, and more, to the voters.
For example, the media has spent a great deal of time analyzing Sanders' various proposals on health insurance, wages, education. They're still talking about Clinton's e-mails and her "likability".
It's time to do he same with Trump. They know there will be no wall, no mass deportations, no ban on Muslims entering the US. Those are all essentially lies. And it's their obligation to reveal that, and more, to the voters.
24
It is true that the media created Trump for their own financial gain. CBS President Les Moonves said Trump may be bad for America but he is good for CBS. As long as news broadcasts and Reality TV comedy shows are indistinguishable, Trump will flourish
3
The "media" is kissing-cousins to the "vast right-wing conspiracy" that's been out to get Clinton for 20-30 years. Bernie gets a fairer-shot because he's male. Ditto for Trump. Put Trump in a skirt and his name would be Michelle Bachman or Phyllis Schlafly and he'd get just that much press.
2
Every time I see Trump headlined here there and everywhere, I think of all the free advertising he is getting and the glee he is experiencing. Couldn't you hide him on page 16 or elsewhere?
16
Favorite thing about this election: Clinton has a serious credibility problem because she is overly-guarded and leaves a huge amount unsaid in her answers to tough questions, while Trump is seen as "telling it like it is" when he answers literally every question with fabrications, lies, insulting innuendo, non-answery filibusters, or outright wrong assertions.
Oh, wait, did I say 'favorite?' I meant to say that it makes my blood boil.
Oh, wait, did I say 'favorite?' I meant to say that it makes my blood boil.
17
How sad that so many lament Trump's "showmanship" as a descent into something base and low.
What he does is actually reminiscent of what true democracy and senate debates once looked like. Of course many are ignorant of this history, but Thucydides, Xenophon, Plato, Tacitus, Livy, Polybius and others would have found Trump to be quite recognizable. That we no longer have the likes of Demosthenes, Phocion, Cleon, Alcibiades, Nikias, Cicero, and Crassus to rhetorically wow us and do battle with one another on a stage - for all to see - is democracy's loss.
It's the new kabuki theater of Clinton's scripted, focus group tested pablum that represents a descent into something bad for democracy and truth, not Trump's approach.
What he does is actually reminiscent of what true democracy and senate debates once looked like. Of course many are ignorant of this history, but Thucydides, Xenophon, Plato, Tacitus, Livy, Polybius and others would have found Trump to be quite recognizable. That we no longer have the likes of Demosthenes, Phocion, Cleon, Alcibiades, Nikias, Cicero, and Crassus to rhetorically wow us and do battle with one another on a stage - for all to see - is democracy's loss.
It's the new kabuki theater of Clinton's scripted, focus group tested pablum that represents a descent into something bad for democracy and truth, not Trump's approach.
1
Trump does not debate, he does not speak the truth--he rants. He loves to hear the sound of his own voice. There is nothing resembling democratic discourse at his rallies, or in this "news conference." This is nothing more than gathering the press together to listen to an egomaniac spew garbage. To even mention him in the same paragraph as some of the greatest orators in history is ridiculous. Trump is the candidate willing to destroy democracy in the US to satisfy his own ego. If he should win, I would not be surprised if he decides four years is not enough for his greatness to reign, he will elect himself president for life. And the press and the public will acquiesce.
5
Does this seem reminiscent of Leni Riefenstahl's 1935 film "Triumph of the Will"? Lights, crowds, the whole thing. That didn't turn out so well, I believe.
9
I hear he is hiring Spike Lee to document his rise.
This monster was conceived by the devil and birthed by the media, and now you and the other wet nurses -- CNN, Fox, etc. -- are clutching his horned head to your breasts. It is sickening to watch. Have you no shame?
28
Stop. No really just STOP. Please resist the urge to give this buffoon more coverage than he requires. He's playing you (the media) for the chumps you are.
38
Maybe its just me (a Black lawyer in Washington DC) but I do not understand why the steady erosion of journalism standards at the NYT and throughout the establishment media is Donald Trump's fault.
The petulant, faux hipster, nerd class that now controls what we in America receive as news are unable to deal with blunt truth, accountability or anything that requires them to do an honest days work. Trolling the internet or digging for trash to sensationalize isn't political news that anyone can use.
Tell us about how the candidates feel about poverty.
Their plans to create jobs.
Which candidate will get America out of Obama's quagmire in the Middle East?
You know, actual news?
The petulant, faux hipster, nerd class that now controls what we in America receive as news are unable to deal with blunt truth, accountability or anything that requires them to do an honest days work. Trolling the internet or digging for trash to sensationalize isn't political news that anyone can use.
Tell us about how the candidates feel about poverty.
Their plans to create jobs.
Which candidate will get America out of Obama's quagmire in the Middle East?
You know, actual news?
23
That would be Bush's quagmire. But you knew that.
6
Have you ever submitted a post that does not mention that you are a Black lawyer in Washington, D.C.? You could save time and characters by simply putting the adjective at the front of your posting name. Just a thought...
3
Blind hatred of President Obama has drawn many to Donald Trump despite their background. Such hatred makes it impossible to be objective and analytical.
5
Trump is conning the "poorly educated" financially impoverished, as well as the highly educated, media elite.
20
OMG make it stop.
"Donald J. Trump has turned the campaign news conference, typically a dreary affair, into a riveting display of self-promotion."
What? Riveting? Why is the Times diving into the cesspool of worst possible media "news" coverage head first?
Who CARES about his attempts to bamboozle with a spectacle?
Riveting?? As if he gets and A+ for effort? As if he is somehow on top of this? Shrewd showmanship?? Did I really just READ that? Shrewd for who?
Maybe you guys can focus on writing some REAL news for a change? How about a deep dive into his actual POLITICS?
"Donald J. Trump has turned the campaign news conference, typically a dreary affair, into a riveting display of self-promotion."
What? Riveting? Why is the Times diving into the cesspool of worst possible media "news" coverage head first?
Who CARES about his attempts to bamboozle with a spectacle?
Riveting?? As if he gets and A+ for effort? As if he is somehow on top of this? Shrewd showmanship?? Did I really just READ that? Shrewd for who?
Maybe you guys can focus on writing some REAL news for a change? How about a deep dive into his actual POLITICS?
34
None of this is funny. We're talking about a candidate for president of our country who's a narcissistic buffoon and pathological liar. I can understand that people are frustrated with a wide range of issues, but turning to a spoiled brat is not the answer.
I'm worried that the frustration on the Democrat side will undermine our chances to derail Trump. I cast my absentee ballot for Sanders (yes, I know they don't get counted unless it's close, but still ...), and I'm not happy with the opaque primary rules, but the idea that I would not support Clinton is lunacy.
I can only hope that American progressives remember that in November.
I'm worried that the frustration on the Democrat side will undermine our chances to derail Trump. I cast my absentee ballot for Sanders (yes, I know they don't get counted unless it's close, but still ...), and I'm not happy with the opaque primary rules, but the idea that I would not support Clinton is lunacy.
I can only hope that American progressives remember that in November.
18
Ok NYT, I get it, you just can't help yourself. You just had to provide more free advertising for the Trump train wreck, top of the fold, center page. I have pretty much sworn off reading anything more to do with this spectacle of a grown man who is incapable of any self awareness, or embarrassment, or his endless need for praise and attention. That he is a contender for the office he seeks, is too ghastly to fathom. Please, stop showcasing this freak. That you continue to feed this journalistic slop to your readers is shameful. You bear a great deal of blame for his success thus far, all in the name of $$ clickbait - again, shame on you. It's not funny anymore, it's not interesting, it's a waking nightmare.
22
[[But it is not the entire truth. Mr. Trump and his team have mocked and ejected reporters who violated their unwritten rules.]]
Hillary Clinton and her team herded reporters like cattle. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150704215653-clinton-ropes-m...
Hillary Clinton and her team herded reporters like cattle. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150704215653-clinton-ropes-m...
"herded reporters......"
Your characterization only. You are making something out of nothing. If you hate the GOP and the Dems equally, then vote third party, or write in someone, but don't play juvenile games.
Your characterization only. You are making something out of nothing. If you hate the GOP and the Dems equally, then vote third party, or write in someone, but don't play juvenile games.
7
So it is all a show? And NY Times is playing its dutiful part in the show?
The complete Kardashianation of the polity, of everything that is America actually, is almost done.
I wonder what happened to "All the News That's Fit to Print"
The complete Kardashianation of the polity, of everything that is America actually, is almost done.
I wonder what happened to "All the News That's Fit to Print"
40
This is a legitimate article, and you have a right to decry it, but making silly statements about the NYT is just that.
It's getting to be "All the News printed to Fit"
1
For years now we've had a political circus act. Shut down the government. Lie about everything. Stand on rubble with a megaphone.
Now we have a reality TV showman who finds it is just what he does best.
Blame the showman, or the politics that have become a Jerry Springer Show?
Who turned our system into the Jerry Springer Show? That happened before Trump. It was in full bloom during the impeachment of Clinton. It was like that when "boxers or briefs" was a popular question that got an answer.
Now we have a reality TV showman who finds it is just what he does best.
Blame the showman, or the politics that have become a Jerry Springer Show?
Who turned our system into the Jerry Springer Show? That happened before Trump. It was in full bloom during the impeachment of Clinton. It was like that when "boxers or briefs" was a popular question that got an answer.
19
"Who turned our system into the Jerry Springer Show? '
There is a lot of media that doesn't do this. Your focus is way off. You also have made this point endlessly. Why?
There is a lot of media that doesn't do this. Your focus is way off. You also have made this point endlessly. Why?
1
Yep. The cigar years.
1
"...frequently riveting spectacle of self-promotion and media manipulation" Riveting? Who finds these events riveting? Trump stands in front of a mute audience and says things are going to be great when he's president without any specifics and no experience in government to back up his claims. How about frequently revolting?
26
All this may play and poll well in NYC and Jupiter, even in Cedar Rapids and Peoria. But maybe not so well on the international stage. London, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing may not "get" that this is just a show, a pastime for Trump.
On this point, many Trump supporters will say, "Fine. Screw-em if they can't take it!" Just the prescription needed for Planet Earth today.
On this point, many Trump supporters will say, "Fine. Screw-em if they can't take it!" Just the prescription needed for Planet Earth today.
7
Or, put another way, Trumps bombast will turn his "Make America Great Again" slogan into Make America Grate Again" when interpreted into German, Russian, and Chinese. I believe it already has that connotation in British English.
2
I live in America and could care less what the rest of the world thinks. Let them fight for themselves. No more global nonsense.
To his credit, Trump spends a huge amount of time talking with the media and answering questions. Not just at news conferences, but also on TV news programs, he's on the air all the time. You can question whether he actually answers all the questions, or obfuscates some of them, but it's clear he's made himself way more accessible to the voters than Hillary.
1
Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
11
"Two things only the Roman people desire - bread and circuses."
'Panis et circenses'...
This assessment was accurate when Juvenal wrote it (ca. AD 100), condemning the common people for forgetting their heritage - and honor - and succumbing to the lure of free grain and staged spectacles.
Flash forward two millennia and nothing has changed.
That the soi-disant 'paper of record' would rush, drooling, to support this farce is ....well....farcical.
And deeply tragic.
'Panis et circenses'...
This assessment was accurate when Juvenal wrote it (ca. AD 100), condemning the common people for forgetting their heritage - and honor - and succumbing to the lure of free grain and staged spectacles.
Flash forward two millennia and nothing has changed.
That the soi-disant 'paper of record' would rush, drooling, to support this farce is ....well....farcical.
And deeply tragic.
18
The circus is obvious...but where's the bread?
1
The bread, I suppose, is the promise to 'make America grate again', or the lure of deporting and blocking undesireables from our shores; or the tacit permission to demean, brutalize and insult those we oppose.
It's not quite the same as physical nourishment, but it tastes just fine to the masses.
It's not quite the same as physical nourishment, but it tastes just fine to the masses.
1
Gosh, a first reaction is, this is spectacle. I find it unsettling to view (as photos of his rallies are). The Trump effect should, it seems, be a crazy fringe movement in American democracy, but it is not. Why it is not is a question that so far seems to be inadequately understood by the rest of us, to our country's detriment. I am becoming fearful of Mr. Trump, but more fearful, actually, of his followers, for whom his image making is connected, completely without any critical thinking being brought to bear, to a better life for them, I guess, in the future? Or something different?
3
I wonder how much money Donald makes on events like this and for the entire campaign? Whenever possible they are held at a Trump facility. He uses his plane which he rents back to his campaign. This is another example of money making money. The heck with self funding. Only a fool does that and I think I'm quoting Trump in saying that.
5
What a bunch of drivel. Or it is paid advertising?
NYT, why oh why are you consistently running front page above-the-crease articles--"Trump campaign says this about Hillary Clinton (e.g. repealing the 2nd Amendment)" (small print, no headline: she isn't proposing that); "Trump and Megyan Kelly..." (reality celebrity coverage from the NYT); "Trump considers mocking name for Clinton"--on and on--while giving Clinton perhaps 1/3 the coverage? I think we all understand by now that he's not a traditional politician, so please stop covering this aspect of his campaign and cover instead the actual issues, add in some actual analysis, and provide something near equality in covering the viable presidential candidates.
Similarly, please stop with "The Donald". It's a cute name for a not-so-cute character.
NYT, why oh why are you consistently running front page above-the-crease articles--"Trump campaign says this about Hillary Clinton (e.g. repealing the 2nd Amendment)" (small print, no headline: she isn't proposing that); "Trump and Megyan Kelly..." (reality celebrity coverage from the NYT); "Trump considers mocking name for Clinton"--on and on--while giving Clinton perhaps 1/3 the coverage? I think we all understand by now that he's not a traditional politician, so please stop covering this aspect of his campaign and cover instead the actual issues, add in some actual analysis, and provide something near equality in covering the viable presidential candidates.
Similarly, please stop with "The Donald". It's a cute name for a not-so-cute character.
37
Trump becomes president only if the media lifts him into it. So far, it's doing a pretty good job.
30
Just like the Supreme Court selected Bush... and look where THAT got us... and them.
1
So what? Only his style is different from the other GOP candidates who essentially agreed with Trump.
3
That's exactly true. Everything that he has said is pure and orthodox Republicanism.
1
As President Obama recently declared, "the presidency is a serious job." It needs to be held by a serious person capable of reflecting beyond the boundaries of vituperative self-aggrandizement. It helps job performance to display respect for truth and, actually, to know something.
What we have with Trumpian "news" conferences is a series of carnival spectacles that the media dignify as "news." The American voting public now seems well-conditioned to drink the media's kool-aid. If so, the consequences will be memorable indeed, not to mention pricey.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
What we have with Trumpian "news" conferences is a series of carnival spectacles that the media dignify as "news." The American voting public now seems well-conditioned to drink the media's kool-aid. If so, the consequences will be memorable indeed, not to mention pricey.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
10
The "silent majority" is neither silent nor a majority. DISCUSS!
1
This is not an article about anything worthy of print. To spend this much print on how and where Trumps holds his press conferences is again showing the media's fascination with Trump and excessive coverage.
I respect the NY Times as a good source of news this is not news worthy, it's gawking.
I respect the NY Times as a good source of news this is not news worthy, it's gawking.
43
In other words, candidate Trump is like a breath of fresh air. Is there really any wonder why he is doing so well?
5
To you maybe, but polls show a lot of concern over Trump He appears irrational too many times. My guess is that voters like yourself who voted for Sarah Palin find this appealing.
5
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, "One man's breath of fresh air is another man's gagging stench."
2
"Typically a dreary affair-" And whose fault is that? Do candidates expect to be elected by delivering evasive non-answers in an unpleasant tone, with a grey face? This is a popular election. People keep forgetting.
6
Trump is really a filthy and vile excuse for a human being. This creep is a real degenerate and makes one feel like they need to take a shower after watching him for a few minutes.
What do you expect from a candidate who has a key adviser, Roger Stone, who was found to be advertising him self in Adult Swinger Magazine ads.
Trump's self promotion is crass and tacky, he's a real bore.
What do you expect from a candidate who has a key adviser, Roger Stone, who was found to be advertising him self in Adult Swinger Magazine ads.
Trump's self promotion is crass and tacky, he's a real bore.
47
More Trump. I am so sick of the NYT Newsy-Entertainment Department treating this loathsome creep like someone worthy of attention. But this time half of this Fluffy Newsy Rehash has big glossy photos to oooh and aaah over. For people who mouth their words as move a finger over this? What a pandering piece of embarrassing drivel. But Hey! It Sells!
63
This article was going somewhere. And then it didn't get there...
When is the Press/Media going to figure out how to hold this man's feet to the fire? It's your duty! And the fact that he's succeeding in outwitting you is not getting to the point - where this story was going.
Yes, the man is a Spectacle! But so is a kid having a tantrum. This man is throwing tantrums for votes. He is inciting crowds.
Turn off the sound and watch his face. What are all those facial contortions telling us? What is his body language saying? Why are so many in thrall to a despotic, deluded sociopath, drunk on himself?
Please, Times reporters, finish the story! You've got a tiger by the tail. Go with it!
When is the Press/Media going to figure out how to hold this man's feet to the fire? It's your duty! And the fact that he's succeeding in outwitting you is not getting to the point - where this story was going.
Yes, the man is a Spectacle! But so is a kid having a tantrum. This man is throwing tantrums for votes. He is inciting crowds.
Turn off the sound and watch his face. What are all those facial contortions telling us? What is his body language saying? Why are so many in thrall to a despotic, deluded sociopath, drunk on himself?
Please, Times reporters, finish the story! You've got a tiger by the tail. Go with it!
69
TheraP is right: the press needs to "hold this man's feet to the fire" and not buy into his entertainment value. Call it like it is: Narcissistic Personality Disorder, big time. He is a recipe for disaster for the world, let alone our country. This article is obnoxious coverage of an obnoxious, poisonous, dangerous personality.
7
In the name of all that is holy, please explain why you decided that this empty piece of Trump worship is worthy of publication. This is revolting celebrity sycophancy at its worst.
Trump is running for president of the United States and, I believe, has an excellent chance of winning. Perhaps the Times might reduce its celebrity adoration and remind readers instead why he is so egregiously unsuited for that job. Puff pieces admiring his stagecraft? Have you joined a cult?
Trump is running for president of the United States and, I believe, has an excellent chance of winning. Perhaps the Times might reduce its celebrity adoration and remind readers instead why he is so egregiously unsuited for that job. Puff pieces admiring his stagecraft? Have you joined a cult?
89
And so, our TV-educated American friends fall truly, madly, deeply in love with another Reality TV star...the producer, director and leading man in the Trumpmania Broadway Show sweeping the nation with high production values, the best insult values and the least possible knowledge of public policy.
Americans should remember that brand merchandising - a valuable talent for selling stuff that's worth less than its selling price - is not a talent that lends itself well to maintaining and expanding national infrastructure, managing responsible fiscal policy, diplomacy, national security and nurturing the civil rights of 320 million diverse Americans.
Trumpmania is a terrific Broadway Show, but it is not something that belongs in the Oval Office.
Americans should realize that the Italian Berlusconi sitcom ended in national disgrace and deterioration for Italy.
A tabloid Presidency is bad politics and bad public policy.
The Donald Trump sitcom is no way to run a country.
Americans should remember that brand merchandising - a valuable talent for selling stuff that's worth less than its selling price - is not a talent that lends itself well to maintaining and expanding national infrastructure, managing responsible fiscal policy, diplomacy, national security and nurturing the civil rights of 320 million diverse Americans.
Trumpmania is a terrific Broadway Show, but it is not something that belongs in the Oval Office.
Americans should realize that the Italian Berlusconi sitcom ended in national disgrace and deterioration for Italy.
A tabloid Presidency is bad politics and bad public policy.
The Donald Trump sitcom is no way to run a country.
82
The Trump sitcom is more akin to porno peep show that you feel you need to shower vigorously to wash off the filth.
11
You have made this same point over and over. Phrases like "tabloid presidency" and "sitcom" offer no insight.
Instead of ranting about the evil Trump, what are you doing to stop him, other than repeating the obvious?
Instead of ranting about the evil Trump, what are you doing to stop him, other than repeating the obvious?
11
Having said this, what next? More name calling, or will you DO something to prevent a Trump presidency?