It was rather assured that during inauguration week, the media complex was going to be an unspun entity as Donald Trump returned to the White House, sullying the character of the office that was mostly ignored--as Joe Biden sullied it for the past four years. The reactions have been unhinged, and expected, as well as amusing to watch. 

It's apparent that the press appears intent to run the same playbook that has been proven ineffective, but when facing the reality that these tactics have not prevented Trump from regaining the presidency, they seem certain those tactics will combat him during a second term. Now, let’s pick through the media debris from the past week, and note those outlets that distinguished themselves with markedly undistinguished performances.

     THE CONTENDERS

ASSOCIATED PRESS – They kicked off the week by repeating the canard that crime has been down for years. Like others, AP moaned about Trump’s possible legal oppression, not bugged by Biden’s lawfare. The news syndicate was saddened when Target announced it is ending its DEI initiatives. Steve Peoples pushed the lie that Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute at a Trump celebration. It was repeated in another hit piece on the site.

NEW YORK TIMES – For the inauguration, the site posted a video lecturing everyone on the warning signs of the rise of authoritarianism.  Peter Baker hypocritically remarked that Biden was pardoning people to dodge Trump's “politically motivated” court cases, ignoring the fact that Trump was on the receiving end of Biden’s political prosecutions. In similar fashion, Ezra Klein complained Trump might do what Biden HAS done. The paper listened to Trump’s inaugural address and only heard a “grim” speech. They were among the loudest voices about the affidavit slamming Pete Hegseth for alleged sexual assault, burying his ex-wife’s denial of the claims 18 paragraphs deep in its hit piece. The paper gave us a gem of an op-ed about how birds symbolize opposition to Trump.

POLITICO – A pair of former reporters detailed how the site had repeatedly stifled or killed off stories regarding Hunter Biden. This was a major indictment of the outlet. We were told the sad story of government workers at several agencies under a dark cloud of impending Trump cuts.

CNN – Jake Tapper bemoaned the incoming era of misinformation, just days after a court found CNN liable for defamation. The network led the charge about Elon Musk supposedly giving a Nazi salute. Brian Stelter ignored the defamation result, but then showed he was back to watching only Fox News. Jim Acosta tried to slam a GOP congressman by saying CNN does not allow lies on the network – again, days after a jury said CNN lies. A new round of layoffs was announced at the network, cutting 200 jobs, and amid a scheduling reshuffle, Acosta was outcast to a graveyard shift. He seemed to be balking and could leave the network. They were angered over Trump offering conditional relief aid to California, unbothered by the way FEMA workers decided that on homes in western North Carolina with Trump flags would be denied assistance. 

     THE WINNER

AXIOS

CNN managed to avoid a three-peat, as Axios put forth an impressive amount of dysfunction. The site leveled the charge that Donald Trump’s new policies go against Christian principles – this, after complaining throughout the campaign he would be instituting Christian principles. After being called out, the outlet altered the piece to read that Christian leaders are the ones complaining.

After Pete Hegseth was confirmed Friday night the outlet expressed its consternation, pointing out he was all but dead to the process in December. 

Founder Jim VandeHei looked over the dire prospect of a Trump presidency, and went so far as to speculate he may work the angle of becoming the vice president in 2028, in order to effectively have a third term.

After the national media shamed themselves by desperately declaring Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute, Axios followed suit by stating he should not be allowed to shrug it off, then was disappointed he was not suffering properly.