Mainstream media outlets reacted to President Donald Trump’s meandering, bigoted State of the Union speech on Tuesday night with another round of stories seeking to normalize his abnormal behavior. The practice, called “sanewashing,” has been a feature of mainstream coverage of Trump since he became a political figure in 2015.
The New York Times, for instance, referred to Trump’s behavior as merely “put[ting] on a show” and that he had “made clear that his political strategy is to paint Democrats as unpatriotic and ‘crazy.’” Writer Katie Rogers described Trump as using “the slashing style of a natural campaigner and the instincts of a onetime reality television producer.”
Related | Trump gives his most unhinged State of the Union speech yet
In the pro-Trump Washington Post, Karen Tumulty’s analysis of Trump’s speech determined that when he spoke he had been working to “reframe” America, which is arguably the most polite way possible one could characterize his blatant lying. To Tumulty and the Post, Trump tried to “paint a new reality for the majority of Americans who, according to polls, say they are dissatisfied with what he has done in the first year of his second presidency.”
Like the Times, the Post also gave a nod to Trump’s “showman’s theatricality.”
Over at Politico the narrative was that Trump “sticks to the script” and that Republicans were “breathing a sigh of relief.” While the Politico team seems to be bending over backward to reward Trump a win, the leader of the free world being able to read a speech isn’t exactly the highest of bars.
The speech these outlets are doing their best to make into a historical pivot point was nothing to cheer about. Trump lied at length about purported economic improvements on his watch and doubled down on failed policies like tariffs that are causing demonstrable harm to the economy.
And when he wasn’t lying, he was being racist. He used his office and the speech to sling racist attacks at Black immigrants, specifically the Somali people residing in Minnesota. The slurs prompted a response from Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who yelled back at Trump, “You have killed Americans.”
This is the behavior that the Times, Politico, and the Post have reported on as if it were perfectly normal at the presidential level. But it isn’t.
Since 2015, the mainstream press has worked overtime to present an image of Trump that doesn’t match up with reality. They simply omit his worst offenses or summarize his statements and actions without providing context to their audiences. When he makes disastrous mistakes, they are morphed into mere “blunders” and at moments like the State of the Union this drive to clean up after Trump goes into overdrive.
Fortunately, this strategy isn’t really working among the public at large.
A CNN poll taken in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s speech found that among viewers of the speech it was the worst received of any State of the Union address this century. Trump underperformed against Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden, but also his fellow Republican, George W. Bush.
The finding was in line with pre-speech polls that have shown Trump cratering on key issues, even on immigration—which used to be his strength.
The media is doing its best to mislead what Trump is saying and doing, and while that calls into question their ability to tell the truth, people aren’t buying the spin from them or Trump.
