Former President Donald Trump’s announcement of a third presidential bid is not receiving glowing reviews among some conservative-leaning outlets.
On Tuesday night, Trump said he was running to make the United States “great and glorious again.”
The New York Post chose to treat the announcement of a former president running for office as almost an afterthought.
The Post’s cover on Wednesday morning featured a picture of a bloody shirt reportedly wounded by gunfire.
On the bottom, it noted Trump’s announcement but in a rather snarky manner as it declared, “Florida man makes announcement.” The story about his campaign launch was relegated to the 26th page.
Check out the cover below:
Today's cover: Major NYC gang takedown includes man who ‘shot 3-year-old’ https://t.co/j3pUMHphlK pic.twitter.com/QdrNuYrA7u
— New York Post (@nypost) November 16, 2022
The story was equally full of snark as it stated with more than a hint of sarcasm, “In a move no political pundit saw coming, avid golfer Donald J. Trump kicked things off at Mar-a-Lago, his resort and classified-documents library.”
It went on to note Trump would tie President Joe Biden as the oldest president to step into the White House if he won in 2024.
“His cholesterol levels are unknown, but his favorite food is a charred steak with ketchup,” it continued. “He has stated that his qualifications for office including being a ‘stable genius.'”
Finally, the Post added, “Trump also served as the 45th president.”
Since Republicans widely underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections, the Post has not been friendly to Trump. It featured one cover suggesting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is the future of the Republican Party, and another labeling the former president “Trumpty Dumpty.”
Perhaps the surprise and newsworthiness were a little diminished as people have been expecting Trump would run again for two years now, and he all but said he would announce his campaign earlier this month. But it was still a little surprising to be so dismissive of the announcement.
The conservative magazine National Review reacted to Trump’s announcement on Tuesday with an editorial featuring a concise headline, “No.”
A firm, unmistakable, No.https://t.co/BqgNZEE5Ni pic.twitter.com/ryoh9YWPdY
— National Review (@NRO) November 16, 2022
Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner published an editorial with the headline, “Republicans must say no to Trump.”
Republicans must say no to Trump | Washington Examiner https://t.co/l3nsKF26Ag
— Brad Polumbo⚽️ (@brad_polumbo) November 16, 2022
If you feel like you are experiencing déjà vu, you’re not alone. In 2015 and 2016, Trump endured criticism from conservative outlets that rejected his candidacy, and yet he still won the nomination and general election. And those same outlets became less hostile during his presidency.
Undoubtedly, Trump believes, or is at the very least hopeful, he can once again take on attacks from so-called mainstream outlets and the rejection by conservative outlets to win the nomination and general election.
But unlike in 2015 and 2016, Trump is a known quantity at this point. Voters have experienced the chaos and dysfunction in his administration. And they saw how he acted after losing in 2020. And now they’ve clearly seen the electoral losses Republicans suffered with him hanging over the party.
With just under two years to go until the 2024 general election, there is plenty of time for conservatives to rethink how they feel about Trump as the distance from the midterms grows. But with him likely back on the campaign trail and prominently in Americans’ minds again, will they get tired of him or will they decide they really miss him in the White House?
