President Trump came into office promising to decapitate mainstream media. He bullied and sued media companies, blocked or curtailed access for reporters, and elevated nontraditional news sources.
- Yet mainstream media ends the year as dominant as ever in capturing Trump's attention and setting Washington's agenda.
Why it matters: Trump remains a voracious consumer of so-called legacy news and takes more calls from more reporters than any president in our lifetime. His days are often filled with responses — not to MAGA media or X influencers, but to conventional stories from conventional reporters at conventional media publications.
