In the last few days alone there has been an enormous incitement against Donald Trump in the media.

Whether you think this is justified or not – much of it is based on his own words – we are back in a Trump-centric universe. Kamala Harris makes little to no news, despite spectacles like the Oprah show, and Trump is, as usual, the driving force behind every news cycle.

I’ve been telling people since 2015 that negative stories are good for Trump because the debate that follows is on his terms. In fact, he deliberately uses provocative or inflammatory language as catnip for the press, knowing that even a denunciation will spur coverage for at least a few days.

The vice president generally receives such positive press that many people assume she is out of the race. When an NBC poll shows her leading Trump by five points, she is told she has the momentum, even though national polls are fundamentally meaningless.

Scandals, failed assassinations and political rhetoric: things go up and down on both sides

And a New York Times poll shows Trump leading in key Sunbelt states that the Harris camp hoped to win. He has a 5-point lead in Arizona, a 4-point lead in Georgia and a 2-point lead in North Carolina.

That’s within striking distance and, in some cases, a statistical tie. However, the Times article says many voters believe Trump “improved their lives when he was president — and worry that a Kamala Harris in the White House wouldn’t.”

That’s the thing. Trump has already been in the Oval Office for four years. And while there was no shortage of chaos — two impeachments, Jan. 6 — many people remember a strong economy. And they want more details about whether Harris would lead the country in a more liberal direction, even as she puts her rhetorical focus on the middle class and small businesses (as well as abortion rights).

Additionally, it is difficult to be a candidate for change when you are part of the incumbent government and many see the country on the wrong path.

(Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports)

Virtually everyone in America has a set-in-stone view of the former president. His MAGA supporters have stood by him since he said in his first campaign, “I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue” without losing support.

That takes on a more ominous tone after Trump narrowly escaped assassination attempts twice – and after the Florida golf course attack, blamed attacks on Harris and Democratic language as a “threat to democracy.” Many media outlets have made Hitler comparisons, and the truth is that both sides have used inflammatory language.

Sometimes Trump simply resorts to trolling—“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”—to keep the chattering classes babbling, even though he desperately wanted their support.

Let’s take a look at the coverage from the last few days:

TRUMP suggests he will not run for president again in 2028 if he is unsuccessful this time

The Washington Post describes “Donald Trump’s imaginary world” in which “Americans can’t dare buy a loaf of bread without being shot, mugged or raped. Immigrants in a small Ohio town eat their neighbors’ cats and dogs. Third World War” and economic collapse are just around the corner. And the children go to school only to return at the end of the day after undergoing gender reassignment surgery.

“The former president’s imaginary world is a dark, dystopian place that Trump describes in his rallies, interviews, social media posts and debate appearances to paint an alarming picture of America under the Biden-Harris administration.”

It is a distorted, distorted and sometimes absurd portrait of a nation where the insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol with deadly effect on January 6, 2021 were merely peaceful protesters and where hapless boaters face the unattractive choice of electrocution or shark -Attack. “His extreme caricatures also serve as another way for Trump to spread lies and misinformation, using an alternate reality of his own making to create an often frightening – and he seems to hope – politically devastating landscape for his political opponents.”

Trump also accused Tim Walz of making positive comments about “execution” after the birth of a child – although the Washington Post Fact-Checker says the governor never said that and that fewer than 1 percent of abortions occur after the 21st week . week of pregnancy would be carried out.

Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz delivers the keynote address at the 2024 Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in Washington DC, Saturday, September 7, 2024. (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

In the New York Times, conservative writer David French uses self-described “black Nazi” and pro-slavery GOP candidate Mark Robinson, who is running for governor of North Carolina, to vilify Trump.

French says he supports Kamala “because I believe a Harris victory gives Republicans “a chance to build something decent out of the ruins of a Trump defeat.”

“After weeks of lies about the Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, and an entire news cycle dedicated to reporting on Trump’s association with Laura Loomer, one of the most overtly racist figures in MAGA America (she once spoke at a conference of whites). nationalists and explained“I consider myself a white lawyer and have openly served as a white lawyer in the United States Congress”) – I harden my opinion. Trump loses now or the Republicans are lost for a generation. Maybe more…

“This has changed the composition of the party. While many decent people remain – and represent the hope for future reform – Trump’s Republican Party has become a magnet for eccentrics and conspiracy theorists of all stripes.”

64 DAYS: KAMALA HARRIS HAS YET TO HOLD A FORMAL PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE SHE emerged as the Democratic nominee

The Washington Post describes the Trump campaign as imploding:

“In a single 24-hour period late last month, for example, he amplified a crude joke about Harris performing a sex act, falsely accused her of orchestrating a coup against President Joe Biden, promoted homages to the QAnon conspiracy theory; sold digital trading cards and got into a public feud with staff and officials at Arlington National Cemetery.

“The Swift attack particularly worried Trump advisers, who are worried about attracting female voters.”

And there are his constant tributes to “the late, great Hannibal Lecter,” the serial killer in the film.

“Some campaign advisers are eager to refute Trump and Vance’s unverifiable claims about the consumption of cats and dogs by Haitian immigrants — a potentially damaging news cycle that has already stretched into its second week — but also acknowledge that Trump rarely backs down “Even if it might be politically beneficial to do so.”

The article describes Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s first campaign manager, as playing a divisive role, to which he responded: “The same old nonsense already written by the Washington Compost. “Your obsession with my volunteer efforts only shows your continued hatred of Donald J.” Trump and prove that you will stop at nothing to prevent him from becoming the 47th President of the United States.

(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Post columnist Ruth Marcus says Trump is “crossing a dangerous new line” by saying that if he loses the election it will be the fault of the Jewish people for not being grateful enough for his pro-Israel policies:

“If he loses, and especially if he continues this line of argument, they threaten to trigger the anger of disappointed Trump supporters against Jews. It doesn’t take much to imagine the backlash and violence that could result. We Jews.” knows something about being scapegoated…

“Trump has long had a disturbing habit of bringing up the fact of people’s Jewishness – sometimes incorrectly – on occasions where it seems irrelevant at best. ‘Who knew my best people were Jews?'” According to Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, Trump observed his aides Jared Kushner, Stephen Miller and Jason Miller aboard Air Force One. (In fact, as he told Trump, Jason Miller is not Jewish.)

By contrast, a Times article about Harris’s record as a prosecutor states soberly that “a coherent record is broadly consistent.” Ms. Harris appeared particularly focused on protecting the most vulnerable victims by cracking down on violent offenders while seeking alternatives to incarceration for less serious criminals.”

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It’s not that every single story isn’t based on reported facts. But the tsunami of anti-Trump posts is a reminder of how relentlessly negative his coverage is — his supporters simply don’t trust the media — compared to the general praise for the Democratic candidate.

footnote: While I was writing this column, I received a statement from Trump saying, “The Kamala Harris/Joe Biden Justice Department and the FBI are mishandling the second attempt on my life since July.” He says Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida should instead handle the investigations and prosecutions.