Why Trump's constant attacks and his sniping with Elon Musk helps him and keeps the media scrambling
Donald Trump is relishing all this, flaming every target in sight – or trying to put out fires in Los Angeles – as a president who loves being at war.
Elon Musk, clearly missing the spotlight, is using X as a weapon, calling for his former pal's impeachment – but deleting his tweet tying Trump to Jeffrey Epstein in what might be viewed as an apology.
Gavin Newsom is all fired up, daring Trump's border czar to arrest him and accusing the president of inflaming the situation by dispatching the National Guard over his objections.
The media are eagerly drinking from the Trump fire hose in the greatest, most entertaining breakup since Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni were denouncing each other. But several journalists were injured covering the violent L.A. protests, even as they reported that the vast majority of demonstrators are peaceful.
And for me, it meant a crazy hour of television.
We made lots of last-minute changes on "Media Buzz," but the biggest one involved ABC correspondent and anchor Terry Moran. I was tapping out the script on my phone during commercial breaks.
For reasons I'll never be able to fathom, Moran posted a scathing attack on White House domestic policy chief Stephen Miller, calling him a "world-class hater." He also put Trump in the same category.
On Maria Bartiromo's show, which airs before mine, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Moran should be suspended or fired. Shortly after we went off the air, ABC suspended Moran, saying he had violated company standards. I'll never fathom why he blew up his career.
You can't overcover a public meltdown like this – Trump now saying Musk had "worn thin" and he'd asked him to leave – but journalists have a high-minded justification for the low-rent sniping. The president's entire agenda is wrapped up in the not-so-beautiful bill, including border funding, tax cuts, food stamps and trimming the Medicaid rolls.
The measure passed the House by a single vote because a number of hard-line Republicans agree with Musk that it's a "disgusting abomination" which, at a minimum, would boost the deficit by $2.4 billion over 10 years.
But Trump is like a movie studio mogul who simultaneously moves from one sound stage to the next. And that is a challenge to journalists who race to keep up–but also boosts ratings as he constantly taking questions from the reporters and producers he also denigrates. It's a love-hate relationship, but lately, mostly hate.
Trump issued a travel ban on 12 countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa. Big story.
Trump brought Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S., after saying it couldn't be done, and the mistakenly deported Salvadoran will face charges of human trafficking of illegal migrants – months after the Supreme Court ordered his return.
Trump is battling elite law firms, many of which are caving and agreeing to provide up to $125 million in free services rather than lose access to classified material that would cause an exodus of clients. Big story.
Trump backed off on criticizing Vladimir Putin after that incredible Ukrainian drone strike decimated a third of the Russian fleet, thousands of miles away. Now he says he may walk away from a war in which Putin has no conceivable interest in peace. Big story.
Trump issued a wave of controversial pardons, especially one for a man who committed fraud by stealing from his employees, which came after his mother, a big-time GOP donor, paid $1 million to get face time with the president at a Mar-a-Lago fundraising dinner. Now he avoids a jail term and having to make over $4 million in restitution to his victims. Big story.
Trump is freezing funds for Harvard and investigating the Harvard Law Review. Big stories.
Trump has ordered an investigation of Joe Biden and the undisputed coverup of his mental decline, arguing that his actions could be overturned if top aides were making the decisions. Huge story. But the coverage has been muted, in part because the press doesn't take it seriously and Democrats don't want to fuel any story that involves more visibility for Biden.
This nonstop gusher may deflect criticism that Trump is profiting from the presidency by selling meme coins and other items that once would have prompted an uproar.
By the time you read this, the president may have made news on several other controversial subjects. It's a strategy that helps him and, in many ways, the media that are always scrambling to keep up.
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