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Thompson also stressed that CNN should not use its coverage to “relitigate the past” by obsessing over Trump’s legal battles or the 2020 election. This marked a stark departure from CNN’s previous stance under former leadership, where the network openly attacked Trump at every opportunity.
A Furious Response from the Left
Darcy, a former CNN media reporter, could hardly contain his frustration at the network’s shift. During an appearance on WNYC’s On the Media podcast, he blasted CNN for not following its old playbook of aggressively smearing Trump.
“One of the noticeable things, for instance, during inauguration coverage was that none of the CNN anchors pointed out that Donald Trump is the first convicted felon to take that office. They didn’t point out that he was twice impeached,” Darcy lamented.
Democrats and their media allies spent the entire 2024 campaign weaponizing Trump’s legal troubles, but their attacks failed to stop him from winning re-election in a landslide. Now, CNN’s refusal to echo those talking points on inauguration day has enraged the Left.
Darcy Complains About Trump Supporters at the Inauguration
Another point of contention for Darcy was the presence of Trump supporters at the inauguration. According to him, those in attendance were nothing more than “extremists” and “conspiracy theorists.”
“So you had a lot of right-wing extremists and a lot of right-wing conspiracy theorists stuffed in the Rotunda. People like Tucker Carlson, an extremist, Marjorie Taylor Greene, an extremist, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a conspiracy theorist, on and on it went,” Darcy fumed.
This reaction underscores how disconnected the media elite have become from everyday Americans. Millions of voters supported Trump in 2024, yet leftists like Darcy continue to dismiss them as radicals rather than acknowledging their legitimate political beliefs.
A Softer CNN, A Tougher Reality for the Left
Darcy expressed dismay that CNN’s new approach meant less hostility toward Trump and his supporters. “In the previous iteration of CNN, you would have seen that called out pretty forcefully,” he complained, referencing the network’s past efforts to brand Trump as an “insurrectionist” and a “fascist.”
“And watching this second term begin, those anchors were still physically present on my screen, like Jake Tapper was still there, but it felt like a very different Jake Tapper,” Darcy observed. “And that’s not an accident. That’s the direction that a new network chief, Mark Thompson, wants to take the network.”
CNN Learns That Trump-Bashing Doesn’t Pay
CNN’s ratings nosedived following the 2024 election, dropping by a staggering 33% in just one month. The network’s non-stop anti-Trump hysteria had become a ratings disaster. Thompson, seeing the writing on the wall, likely realized that a shift was necessary if CNN wanted to remain relevant.
Under former CNN President Jeff Zucker, the network operated as an extension of the Democratic Party’s messaging machine. Darcy fondly recalled Zucker’s approach, saying, “Jeff Zucker, who was the network chief when AT&T owned the company, he really encouraged anchors to be relentless, to be vocal about the lies that Donald Trump was pushing.”
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But Thompson isn’t following that same path, and the Left is furious.
A Major Media Reckoning
CNN’s shift away from overtly attacking Trump represents a significant change in the media landscape. For years, left-wing activists expected mainstream outlets to serve as their megaphone, but that strategy has failed. Americans rejected the media’s fearmongering in 2024, and CNN’s declining ratings forced the network to adapt.
If CNN wants to survive, it must recognize that constant Trump-bashing is a losing strategy. The network’s decision to tone down its hostility toward the former president may be a business decision, but it also signals that the mainstream media’s iron grip on the narrative is slipping. And for Democrats, that’s a bitter pill to swallow.
