We have been, in short, in a sort of toxic, codependent relationship with the Republican nominee. Many of us who are paid to express opinions openly despise him. We attack his bigotry, bravado, misogyny, authoritarian impulses and anti-intellectualism in every tweet and turn.
He likewise claims to openly despise us. He verbally abuses us, bans us from his rallies (while still giving us hours and hours of interviews), sics angry mobs upon us, employs staffers who think nothing of physically assaulting us, encourages anti-Semitic followers to harass us and inspires rallygoers who advocate lynching us.
And yet, whatever our mutual disdain, we have clearly needed one another. For more than a year, Trump and the media have been the best of frenemies.
But whatever benefit Trump’s endless gush of outrages may have provided to my industry, my employer and myself, I will be very much relieved when (if) the spigot is finally turned off as a result of Tuesday, when (if) Trump loses; and when (if) there is no longer any reward for continuing to cover him, his awful surrogates, his soulless campaign staffers and the many bizarre Trumpian moments and memes that have dominated 2016.
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