One of the first skills humans develop is the ability to recognize patterns.
When it comes to the Republican Party, it’s impossible not to notice the pattern of its members saying one thing and doing another. I’m referring specifically to the gap between GOP word and deed regarding the legacy news media, which mirrors the party’s approach to similar mobilization issues, especially abortion.
Republicans talk a lot of trash about the “fake news” media. But that’s what it is: talk. When it comes to feeding tips and exclusives to mainstream journalists, making frequent appearances on network news shows, or jumping at the chance to be profiled in one of those glossy periodicals, there is no cheaper date than the Republican officeholder.
The latest example of the GOP eagerness to be bedded down by the “enemy of the people” came last week with the publication of Vanity Fair’s profile of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The profile included a series of deeply unflattering photos of top Trump advisers, including Karoline Leavitt, JD Vance, Stephen Miller, and Dan Scavino.
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