In the world of the elite media, liberal pundits and talking heads are the gatekeepers. They control access to the public, and they determine winners and losers based on the kind of coverage they decide to give them. Every politician is concerned about a slip of the tongue in a debate or a misstep on the campaign trail. The slightest bobble could be just enough to do the candidate in. And in the world of political correctness a poor choice of words can be fatal.
So when Donald Trump came down the escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy on June 16, 2015, and promptly talked about the problems with illegal immigrants and plans for building a wall, the pundits predicted his campaign would be aborted before it could get off the pad.
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Prior to the election Trump’s media critics were certain his ignorance of foreign policy would prove to be his weak spot. He was not a politician, and his knowledge of international relations was minuscule. So when he challenged Russia and Iran, and threatened to unleash holy hell on ISIS and the jihadists in Iraq, it was clear to the talking heads on CNN, MSNBC and every liberal news outlet that Trump was done for. But within forty-eight hours Russia and Iran were making conciliatory noises, and not long afterward US forces in Iraq were crushing the jihadists in Mosul and Kirkuk.
Fast-forward to late 2017. After surviving one controversy after another, and while managing to avoid the daily onslaught of the Mueller investigation into alleged collusion with the Russians, the media were grasping at every little thread. Democratic attorney and former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz pointed out that even if there were evidence of collusion, there is no federal statute prohibiting it. But the cable networks couldn’t stop chattering about the Russia probe, the “Steele Dossier” (which has been totally discredited), and the possibility of a full-blown star chamber investigation leading to impeachment.
But hope springs eternal, and just as Russiagate seemed to be fading, Stormy Daniels appeared out of nowhere, and the late-nights were all a-twitter! Daniels’ claims of a one-night stand with Trump in 2006 suddenly became the headline of the day. It didn’t matter that Trump’s playboy past had not sidelined his campaign or his election. If the “Access Hollywood” tapes that recorded Trump making vulgar comments about women didn’t slow him down, it’s hard to imagine anything of a sexual nature was going to stop him. A number of women came forward—none seemed to have a very credible story—and one by one they slid back into the shadows within days.
Stormy Daniels was all over the news for weeks, but her accusations didn’t seem to hurt the president. When it was revealed that Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen (who later pleaded guilty to several tax fraud and campaign violation charges) had paid Daniels to be quiet, the porn star was briefly back in the headlines, but it was looking more and more as if Trump were bulletproof. The more the media pounded on him, dredging the gutters for any scandal they could find, the harder Trump’s supporters fought back. It’s hard to imagine that any new revelation could have made them change their minds.
Donald Trump’s election was “shock and awe” to the status quo and to the direction of the nation. To make America great again, Donald Trump was now “going on the offensive.”
To read more from Stephen Strang’s “Trump Aftershock,” visit Amazon.com or MyCharismaShop.com.
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Stephen Strang is the bestselling author of God and Donald Trump. The founder and CEO of Charisma Media, Strang was voted by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. He has interviewed four U.S. presidents and has been featured on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CBN, Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, theDailyCaller.com and in many Christian outlets.
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