I told you in the last post that the attitude of the mainstream media toward Donald Trump is evolving from "What an absurd vulgarian!" to "Y'know, he's kinda cute." If you doubt that, watch this video, which just went up on the website of The New York Times, and which purports to explain Trump's appeal. Really, just watch it.
The fans say exactly what you expect them to say (Trump says what the rest of us can't because we're forced to be "politically correct"; Trump's immigration plan is not only brilliant, it's short and "easy to read") -- but it's what they don't say that reveals the video's tilt. There's no rage. There's no animosity toward immigrants, even though hostility toward immigrants is Trump's only issue. The fans seem like sold, thoughtful citizens. The video sanitizes them.
And sanitizes Trump as well. No anger from him, either -- he's a genial guy who has a comedy club MC's timing and a jolly rapport with the press. When the one skeptic in the video, who appears to be an earnest teenager, asks why there aren't position papers on the Trump campaign site on any issue other than immigration, Trump humiliates the questioner by asserting that the media cares about silly old policy papers, but not real people. The editing makes clear that we're supposed to regard this as a sensible, appealing answer.
This video is awful. I know it's meant to show us Trump as his admirers see him, but his admirers don't admire him just for being shruggy and jokey and disarming -- they admire him for saying ugly things and getting away with them. But the press likes a winner, so expect a lot more Trump coverage like this.
