How much influence does the New York Times really have on election results? Should I care so much about all the sanewashing they do?
Trigger warning: Some F bombs and raw language
There is no clear answer to this, but my gut tells me we’d be living in a different world if we woke up to a splashy story like this:
Instead of this:
Even if we face the reality that no major news outlet would ever lead with a headline that says he’s insane and unfit (he is, though, so no inaccuracy), the choice of the word “unpredictable” to describe his personality is typical New York Times sanewashing.
Being unpredictable isn’t necessarily a negative. It can be a useful trait in negotiations. But he’s not “unpredictable.” He’s batshit crazy. And the New York Times knows it. Pick another word, you numbskulls. “Demented” is fine, but that’s as sanewashy as you should go.
The last part of the headline, “Trump Faces Down the Midterms,” is worse. This is classic New York Times. They consistently portray him as powerful and strong, instead of frightened, weak, and easily manipulated. “Faces down” projects strength, of which he has none.
How weak is he? I have a mental picture of a 13-15-year-old Ivanka slapping daddy in the face for trying something no father should try, him (thankfully) backing off, and then obsessing over look-alikes for the rest of his pathetic, corrupted life.
This is the kind of shit that defines this man.
The New York Times can’t say that, of course, but their reporting should always be informed by its likelihood, as should all reporting, everywhere, all the time.
That the media doesn’t treat him like the social pariah he is is why he maintains an impenetrable 30% wall of support in polls, no matter what he does. (If there’s any good news in that regard, the outer wall has crumbled some, because it used to be 40).
It’s fair to say in response that the Times reporting can’t be informed by a theory some wild-eyed Substack writer concocts about him and his daughter (most of you can imagine that story, however).
Fine. I’ll rephrase.
All of its reporting should be informed by his long-term relationship with Epstein, which should be a daily, screaming headline in the Times and other media outlets until he’s removed from office.
The man in the Oval Office is the worst form of human the male gender is capable of producing. If you were a satanic god monster, he’d be your template for humans.
There is no shame in letting your headlines and reporting be informed by behavior that 70% of the nation recognizes.
A “Before” and “After” look at the New York Times article
I’m going to dive into the meat of the story that accompanies the headline with an imagined before and after.
The text labeled “Before” is the way the New York Times writer, New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers, probably wrote the article.
The “After” portions of the text are how the article actually reads. The “Before” is me trying to make a few guesses on what Ms. Rogers wrote. If I am off in any major ways, Katie, give me a ring! I’m happy to chat about it.
I’ll start, of course, with the lede paragraph1:
Before:
President Trump’s private dining room, located just off the Oval Office, is where he goes to watch television, make phone calls, and ignore stacks of printed-out news articles and documents that eat up most of the space despite his inability and refusal to read them. A spot has been cleared for Natalie Harp, his insatiable lover and sidekick, who now works out of that room when she is not seated behind the president at his desk while she’s thumbing through his hairpiece.
After:
President Trump’s private dining room, located just off the Oval Office, is where he goes to watch television, make phone calls and sift through stacks of printed-out news articles and documents that eat up most of the space. A spot has been cleared for Natalie Harp, a devoted aide who now works out of that room when she is not seated behind the president at his desk.
Before:
Elsewhere, Bill Pulte, the main provider of Trump’s AI slop, spends some of his time making childlike posters. He recently made one of Senator Jon Husted of Ohio, a Republican whose ass Mr. Trump recently openly craved, for the president to display while riding aboard Air Force One.
After:
Elsewhere, Bill Pulte, a top federal housing official and purveyor of A.I.-generated images and memes that make their way to the president’s social media feed, spends some of his time making posters. He recently made one of Senator Jon Husted of Ohio, a Republican whose backside Mr. Trump has admired, for the president to display while riding aboard Air Force One.
Question for readers: I haven’t looked at Husted’s ass. Is it really that fantastic? Are we talking OnlyFans material here?
Before:
Amid the loyalists, news clippings, poster boards and pieces of art made by his most crazed cult members is an unstable illiterate consumed by the likelihood that the Republican Party will lose both chambers of Congress in next week’s elections, thus paving the way for a series of investigations that will end his regime and possibly finally send him to prison, if he can live long enough to see the day.
After:
Amid the loyalists, news clippings, poster boards and pieces of art made by his fans is an increasingly unpredictable president staring down the possibility that the Republican Party could lose both chambers of Congress in next week’s elections.
Before:
Many G.O.P. candidates in tight races have tried get as far away as they can from Mr. Trump’s policies, his behavior, and a litany of grift so vast that the American public can’t keep score. Behind the scenes, almost all his allies have begged the president’s aides to keep him away from rallies in battleground states with uncomfortably close races, according to people with knowledge of the conversations.
After:
Many G.O.P. candidates in tight races have tried to distance themselves from Mr. Trump’s policies, his behavior and the widespread allegations of self-dealing in his administration. Behind the scenes, some political advisers and outside Republican groups have warned the president’s aides that Mr. Trump could do more harm than good by holding rallies in battleground states with uncomfortably close races, according to people with knowledge of the conversations.
Before:
But the president, filled with his usual hate, has dismissed polls that reflect the revulsion the vast majority of the electorate feels towards him, and has raged against reporters who dare to reveal even the smallest grains of corruption. Mistakenly thinking that turning midterm season into a referendum on himself won’t collapse G.O.P. support even further, he is set to headline rallies around the country all week, despite the unintended consequences of his spluttering invectives and hate.
After:
But the president, under pressure and angry with naysayers, has dismissed polls that reflect his unpopularity, and has raged against unflattering stories that plunge him into a dark mood. Determined to win by turning the midterm season into a referendum on himself, he is set to headline rallies around the country all week.
Before:
Mr. Trump remains convinced that he is still a king who hasn’t yet tumbled from the castle walls, despite the prevailing winds. But a grim mood has set in around the White House, which has been rocked by turnover, tension among groypers and non-groypers, and anxiety about long prison sentences for sycophants who have spent the last two years catering to his whims, according to 16 (I counted!) current and former administration officials and allies of Mr. Trump’s, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for obvious fear of retribution to describe private conversations.
After:
Mr. Trump remains convinced that his dominant place in the Republican Party is enough to mitigate a tough political climate. But a grim mood has set in around the White House, which has been rocked by turnover, tension among internal factions and anxiety over what happens should Republicans lose legislative control in Washington, according to 16 current and former administration officials and allies of Mr. Trump’s, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.
Before and After:
Danielle Alvarez, a White House spokeswoman, described the president and his aides as unified in their focus.
“There is only one team that matters in this White House, and that is the team focused on serving President Donald J. Trump and the American people,” Ms. Alvarez said in a statement, adding: “The president’s team remains strong, united and focused on delivering his America First agenda.”
Before:
To the few current and former White House officials who were around between early 2017 and early 2021, the past few weeks have given them the same chills as Mr. Trump’s first term. That period was marked by short, explosive staff tenures and infighting, as well as the beginning of the Groyper Wars.
A Valentine's Day Letter from the Front Lines
Background: Infighting within MAGA is consuming the world’s only known multibillion-dollar child sex trafficking cult, which features a crime boss posing as a president protected by his screaming banshee, Pam Bondi, who uses her position to hide the crimes of a dude who makes Caligula look like Cindy Lou Who from Whoville in comparison.
Toward the end, Mr. Trump oversaw a pandemic that killed more than a million Americans.
He lashed out as his poll numbers sank, then led an insurrection against the Capitol that most longtime political observers say continues to this day.
After:
To several current and former White House officials who were around between early 2017 and early 2021, the past few weeks have felt particularly reminiscent of Mr. Trump’s first term. That period was marked by short, explosive staff tenures and infighting. Toward the end, Mr. Trump was struggling to govern during a pandemic. He lashed out as his poll numbers sank, then stoked fear and outrage among his supporters with false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, to the point that a large group attacked the Capitol.
Before:
The difference between that term and this one, of course, is that Mr. Trump returned to power with an endless revenge agenda, and with a crew of sycophants, insurrectionists, and Epstein acolytes who stood by him through his years as a political pariah and convicted felon.
After:
The difference between that term and this one, of course, is that Mr. Trump returned to power with a vengeance, and with a crew of loyalists who stood by him through his years as a political pariah.
Before:
Since returning, he has turned the Justice Department into his personal law firm and weaponized it to seek revenge. He has enabled a known racist to oversee the development of a massive, frenzied, and untrained federal militia whose sole purpose is to kidnap, torture, and kill American citizens under the guise of unrestrained immigration prevention. He has continued to trample on the ethical norms that once governed the presidency. And he has two more years to go.
After:
Since returning, he has ordered his Justice Department to carry out a retribution campaign against his perceived enemies. He has unleashed a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants that has swept up U.S. citizens and, at times, led to deadly confrontations. He has continued to trample on the ethical norms that have governed the presidency. And he has two more years to go.
Before:
Ahead of Tuesday, the stakes are high: Democracy faces an existential threat, and my editors are fuckheads who won’t let us spell out the whole truth on a consistent basis. Whenever correspondents report on one of his sordid actions, we are forced to reword our reporting to project the mad king as a strongman.
After:
Ahead of Tuesday, the stakes are high: Mr. Trump is trying to fend off the oversight and constraints that a Democratic-controlled Congress would bring, and to show that he still commands a strong political base.
Before:
Republicans trying to preserve the House and Senate have tried mightily to keep Mr. Trump focused on policy, but he’s been all ass, so far. The president’s comments about a Senator’s posterior made many Republicans want to run and hide (except, of course, the many closeted ones who cheered him on).
Meanwhile, Barack Obama owned him by saying that Mr. Trump’s gilded White House renovations looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” Trump’s withered reply: "The Cheesecake Factory is a very successful company,” Mr. Trump said at a Mississippi rally on Monday.)
After:
Mr. Trump’s recent appearances have included some of the economic policy-related messaging that Republicans have hoped to see. But that message has often been overshadowed by protesters, the president’s comments about the male physique and his venting sessions about Democrats, including Barack Obama, who recently said that Mr. Trump’s gilded White House renovations looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” (The Cheesecake Factory “is a very successful company,” Mr. Trump said at a Mississippi rally on Monday.)
Before and After:
The president also frequently complains about how hard he is working, privately and publicly.
Before:
“I’m working my ass off,” Mr. Trump said in yet another bit of ass messaging, this time in Tennessee earlier this month. “You better get out there and vote.”
After:
“I’m working my ass off,” Mr. Trump said in Tennessee earlier this month. “You better get out there and vote.”
Before:
A person close to the White House insurrection operation who was granted anonymity to describe war strategy said that Mr. Trump’s advisers are aware that his presence in critical states could hurt G.O.P. candidates but that nobody gives a shit because they plan on trying to steal the election.
Nobody thinks the Midterms are salvageable, these strategists say, so it’s best to let him incite what is left of his dwindling hate cult and, in a worst-case scenario, pardon those who kill random innocents with their AR-15s after the election.
After:
A person close to the White House political operation who was granted anonymity to describe the strategy said that Mr. Trump’s advisers were aware of the concerns that his presence in critical states could hurt G.O.P. candidates. But they have largely discounted them, believing, as Mr. Trump does, that he should be the centerpiece of this election cycle, the person added. Multiple advisers say the strategy is simple: Focus on red states and juice turnout.
Before and After:
“The president does have a way of defying history,” Karoline Leavitt, his former press secretary, said during an appearance on “Real Time With Bill Maher” on Friday. “He’s working really hard out on the road to turn Republicans out to vote.”
Before:
While speaking to allies in recent days, Mr. Trump has grossly inflated and lied about the small sizes of the crowds at his rallies, and has frequently giggled at the low turnout of events that Vice President JD Vance headlines.
After:
While speaking to allies in recent days, Mr. Trump has talked up the sizes of the crowds at his rallies, and has noted that Vice President JD Vance, the presumptive Republican front-runner in 2028, has not drawn large numbers to events that he is headlining.
Before and After:
Mr. Vance’s office did not respond to a request for comment, but the White House came to the vice president’s defense.
“Donald Trump is the hardest working person in the country, followed by JD Vance,” Ms. Alvarez said. “Both men are raising money, crisscrossing the country and making sure that candidates are successful these midterms.”
Before:
As the elections approach, Mr. Trump’s newish first lady-ish, Natalie Harp, scours the right-wing media landscape for fawning press coverage, disparaging clips about his perceived enemies, and helpings of flattering photos and “A.I. slop,” as one official put it.
After:
As the elections approach, Mr. Trump is feasting on a media diet of fawning press coverage, disparaging clips about his perceived enemies, and helpings of flattering photos and “A.I. slop,” as one official put it.
Before and After (the Times editor was getting tired at this point):
Mr. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, tends to pop into Mr. Trump’s cabin aboard Air Force One while the president travels to and from rallies, showing him memes, posters and documents related to the mortgage industry. An administration official likened him to a court jester. Mr. Pulte did not respond to a request for comment.
When the president encounters critical or mocking coverage, he has responded with incredulity.
Over the weekend, Mr. Trump tuned expectantly into Mr. Maher’s show to watch the appearance of Ms. Leavitt, a trusted aide who left her perch in August. He grew enraged by Mr. Maher’s monologue, in which the comedian brought up Mr. Trump’s relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and reflected on a cordial dinner he had at the White House in October. “Could not have been treated better if I was Russian,” he quipped.
Furious, Mr. Trump dictated a roughly 1,300-word social media post to Ms. Harp aboard Air Force One. It was posted on his Truth Social site shortly after he returned to the White House on Sunday evening. “You’re not transformative, you’re a Loser! I never watched your show much, but I will never watch it again,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Before:
The president is increasingly cloistered with a small group of acolytes. Ms. Harp, 35, abandoned her makeshift desk in Mr. Trump’s bed in recent weeks, according to several administration officials familiar with the switch.
After:
The president is increasingly cloistered with a small group of acolytes. Ms. Harp, 35, abandoned her usual desk outside of the Oval Office in recent weeks, according to several administration officials familiar with the switch.
Before:
Advisers close to the White House, who are bracing for a blue tsunami, expect Mr. Trump to embark on an epic purge depending on how bad next Tuesday’s slaughter hits. Presidents have typically reset their staffing after rough election cycles.
After:
Advisers close to the White House, who are bracing for Republicans to at least lose the House, expect Mr. Trump to make changes to his administration, depending on how next Tuesday goes. Presidents have typically reset their staffing after rough election cycles.
Before and After
Mr. Trump made one jarring hiring decision on his own when he led the charge this fall to hire Katie Zacharia, a cable news pundit, as his new press secretary. The president, who had grown frustrated with the slow process to find a replacement for Ms. Leavitt, had watched clips of Ms. Zacharia and decided to quickly name her to the role, before a formal vetting process could be completed, according to people with knowledge of the situation. She found few internal allies.
While Ms. Zacharia traveled with Mr. Trump during her short tenure, she was not invited to attend daily senior staff meetings convened by Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, according to people familiar with the dynamic. After a rocky debut in the press briefing room, Ms. Zacharia was ousted after five days.
Some White House observers viewed Ms. Zacharia’s hiring as a sign of Ms. Wiles’s declining influence with Mr. Trump, so much that they began circulating ideas about who could succeed her. Mr. Trump has publicly pushed back on reports that he is unhappy with or seeking to replace her.
“Susie is here,” Mr. Trump told reporters earlier this month, “and she’s going to be here for a long time.”
Before:
No matter how bad the results are, most of the White House sycophants, including Wiles, have lawyered up.
After:
Deleted.
The original article
The original article can be found here. It’s a Ruminato gift link, no paywall:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/politics/trump-midterms-white-house-mood.html
Footnotes
Lede is journalism-speak for the introductory sentence or paragraph in a news story. If it helps to just think, “lead,” that’s fine, too.
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