Mainstream media lack credibility where Trump is concerned

The mainstream media have been tripping over themselves to denigrate President Trump in the wake of his interview with ABC News' Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. Stephanopoulos spent 30 hours with the President flying on Air Force One to Iowa, traveling in his armored vehicle, greeting him in his West Wing residence and in the Oval Office for a day of meetings, and sitting down for a one-on-one interview in the White House Rose Garden.

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During the course of that interview the following discussion took place: Stephanopoulos: Your campaign this time around, if foreigners, if Russia, if China, if someone else offers you information on opponents, should they accept it or should they call the FBI? President Trump: I think maybe you do both. I think you might want to listen, there's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, "we have information on your opponent." Oh, I think I'd want to hear it. Stephanopoulos: You want that kind of interference in our elections? President Trump: It's not an interference, they have information. I think I'd take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI. If I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research. Oh, let's call the FBI. The FBI doesn't have enough agents to take care of it, but you go and talk honestly to congressmen, they all do it, they always have. And that's the way it is. It's called oppo research. Here is how some in the mainstream media reported it:

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1. Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
   
   "I don't -- there's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, 'We have information on your opponent,' oh, I think I'd want to hear it."
   
   Truly stunning stuff here. What Trump, who is, reminder, the President of the United States, seems to fail to grasp is that a foreign country would almost certainly have a motive for passing along negative information about Trump's opponent.
   
   Think back to what we know about Russian interference in the 2016 election. They sought to interfere to help Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton because they thought Trump would be better for their interests. Trump's blindness -- willful or otherwise -- that other countries would pass along this information as part of an attempt to manipulate an American election to produce their desired results is scary -- especially when you consider that we have another national election coming in 17 months.


2. Brian Stelter, CNN Business
   
   Trump told Stephanopoulos that he'd listen if, say, Russia or China offered up dirt on his political rivals. ABC aired the clip on Wednesday's "World News Tonight." And now this assertion is the headline on many major news websites right now, from ABC to CNN to Fox.

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3. John Cassidy New Yorker
   
   As of Saturday, it has been three days since Trump told George Stephanopoulos, of ABC News, that he would accept damaging information on political opponents from foreign governments, and the White House is still trying to repair the political damage. It isn't working. Instead, things are only getting worse for the President.
4. Christine Wang CNBC
   
   In an interview aired Wednesday, Trump presented a hypothetical situation in which "somebody comes up and says, 'Hey, I have information on your opponent.' Do you call the FBI?" The president went on to say, "I don't think in my whole life I've ever called the FBI" and, "Give me a break. Life doesn't work that way."

Fake news or fair comment? Readers can make up their own minds

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