By the time the next president election rolls around in 2020, it is possible that the Washington Post will have gotten over its apoplexy that Donald Trump won the most recent election. Possible, though not probable.
The paper began churning out dramatic headlines immediately following the election results. “Markets plunge worldwide as Trump surges to the White House,” a headline in the Markets section blared Nov. 9. And in Style: “A call to action for reporters covering Donald Trump.” “Trump voters will not like what happens next,” an opinion writer wrote. And the next day: “Vigils and protests swell across U.S. in wake of Trump victory.”
By no means losing steam the following week, WaPo kept the over the top stories coming.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
“Welcome to the Trump kleptocracy,” one headline read. “If you voted for Trump because he’s ‘anti-establishment,’ guess what: You got conned,” read another. And from the Wonkblog: “Donald Trump and the end of history.”
In just one brief period between Monday and Tuesday, WaPo ran the following headlines:
- Romney twisting in the wind offers a preview of Trump’s reality-show governing style
- ‘We’ve never had anything like this’: Racist, threatening message left on door of black church
- Donald Trump’s political mandate is historically small
- House Democrats demand Chaffetz probe Trump’s finances
- Trump’s ‘news’ source: Alien lizards, fluoride mind control and voter fraud
- Why we can’t — and shouldn’t — ignore Donald Trump’s tweets
- In one tweet, Trump trashes two constitutional amendments
- Donald Trump and social media have weaponized the conspiracy theory in American politics
- Trump just scored perhaps the biggest victory of his new tenure. But it comes with a huge asterisk
- AP FACT CHECK: Trump won presidency but lost popular vote
- Donald Trump is never going to change. Not ever.
- Trump’s populism is about to face a rude awakening
- Trump has already defeated the news media. And it’s unclear what we can do about it.
Basically, there’s no end in sight to this glorious meltdown.
Although some of the paper’s opinion columnists have accepted not only the fact that Donald Trump will be the nation’s next president but even acknowledged that maybe his cabinet picks are not as crazy or toxic as some are portraying them, the news division is committed. Make that should be committed.
This report, by Rachel Stoltzfoos, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
