It Looks Like the ‘Conservative’ Backlash to Trump in Red-District Town Halls Is Completely Manufactured
The article discusses how liberal media outlets are perceived to misrepresent public sentiment regarding President Donald Trump and Elon Musk by portraying protests against them as a broad bipartisan backlash. It cites a report that highlights the institution of these protests by Democratic activists and leftist organizations, which were often not disclosed in mainstream media coverage. Specifically, it points out CBS News, The Washington Post, and The New York Times for downplaying the involvement of these groups in their reporting, suggesting that the headlines created a misleading narrative about widespread dissatisfaction among constituents. The author contends that the media’s framing attempts to exaggerate opposition to Trump’s policies, implying a notable backlash, despite evidence suggesting that many protests were organized and influenced by partisan groups. The goal appears to be to shape public perception rather than accurately report the facts.
When it comes to a supposed “backlash” against President Donald Trump, liberal media outlets hope the headlines tell the story — because the facts won’t.
A report Tuesday by the Washington Free Beacon turned a ray of light on coverage of constituents turning out for town halls during the congressional recess.
And shocking as it might sound, it found the headlines aren’t anywhere close to the whole truth.
MEDIA COVERS FOR LIBERAL GROUPS BEHIND ANTI-ELON PROTESTS
News outlets hyped GOP town hall protests as a “bipartisan backlash”—but forgot to mention they were staged by Democrat activists.
In Georgia, Maggie Goldman led a viral protest against Rep. Rich McCormick.… pic.twitter.com/ofzU603pLg
— Alex Kennedy (@therealmindman) February 25, 2025
Coverage from CBS News, The Washington Post and The New York Times focused on alleged outrage among Americans over Trump and uber-billionaire Elon Musk’s ongoing efforts to downsize the federal government.
But all downplayed — or omitted completely — the involvement of leftist organizations and Democratic organizers in turning out the crowds.
CBS, for instance, headlined its piece “GOP lawmakers confronted by constituents angry with Trump-Musk cuts,” and focused on a town hall conducted by Republican Rep. Rich McCormick.
It identified one of his critics, Maggie Goldman, simply as a constituent who “lives in [McCormick’s] district,” but neglected to mention that she is a former Democratic candidate for Fulton County Commission with a campaign page that gave full-throated support to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her “commitment to not prosecute any abortion cases.”
Most Americans are probably much more familiar with Fani Willis as the DA whose blatantly partisan prosecution of Donald Trump and his supporters collapsed in a fiasco of self-dealing corruption.
Maybe CBS realized a headline that was closer to the truth — like, “Georgia Republican Confronted by Deranged Democrat” might not get the … appropriate message across.
To Ms. Goldman’s credit, she hasn’t tried to hide her involvement. In fact, she’s bragging about it.
Check out a post she published on the social media platform X, taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to Musk’s challenge to federal government employees to explain their accomplishments in a work week.
(And note that it was responding to a post from George Conway, ex-husband of former Trump top adviser Kellyanne Conway and one of the foremost Trump haters in the land):
How’s this @gtconway3d https://t.co/ssuuGt6Gd7 pic.twitter.com/yzBPdBd6mF
— Maggie Goldman, Candidate Fulton Comm Dist 1 (@Maggie4Fulton) February 23, 2025
The Washington Post, meanwhile, also led its report with coverage of McCormick’s town hall, under the slightly more restrained, but not less deceptive, headline, “Back in their districts, GOP lawmakers get an earful on DOGE and Musk.”
And while it acknowledged that the crowd was “was decidedly liberal,” it left out Ms. Goldman completely.
It also left out, according to the Free Beacon, that the protests that greeted McCormick and other Republican House members in their home districts were organized by left-wing organizations like Indivisible and MoveOn, both of which are funded by leftist billionaire George Soros.
Maybe if the article had included that, the Post could have headlined it: “George Soros-Funded Leftists Attack GOP Congressmen.”
Again, though, not the … appropriate message.
The Times report, meanwhile, only mentioned the McCormick meeting in passing, while focusing on a town hall held by Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions.
Like the Post, the Times acknowledged a distinctly leftist bent to the audience — “[m]any of the most vocal complaints came from participants who identified themselves as Democrats,” the report noted. But the overall tone and, especially the headline, gave the impression that there was much more afoot:
“Republicans Face Angry Voters at Town Halls, Hinting at Broader Backlash,” the Times proclaimed.
“Hinting” is carrying a lot of weight there — and “Broader” is carrying even more.
Americans who’ve lived through a decade of lies about Trump and his supporters can’t be surprised at all, but it’s obvious that the establishment media that spent Trump’s first term spreading lies about “Russia collusion” is kicking off his second by fomenting lies about “backlash” to his initiatives in the evident hope that one will actually materialize.
And even if it doesn’t, it’s a rock-solid bet that there will be plenty of headlines “hinting” that it did.
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