Trump attacks come from unexpected places
Former President Donald Trump has taken some hits in the aftermath of the midterm elections, but the unkindest cuts may have come from a source that was once among his biggest backers — the media empire of magnate Rupert Murdoch.
The New York Post’s front cover yesterday put Trump’s face over the drawing of a boy from a well-known nursery rhyme. The headline: “Trumpty Dumpty.”
“Don (who couldn’t build a wall) had a great fall — can all of the GOP’s men put the party back together again?” the newspaper wrote.
The Wall Street Journal’s opinion section ran a sharp editorial headlined, “Trump is the Republican Party’s Biggest Loser”.
Trump was blamed for supporting losing or underperforming candidates such as Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Don Bolduc in New Hampshire and Blake Masters in Arizona that cost Republicans a chance to make big gains in the House and Senate, as many had predicted.
“Democrats succeeded again in making Trump a central campaign issue, and Mr Trump helped them do it,” the Journal said.
Meanwhile, on the Post’s website, veteran columnist John Podhoretz dubbed the former president “Toxic Trump”.
Podhoretz wrote that Donald Trump was “the political equivalent of a can of Raid” and “perhaps the most profound vote repellent in modern American history”.
A spokesman for Murdoch’s News Corp said he had no comment on the editorial choices.
It’s not as if the outlets have never criticised Trump, but the tone and timing were noteworthy.
Non-Murdoch affiliated conservative figures and outlets also took some shots at Trump.
The Washington Examiner wrote that Republicans needed to choose between electoral success or Trump, while American Thinker said Trump is devolving into a permanent liability, according to The Righting newsletter.
Trump has all but promised that he would announce a 2024 candidacy as soon as next week.
But his former White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said no potential candidates should announce before the December 6 runoff election for the US Senate seat in Georgia.
A Trump representative did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The former President disputed stories that he had backed losers online.
He was particularly critical of the New York Times for a story that said he was angry at his wife, Melania, and Fox News’ Sean Hannity for pushing him to back Oz’s Senate candidacy in Pennsylvania.
“I was not at all ANGRY,” he wrote. “Fake news!”