It looks like the spectacular collapse of the “Biden was fine” hoax has taken its toll on the legacy media, so much so that their latest gaslighting campaign, blaming President Donald Trump for the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots, is falling flat with the public. At this point, there are nearly as many stories dissecting the liberal media’s coverage of the riots as there are about the riots themselves. The media’s once-powerful formula of 20% news, 80% spin is no longer working for them.
People are well aware that the media were not “mistaken” about former President Joe Biden’s senility. They knew better than any of us that the man occupying the Oval Office was non compos mentis. But maintaining Democratic control in Washington mattered more to them, so they lied to the public for four years, comfortable with the fact that the real decisions were being made by a circle of unelected officials behind the scenes.
No one expects genuine contrition from the press, but you’d think journalists might show a bit of restraint before diving headlong into yet another disinformation campaign, especially so soon after being exposed in what may well have been the hoax of the century.
The storyline pushed by the legacy media outlets is that the riots were sparked by Trump’s decision to send ICE agents into a sanctuary city to arrest illegal immigrants. Once the unrest began, the crisis, they claim, was triggered by his deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops, followed by 700 Marines and additional Guard units, all without the governor’s consent.
First, Trump had to send ICE agents into Los Angeles — it’s called enforcing the law. Deporting illegal immigrants who flooded into the country under the Biden administration’s open-border policies was the cornerstone of Trump’s campaign. His tough stance on immigration is what helped propel him back into the White House.
Second, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the very officials responsible for maintaining order, refused to act. Then again, why would they, when their sympathies so clearly lay with the rioters?
The Los Angeles police were overwhelmed. We know this because the police chief admitted his department needed backup. Had Trump not acted decisively, the unrest would have quickly spread nationwide, just as the Black Lives Matter protests did in 2020.
Third, many of the illegal immigrants targeted by ICE were dangerous criminals with lengthy rap sheets. Despite Newsom’s pathetic remark that these people are “just trying to live their lives, man, paying their taxes,” the reality is that some of them truly are “the worst of the worst.”
The other key piece of the Left’s narrative is its claim that the protests have been peaceful. This, despite clear evidence that the so-called “protesters” have hurled rocks, fireworks, and other projectiles at law enforcement, set vehicles on fire, and defaced federal property.
During an interview on Fox News earlier this week, the Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway noted that “unlike in 2020, our corporate media no longer have the power to push this level of disinformation as effectively as they did then.”
“The New York Times is telling people, ‘Do not believe your lying eyes — believe us, the people who spread the Russia collusion hoax, who spread conspiracy theories about Brett Kavanaugh,’” she said. “’Believe us when we tell you that what you see on video from firsthand accounts isn’t real.’”
Fox News’s Greg Gutfeld highlighted another inconsistency in media coverage: Very few journalists are actually interviewing the protesters. Media outlets are offering minimal on-the-ground participant interviews. There’s a reason for this. Journalists understand that airing the perspectives of rioters waving Mexican flags would likely undermine, rather than support, their preferred narrative.
Additionally, in the small number of interviews I’ve seen over the past week, the protesters have struggled to articulate the reasons for their participation. For example, when those carrying signs that say Trump is a fascist are asked why they think he’s a fascist, their responses are often hesitant, fragmented, and lacking in substance.
Regarding the media’s portrayal of the protests as “mostly peaceful,” Gutfeld said, “Their delusional commentary alongside the videos of the rioters and the arson is a perfect juxtaposition of reality and ideology.”
“Every video strengthens Trump’s position and reminds us how wrong the media was on everything from the Summer of Love to the fall of Biden,” he added.
COTTON CLAPS BACK AT CBS NEWS’S MARGARET BRENNAN OVER RIOTS THAT ‘TERRORIZED’ LA
Over the past decade, the media have produced so much propaganda that it’s become difficult to keep track. But the “Biden is fine” hoax troubled the public. The situation was made worse when the very journalists who were complicit in the cover-up, such as CNN’s Jake Tapper, sought to capitalize on it in recent months.
Despite their best efforts, the legacy media cannot conceal the damage they’ve caused by lying about Biden’s condition. It was journalistic malpractice. And their abdication of duty put the country at great risk. As the major networks continue to lose viewers to Fox News, podcasts, and other alternative sources, they have no one to blame but themselves.
Elizabeth Stauffer is a contributor to the Washington Examiner and the Western Journal. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.