For many voters, Donald Trump and Joe Biden are not funny clowns, and voters are being conditioned by the media to treat one aggressively and the other unaggressively. It was not the first attempt at it. In 2016, when every poll indicated that voters wanted outsider candidates, Democrats pushed Hillary Clinton, one of the most unpopular candidates in history. She was beaten by Trump, who was the other most unpopular candidate. After positive treatment of Clinton and negative coverage of Trump, the election stunned experts who predicted an easy win for Clinton.
Meanwhile, the media has been working hard at less aggressive treatment of Biden. His gaffes are quickly dismissed. When he was accused of sexual assault, the media reluctantly noted the story. Even when Biden espoused the Postal Service conspiracy theory that Trump would somehow halt the election this year, the media called it a prediction and ignored that it was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the Constitution.
Recent polls indicate that the unending media attacks on Trump and his supporters are not actually conditioning but instead are repelling voters. They are fulfilling his narrative that voters cannot trust the media. While many voters may still view both Trump and Biden as clowns, they resent getting continually conditioned to punch one over the other. Indeed, if Trump wins reelection, he could have the media to thank.
