In reality, they're not after me, they're after you. I'm just in the way.

MSNBC frequently reported that Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to influence the election, with coverage of the Steele dossier as a central piece of evidence. Rachel Maddow, treated the collusion narrative as fact, with daily coverage focused on this story. She would hold up papers showing her "evidence of the collusion." Joy Reid, another MSNBC "reporter" has repeatedly characterized Trump’s base of supporters as being driven by white nationalism or white grievance politics. On several occasions, she has referred to Trump as the president for white nationalists or white supremacists, suggesting that his rhetoric is specifically tailored to stoke racial resentment. Joe Scarborough has accused Trump’s supporters of being complicit in or accepting of racism, particularly for supporting Trump despite his controversial statements on race and immigration. He has suggested that Trump voters “knew what they were getting into” and that their support for Trump reflected a tacit endorsement of his racially divisive policies. Scarborough has frequently suggested that Trump is mentally unwell, even questioning his cognitive abilities on-air. He has called for the president to undergo a mental health evaluation and has speculated that Trump suffers from psychological disorders. Many saw Scarborough’s constant speculation about Trump’s mental health as crossing a line. Mental health professionals and political commentators alike have pointed out that diagnosing someone from afar without direct medical examination is both unethical and irresponsible. While Trump’s behavior was often unconventional, suggesting he was mentally unfit without evidence was seen by some as dangerous and inflammatory.

Like MSNBC, CNN has been critical of Donald Trump from the start of his campaign in 2015. On July 13, 2024, when Thomas Crooks tried to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, CNN ran a headline that said, "Secret Service rushes Trump off stage after he falls at rally." In December 2017, CNN reported that Donald Trump Jr. had received an email from WikiLeaks on September 4, 2016, offering him access to stolen Democratic emails before they were made public. In fact, Donald Trump, Jr. received the email after the emails had already been released. In June 2017, CNN reported that former FBI Director James Comey would testify that he never told President Trump he was not under investigation, contrary to Trump’s claims. CNN quietly corrected its story but faced significant criticism for the error, particularly because it had fed into a broader narrative suggesting that Trump was lying about his interactions with Comey. CNN repeatedly reported that Trump had called white supremacists and neo-Nazis "very fine people" in the aftermath of the violent Charlottesville rally in 2017.Despite the full context of Trump’s remarks being available, CNN and other outlets continued to emphasize the "very fine people" quote without providing proper context, fueling the narrative that Trump was sympathetic to white supremacists. Critics argue that this selective reporting was inflammatory and misleading. CNN, like many other outlets, extensively covered the Steele dossier, a document containing unverified allegations about Trump’s ties to Russia. The dossier suggested that Trump had colluded with Russia during the 2016 election and contained salacious claims about Trump’s behavior. While CNN didn’t retract its reporting on the Steele dossier, it faced criticism for its extensive coverage of the dossier without emphasizing its unverified nature. The focus on the dossier fed into the broader Russia collusion narrative, which ultimately did not result in any charges of conspiracy against Trump.

While CNN has produced extensive coverage of Donald Trump and his presidency, some of the network’s reporting and commentary has been criticized for inaccuracies, exaggeration, and inflammatory rhetoric. Several stories had to be retracted or corrected, and some of its broader narratives, particularly around Trump’s supporters, were seen as polarizing and overly simplistic. Critics argue that CNN’s handling of these issues contributed to the deepening political divide during Trump’s presidency, as it often focused on sensationalist angles and fueled controversy.

Since Kamala Harris entered the presidential race, David Muir's coverage of her has been 100% positive. In contrast, his coverage of Donald Trump has been 93% negative. During the only debate between the 2024 presidential candidates, the ABC News anchor allowed Kamala Harris to repeat blatant falsehoods regarding Charlottesville, January 6, fracking, Trump's "blood bath" comments, and the claim that no active-duty troops were in a combat zone anywhere in the world for the first time in a century. Muir chose to "fact-check" nearly every comment made by Trump. Additionally, he failed to follow up on questions directed to Kamala, allowing her to respond with repeated talking points instead of answering directly. This deprived the American public of the opportunity to better understand her policy views on critical issues like the economy and the border, two matters at the forefront of the election. ABC News, like many other mainstream outlets, has faced criticism for inaccuracies and inflammatory rhetoric in its coverage of Donald Trump and his supporters. While the network has corrected some falsehoods, such as the Michael Flynn story and the misleading Syrian footage, other aspects of its reporting—especially related to race, immigration, and Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic—have been accused of exaggeration or selective framing. These issues contributed to a broader perception of media bias and inflamed political divisions during Trump’s presidency.