The mainstream media news coverage has undergone a bizarre transformation in relation to Donald Trump.
It is as if someone flipped a switch, causing The Donald to go from media buddy to media target in a New York minute. Unfortunately, Trump is now able to relate to Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann in a way few others can.
Trump has been attacked by mainstream anchors and Hollywood celebrities alike. Bob Schieffer and David Letterman called him a racist. Lawrence O’Donnell called him a monster. Cher used the word “pompous” along with an expletive to describe him.
Now Trump has suffered an assault from the president himself.
One thing is clear, and that is the real estate mogul and “Celebrity Apprentice” TV host isn’t going to just stand there and be slapped around. Showing exactly why he has soared in recent polls, Trump is hitting back hard.
He jabbed Obama for the speech that the president gave at a recent White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) in which Trump was made the “focus of the evening.” He also hit back at a “Saturday Night Live” cast member who was part of the president’s comedic tag team.
What is significant is that the WHCD has traditionally been used to poke fun at members of the media and at the White House, not at an outside third party. Classless press members displayed their overt lack of objectivity by emitting a chorus of boos as Trump and his wife, Melania, arrived at the Washington Hilton.
“Well, I really understood what I was getting into,” Trump said. “I didn't know that I'd be virtually the sole focus.”
He added, “I guess when you're leading in the polls that sort of thing tends to happen. But I was certainly in a certain way having a good time listening. I don't think the American people are having a good time with $5 gas . . . I was thinking to myself as they were doing this, you know, the American people are really suffering and we're all having fun at a gala.”
Trump made it a point to phone in, which he frequently does, his candid responses to the hosts of “Fox & Friends.” He was responding to an evening in which the president essentially did a warm-up act for SNL head writer and Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers, with both making Trump the punching bag for unimaginative one-liners.
“Donald Trump is here tonight,” Obama smirked. “Now, I know that he’s taken some flack lately, but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate to rest than The Donald. Now he can get to focusing on the issues that matter. Like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened at Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?”
The bit included a visual mock-up of a Trump White House and a clip from the movie, “The Lion King.” A scene was shown of the lion cub being born, followed by the president saying, “I want to make clear to the Fox News table that was a joke. Call Disney if you don’t believe me. They have the original long-form version.”
As Obama conducted his Trump roast, Hollywood luminaries who snickered on cue included Sean Penn, Scarlett Johansson, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Mira Sorvino, Paula Abdul, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, Jeremy Piven, Anna Paquin, David and Patricia Arquette, Mila Kunis, Jon Hamm, Alyssa Milano, Joan Rivers, Morgan Fairchild, Brooke Burke, Rosario Dawson, and America Ferrerra.
In what appears to be yet another vengeful swipe from the president, Obama went after actor Matt Damon, who recently dared to criticize his leadership ability.
“Matt Damon said the other day that he was disappointed in my performance,” Obama said. “Well, Matt, I just saw ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ . . .”
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court and has made several appearances there on landmark decisions. Hirsen is the co-founder and chief legal counsel for InternationalEsq.com. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood: www.youtube.com/user/NMHollywood.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.