The best thing to happen to the mainstream media: Donald Trump
By Easton Martin | November 20, 2025
Since 2016, legacy media outlets have treated President Trump as their main point of focus. Day after day, they return to him. His statements, his legal fights, his rallies, social media posts, even his silence. They cannot waste a moment of anything he is doing (or even, not doing). He is covered with a level of intensity no other political figure receives, and it has continued for nearly a decade without pause.
This constant attention has shaped the business side of the media. Many major outlets saw their strongest growth during the years when their coverage revolved around Trump. Entire shows even started anchoring their discussions around him. The fact is, Trump, whether President or not, has always provided the media with something to talk about.
Alongside that attention has also come a steady stream of criticism. Few public figures have been attacked and speculated about to the degree Trump has. Every comment gets latched onto with intense scrutiny. For many analysts and commentators, reacting to Trump has become the center of their work.
All of this leads to a question that receives very little consideration: what happens when Trump is no longer in the picture?
Legacy outlets have built so much of their coverage around him that eventually shifting away will be a major adjustment. Many journalists have spent years tying national issues to him, even when the connection is thin. Audiences have grown used to that pattern. A future without Trump as the focal point will require these outlets to rebuild their approach to news, find new areas of emphasis, and reconnect with topics they have neglected.
Can leftist networks like CNN, or tabloids like The Daily Beast even find something to cover when Trump is gone? Who will they misrepresent, who will they attack? Whether they like him or not, he’s one of the few things keeping them in business.
