As the media takes cover after President Trump's (clearly humorous) tweet showing him body slamming CNN to the ground, one GOP lawmaker had a suggestion for the network. Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA) came on Alisyn Camerota's program Monday and told her straight up that she and her network are being taken for a ride.
“I think you guys are getting played, man,” he said. “I think every time he does this you guys overreact — and by you guys I mean the media in general — and you play right into his hands.”
It was the umpteenth time in the past week that the press has flipped over one of Trump's tweets counterpunching a very punchy press.
Having seen enough, Taylor gave Camerota some friendly advice.
“What I would like you to do is the next segment you have put up the numbers of your negative coverage of the president as well too,” he said.
Camerota called it a "crazy suggestion.”
Not so crazy, however, when you consider the numbers. Newsbusters conducted a recent study of CNN's news coverage, which concluded that the network was obsessed with Trump.
After excluding commercials, teases and promos, our analysts found 13 hours, 27 minutes of actual news coverage, an average of just over 40 minutes per hour. Of that, a whopping 92 percent (12 hours, 19 minutes) was devoted to the Trump presidency, with a mere 68 minutes — a little more than three minutes per hour — devoted to all of the other news of the day.
Further research revealed that most of the time CNN mentions Trump, it is not in a flattering way.
The vast majority of all of CNN’s guests that day (96, or 78% of the total) were Trump critics, compared to a handful of pro-Trump guests (just seven, or 6% of the total). Another 13 guests were neutral, and seven offered mixed assessments of the administration.
So, doesn't the president have a right to respond to this barrage of criticism?
Amazingly, ABC's Martha Raddatz felt compelled to ask Homeland Security Adviser Thomas Bossert whether the media should consider Trump's tweet a threat.
I'm paraphrasing, but Bossert basically said no one in their right mind would believe the president was inciting violence with the gif.
Focus on "real issues," Rep. Taylor implored CNN.