Major news outlets have basically held Donald Trump by the hand and led him straight to the door of the Republican nomination for president. A recent study showed that Trump has benefited from over $1 Billion in free press from news outlets due to their insatiable appetite for drama.
Well count your blessings America. It seems the media gravy-train Donald Trump has enjoyed since his announcement to run for President last June, is slowing down. In addition to Fox News’ Chris Wallace, Chuck Todd from NBC’s Meet The Press is now saying he will no longer allow Donald Trump to “phone in” his interviews.
Chuck Todd, host of NBC’s Sunday morning political talk show, Meet the Press, told The New York Times he will no longer allow Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump to call in to the show in lieu of appearing on camera, taking away a media advantage that has been solely granted to Trump thus far this campaign season.
Trump has dominated the Sunday morning political talk shows since the beginning of 2015, appearing more than any other candidate, (63 times) including 28 interviews by phone — a privilege the shows have not allowed any of the other four remaining presidential candidates. Media critics, who say the format gives Trump an upper hand, have called out the practice noting that allowing him to interview by phone “is a signal of the extent to which the television cable networks contort themselves to accommodate Trump.”
According to a March 20 New York Times column, NBC’s Chuck Todd told The Times‘ Jim Rutenberg that he “will no longer allow Mr. Trump to do prescheduled interviews by phone.” Rutenberg noted that Fox’s Chris Wallace has also refused to allow Trump to phone in.
Did I mention that Trump has just about wrapped up the Republican nomination? The phrase “too little, too late” is appropriate right about now.
