Legacy Media Whitewashes Trump's Danger to Global Stability

Once you notice how gullible legacy media has become, you can’t unsee it.

Once you notice how gullible legacy media has become, you can’t unsee it. Last week, outlets rushed to cover the trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom. U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal to Build on Close Ties but Leave Some Tariffs in Place, hailed The New York Times headline. US and UK agree deal slashing Trump tariffs on cars and metals, thundered BBC.

But look beneath the hood and this “deal” is a nothing burger for the United States. First, the United Kingdom is one of the countries that imports more American goods than it exports. Second, the agreement keeps in place 10% tariffs on most U.K. goods, up from 3% prior to Liberation Day. Third, Trump rolled back some U.S. tariffs on a limited number of cars, aluminum, plane parts and steel. So much for his promise to bring back the American steel and auto industries.

The U.K, in return, did not lift its 10% tariff on American cars. Under the terms of the deal, the United States does get to export up to 1.4 billion liters of ethanol annually to the UK duty-free and up to 13,000 metric tons of beef to the UK duty-free. But American beef access to the U.K. market has not been stymied so much by tariffs as by hormone additives. U.S. producers must still certify that their beef is hormone-free to qualify for export to the UK. The U.S. beef industry, which widely uses growth hormones, remains largely excluded from the British market unless it adjusts its production practices.

That’s it. That’s the gist of the “deal” — which is hardly a deal at all. But listening to news reports last week, you would have thought that Trump delivered a triumph for the American economy.

Last night, as news broke of a potential breakthrough in Chinese-American tariff talks, legacy media was back at it. Top US officials emerge from China trade talks touting ‘substantial progress’ and ‘deal’, CNN touted. US, China Say Trade Talks Are Advancing, Bloomberg said. This morning, Politico Playbook, which aims to set the narrative for Beltway media every morning, crowed: Trump Cuts a Deal with China and HAPPY CHRISTMAS, WAR IS OVER.

Is it? You would not know this reading Politico but Trump absolutely caved without getting anything concrete from the Chinese in return. First, this “deal” is only temporary and will expire in 90 days, leading to even greater uncertainty for suppliers and manufacturers. China will still place a 10% levy on American goods. The United States will still impose 30% tariffs (otherwise known as a tax) on Chinese goods. Trump still refuses to lift his hold on the de minimis exemption , which had previously allowed cheap products like clothing to enter the United States duty-free.

More relevantly, Trump is the arsonist who sets the house on fire and then wants credit for not burning all of it down. And the legacy media generally falls for it every time.

Despite Politico’s headline, which might as well have been written by the White House press shop, it’s going to be an expensive Christmas — which hardly makes it happy. And the war is not over. The better analogy is that the two countries continue to bomb each other’s civilian populations but have agreed to refrain from nuking one another for three months.

But the facts did not stop Politico and other media from rushing to hit publish on stories that emanate from the White House spin shop.

It gets even worse.