It’s a movie we’d seen over and over again during the first Trump administration, and now the sequel nobody asked for continues in Trump 2.0: the false narrative.
Here’s how it works. Trump is accused of something. Evidence is scant, ambiguous or nonexistent, so a narrative is built using “experts” to back the narrative, which includes Democratic lawmakers posing as such. But instead of having a come-to-Jesus moment, legacy media just continues down this destructive path years later in Trump’s second term.
So without further ado, here are the top five media narratives that have comically failed in just the past seven months alone since Trump’s inauguration.
#5 – Crime in Washington, D.C., ain’t so bad
CNN: Fact check: Violent crime in DC has fallen in 2024 and 2025 after a 2023 spike
New York Times: Trump Misstates Washington Crime Data To Justify Takeover
But there are several problems with this. For starters, juvenile crime stats are not included, and these numbers account for a sizable chunk of carjackings, car theft, and gang-related violence, including homicides.
But the second reason is that these numbers are not to be trusted. The Washington Free Beacon’s Alana Goodman reported this week that the District of Columbia has “quietly settled a lawsuit from a sergeant who accused the Metro Police Department of misclassifying offenses to deflate crime statistics,” according to court records.
The story goes on to say police brass repeatedly told officers to downgrade car thefts, knife attacks, and violent assaults to “lesser offenses.”
For its part, the D.C. Police Union has embraced Trump’s deployment. Because overall, 91% of Washington residents say crime is a serious problem in the district, yet Democrats and the media insisted everything was not only fine but greatly improving by pushing a false narrative. Again.
#4 – Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility is alive and well!
Reuters – US strikes may have set back Iran nuclear program only months, sources say
CBS News: Trump’s strikes on Iran set back nuclear program by months, initial intel assessment finds
One got the feeling that legacy media was rooting against the United States to fail in its efforts to boldly take out Iran’s nuclear capabilities after decades of allowing it to fester. It was one of the boldest missions the military has undertaken in decades, with U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropping twelve 30,000-pound bombs on the Fordow enrichment complex.
But an initial U.S. intelligence assessment report was leaked to CNN, asserting the bombs weren’t very impactful and only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months. But that assessment was made only days after the strikes. No one from U.S. intelligence could definitely come to that conclusion. And it was leaked to CNN for a reason: to embarrass Trump.
Solid journalism would err on the side of caution and wait for more information and assessments to come in. But this is the Trump era, so every legacy media outlet treated the CNN report as gospel.
Three weeks later, after actual hard evidence emerged, it was determined that:
New York Times: New Assessment Finds Site at Focus of U.S. Strikes in Iran Badly Damaged
“Iran’s deeply buried nuclear enrichment plant at Fordo was badly damaged, and potentially destroyed, by the 12 massive bombs that U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers dropped on it last month, according to a new American intelligence assessment.”
But the editorials in the New York Times and Washington Post praising Trump for doing what no previous president had the courage to do never came, just as it never did after Russia collusion was proven to be a hoax.
#3 – Tariffs will destroy the economy
April 2, 2025, marked the beginning of the president’s effort to level the playing field when it came to trade deals and tariffs with other countries. Trump was aggressive in slapping a 10% tariff on virtually every country in the world, with higher amounts directed at others. The markets, not knowing what might come next, reacted with volatility the likes of which we had not seen since COVID.
The media, echoing their Democratic overlords, reacted with patent hyperbole in telling Americans their 401ks were vanishing in less than 48 hours after “Liberation Day” began.
NBC News: Retirees ‘stunned’ as market turmoil over tariffs shrinks their 401(k)s; Some are changing their spending habits while others are worried about their future quality of life.
Daily Mail: Wall Street stocks drop like a stone… wiping trillions off the value of 401(K)s in minutes
But since April 2, the Dow Jones is up almost 3100 points, or 7%. The S&P 500 is up more than 700 points, or 13%. And the Nasdaq is up more than 4000 points, or 18%. All have reached record highs.
Whoops.
#2- The “Epstein files” will destroy MAGA/Trump
July was a month that was dominated by the so-called Epstein files, with Trump being found guilty until proven innocent regarding his involvement with Jeffery Epstein and pedophilia.
PBS: What to know about the MAGA faithful’s anger over Trump and the Epstein case
ABC News: Trump’s effort to quell MAGA revolt over Epstein files seems to add fuel to the fire
Bloomberg: Trump Threatened by Epstein-Fueled MAGA Rage
But what “MAGA rage” were they talking about? Yes, there were some loud voices on social media, notably Tucker Carlson, who has voiced being “distressed” about Team Trump’s conclusion that the case was closed. But for the most part, there was no actual revolt against Trump in the real world outside of X.
And by the way, if Trump was ever on such a list, is there a person on the planet who believes Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton wouldn’t have weaponized it back in 2016 after Trump became the Republican nominee?
Rhetorical question.
Fast forward to mid-August, and the story is officially a nothingburger, even in the eyes of CNN pollster Harry Enten:
“From at least a political point of view, [this is] quickly turning into a dud of a story,” Enten declared this week while noting Google searches on the matter were down 89%. “The American people‘s interest in this story — it‘s quickly becoming something of a nothingburger!”
Whoops again.
#1 – The tale of the “Maryland man”
His name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who entered the country illegally during the Obama-Biden administration. Abrego Garcia was deported in March back to Venezuela, with the Trump administration accusing him of being a member of MS-13.
“Outrage grows over Maryland man’s mistaken deportation to El Salvador prison,” reported the Associated Press.
“U.S. Renews Opposition to Bringing Back Maryland Man Wrongly Deported to El Salvador,” said the New York Times.
At first glance, one would think that Abrego Garcia was an American citizen residing in Maryland and was just randomly scooped off the street by ICE.
Here’s a more accurate description of him: illegal immigrant, MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, and wife beater.
The last part of his resume, wife beater, was revealed this week in court documents in handwritten testimony by his wife at the time, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, detailing Abrego Garcia’s domestic violence against her.
“At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/video of how violent he can be and all the bruises he has left me.”
Swell guy.
DHS has also released new documents showing Abrego Garcia was, in fact, a member of the notorious gang MS-13.
“Two judges found that he was a member of MS-13. That finding has not been disturbed, while intelligence reports found that he was involved in human trafficking,” the department adds.
As for human trafficking, Garcia was pulled over in 2022 by Tennessee Highway Patrol. He had eight people with no luggage in the car with him, according to DHS. Every passenger gave the same address as a home address as Abrego Garcia’s, who claimed he was driving all of these people from Texas to Maryland for “construction work.”
The case was referred to the FBI under Biden, who inexplicably ordered his release. But under Pam Bondi’s DOJ, the case has been resurrected, with the evidence clearly overwhelming.
If Democrats and their friends in the press want to continue to claim crime in DC is falling at a rapid rate, or that the “Maryland man” should return home, or Trump’s tariffs will rob you over your life savings, or Fordow will be at DEFCON 1 by football season, or the Epstein files will be the beginning of the end (again) for Trump, by all means, they should knock themselves out.
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The Democratic Party’s current approval rating is currently 34%, an all-time low. Trust in media is at 31%, also an all-time low.
With a track record like they’ve had in the Trump era, it’s a small miracle they’re each even polling this high.
