A peaceful transition is lost on Trump

What's ahead for journalism?

Say what you will about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, but they handled their defeat this week with class. Harris called Trump and conceded the election. Biden called Trump and congratulated him. I presume both will attend the inauguration next January and be present during a peaceful transition of power to a man they detest. Biden and Harris have vowed to help the Trump team smoothly transition into the White House.

Nobody likes to lose an election, but Democrats respect the will of the voters. Biden and Harris lost. It hurts like hell. And yet, being the mature adults they are, putting the country ahead of their own feelings, they will do their duty. It will be up to Kamala Harris herself to certify the election results in the Senate next January 6^th. That has to be a bitter pill to swallow, but she will do it.

Trump, in the same position four years ago, acted like a spoiled child. He refused to concede. He did everything possible to illegally overturn the will of the American people. And his ego was way too shallow to actually show up at Biden’s inauguration. Nope, he got on a plane and ran away. Like a little kid who doesn’t get his way.

You might say, well, he genuinely thought the election had been stolen from him by all the cheating at polling places in 2020. Isn’t it funny how all that supposed cheating on a massive scale four years ago suddenly just disappeared in 2024? Poof! It’s gone! No cheating whatsoever! An amazing turn of events.

One would like to think that Trump could learn a thing or two from how Biden and Harris conduct themselves through this transition, but of course, he won’t. He’ll probably say all kinds of nice things about them now that they’re on the way out the door, but privately, he likely thinks they’re chumps for accepting the election results. Just like his opinion of military members who do their duty, including sacrificing their lives for a higher ideal. Trump has no higher ideals than his own fragile ego.

Any lessons about a peaceful transition of power will fly over his head as fast as a squadron of fighter jets at an air show. What a tragedy.

What’s ahead for journalism?

This will be a short column because the last thing anyone needs is another essay on what it all means.

In the months ahead, I plan to return to more of an emphasis on journalism and media issues. The goal of this column is to help discerning news consumers understand what’s happening in the world of journalism, with an emphasis on the intersection between media and politics.

There will be plenty of issues to dissect. What role will journalism play in the new administration? Can we expect Trump to continue his assault on the mainstream press? Will he resume actions taken during his first term to convert Voice of America into a propaganda arm to glorify Donald Trump? Will he follow through on threats to revoke broadcast licenses for outlets he doesn’t like?

And apart from administration issues, 2025 promises to be an extremely challenging year for media outlets. The billions of dollars in political advertising won’t exist next year, and operating budgets are going to be tight. I anticipate continued layoffs and expense reductions at most media properties in an effort to maintain acceptable profits. I would imagine news readership and viewing will decline because the last few months have been overwhelming. Americans need a break.

I want to thank each of you who read these columns during a tumultuous campaign and thank you for your kind comments. I even attracted a couple of anonymous trolls recently, but most of you have been supportive of my effort to shed light on the process.

Best wishes,

Dave

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