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Media reporter reveals Trump is losing one of his key right-wing allies
President Donald J. Trump talks to members of the press on the South Lawn of the White House Friday, October 4, 2019, prior to boarding Marine One en route the Walter Reed Emergency Landing Zone in Bethesda, Md. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) CNN’s Oliver Darcy has zeroed in on a key weakness in President Donald Trump’s support as the Ukraine scandal swells: the Drudge Report. For those who aren’t Republicans or right wingers, it’s easy to underestimate the reach of Matt Drudge’s link aggregation platform. It looks remarkably low-tech and displays graphic design that was simplistic even by the standards of the 1990s. But it remains a powerful force in conservative media, sometimes surpassing the New York Times for web traffic. Getting your story linked on Drudge is like having the reader flood gates opened. So conservative pay attention to how Drudge is leaning, and they’re influenced by the stories he links to. And since, as Darcy reported, Drudge has been linking to more stories revealing negative information about Trump, the president should be worried. Darcy reported: “He’s reacting to changing circumstances,” a person close to the media mogul, who said Drudge had grown exasperated with Trump, told CNN Business.… “He’s one of the dominoes that would have to fall for the right-wing media to allow Trump to be removed from office,” said John Ziegler, a conservative who was an occasional guest host on Drudge’s old radio show and writes columns on media for Mediaite. Drudge turning on Trump can create a negative feedback loop for the president. Conservatives read Drudge, consume negative information about Trump, and Trump’s prospects get worse. At the same time, conservative writers hoping to get linked to by Drudge frame their stories about the president in a more negative light, thus ramping up the bad news for Trump. 00:01 00:33 Of course, Trump has other bulwarks in national conservative media. As long as Fox News hosts Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Tucker Carlson are all on his side — and they all still are — Trump’s support in the Republican base is likely to stay strong enough to keep him around. But if, as Ziegler said, the dominoes were going to start to fall against Trump, Drudge would be a crucial ally to lose. It should put Trump and his defenders on edge that the link aggregated is growing discontent. Watch a clip of Darcy discussing the matter below: For years, it’s been fairly safe to say: As goes @DRUDGE, so goes the conservative media. Now Drudge has soured on Trump. Will others follow his lead? Spoke about this with @BrookeBCNN. Story here: https://t.co/UvmwOfbDlU pic.twitter.com/AfJo3eRUbO ... Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 9, 2019 Matt Drudge, an influential figure in conservative media, sours on Trump as he faces impeachment Oliver Darcy By Oliver Darcy, CNN Business Updated 7:52 AM ET, Thu October 10, 2019 US President Donald Trump listens during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony for Edwin Meese in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC on October 8. Pause MuteMute Current Time0:11 / Duration Time1:19 Fullscreen Late-night hosts hit Trump over private server trevor noah lnl 92619 Late-night hosts take on Trump impeachment inquiry Joe Biden asked if Trump committed impeachable offense LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Oprah Winfrey attends the premiere of Disney's "A Wrinkle In Time" at the El Capitan Theatre on February 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images) 'Oprah's Book Club' is coming to Apple TV+ Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Walter White (Bryan Cranston) - Breaking Bad _ Season 5B _ Gallery - Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC New 'Breaking Bad' trailer teases Jesse Pinkman's return Stephen King poses for photographers as he arrives for a press conference dedicated to presenting his new book "Doctor Sleep" on November 12, 2013, in Paris. AFP PHOTO / ERIC FEFERBERG (Photo credit should read ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images) You can get paid to watch 13 Stephen King movies Lili Reinhart, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, and Constance Wu in 'Hustlers' Jennifer Lopez's performance in 'Hustlers' stirs Oscars buzz beyonce drops trailer making gift lion king mxp vpx_00002828 Beyoncé drops behind-the-scenes look into album US President Donald Trump listens during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony for Edwin Meese in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC on October 8.NOW PLAYING Trump may have lost key ally in conservative media Fox News on Syria Fox News host blasts Trump's move: Are you kidding me? 'Untitled Goose Game' takes the world by storm Matthew Broderick makes fun of Mike Pompeo on 'SNL' Post-surgery Taylor Swift nearly has meltdown over a banana Will Smith in a promotional photo for "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" Will Smith launches 'Fresh Prince'-inspired clothing line late night laughs billie eilish new world tour fallon orig vpx_00012926.jpg Billie Eilish shares new world tour details Late-night hosts hit Trump over private server trevor noah lnl 92619 Late-night hosts take on Trump impeachment inquiry Joe Biden asked if Trump committed impeachable offense LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Oprah Winfrey attends the premiere of Disney's "A Wrinkle In Time" at the El Capitan Theatre on February 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images) 'Oprah's Book Club' is coming to Apple TV+ Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Walter White (Bryan Cranston) - Breaking Bad _ Season 5B _ Gallery - Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC New 'Breaking Bad' trailer teases Jesse Pinkman's return Stephen King poses for photographers as he arrives for a press conference dedicated to presenting his new book "Doctor Sleep" on November 12, 2013, in Paris. AFP PHOTO / ERIC FEFERBERG (Photo credit should read ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images) You can get paid to watch 13 Stephen King movies Lili Reinhart, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, and Constance Wu in 'Hustlers' Jennifer Lopez's performance in 'Hustlers' stirs Oscars buzz beyonce drops trailer making gift lion king mxp vpx_00002828 Beyoncé drops behind-the-scenes look into album US President Donald Trump listens during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony for Edwin Meese in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC on October 8. Trump may have lost key ally in conservative media Fox News on Syria Fox News host blasts Trump's move: Are you kidding me? 'Untitled Goose Game' takes the world by storm Matthew Broderick makes fun of Mike Pompeo on 'SNL' Post-surgery Taylor Swift nearly has meltdown over a banana Will Smith in a promotional photo for "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" Will Smith launches 'Fresh Prince'-inspired clothing line late night laughs billie eilish new world tour fallon orig vpx_00012926.jpg Billie Eilish shares new world tour details Late-night hosts hit Trump over private server New York (CNN Business)President Donald Trump, facing an ever-deepening scandal that threatens to swallow his presidency, appears to have lost a key ally in conservative media: The Drudge Report. The narrative-setting news aggregation website, founded in 1995 by Matt Drudge, has spotlighted an overwhelming amount of negative news for the Trump White House in the last several weeks. It's marked a major shift from how the outlet had previously covered the President. 'He's reacting to changing circumstances,' a person close to the media mogul, who said Drudge had grown exasperated with Trump, told CNN Business. Matt Drudge (L) and President Trump Matt Drudge (L) and President Trump This should worry Trump as he faces an impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives for pushing Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, the leading Democratic presidential contender, and Biden's son Hunter. In the coming weeks and months, right-wing media will be crucial to whether Trump is able to survive the growing scandal. If he loses support in that space, it would offer Republicans wiggle room to turn on him, which could endanger his presidency. Drudge, who did not return requests for comment, is especially influential in conservative media, having the ability to shape or even create news cycles. Drudge's website has for years helped set the agenda and worked as a gravitational force that has drawn other media outlets to his preferred narrative. The power he has wielded has led observers to characterize him as the de-facto assignment editor of the conservative media. 'He's one of the dominoes that would have to fall for the right-wing media to allow Trump to be removed from office,' said John Ziegler, a conservative who was an occasional guest host on Drudge's old radio show and writes columns on media for Mediaite. Drudge rarely reports or writes stories himself. Instead, he and his site serve as an aggregator, linking to other news organizations — and often providing them with large volumes of traffic. Drudge's views can be ascertained by looking at which stories he links to and how he frames those stories with his headlines. Previously, Trump could count on Drudge to be in his corner. During the 2016 presidential election, and in the early days of the Trump administration, Drudge was a fervent supporter. On the Drudge Report, Trump could do no wrong. The sun was almost always shining. Impeachment inquiry into Trump will test power of 'fully operational' right-wing media machine Impeachment inquiry into Trump will test power of 'fully operational' right-wing media machine There were signs that the honeymoon period was wearing thin in the summer of 2017, but despite some wobbliness in their relationship, Drudge ultimately seemed to be staying loyal to the President. At least until now. Not only is Drudge's website aggressively covering the impeachment news, it is doing so by featuring commentary from some of the president's fiercest critics or the harshest criticism of him. For instance, on Friday the top link on the Drudge Report, colored in red, was a link to Fox News judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano calling Trump's behavior 'criminal and impeachable.' Other links Drudge featured that day included Fox host Shepard Smith suggesting Trump may have violated the law on live television and 'Meet the Press' host Chuck Todd saying the current scandal is a 'national nightmare.' The change in tone toward Trump hasn't gone unnoticed. Jim Hoft, the founder of the right-wing Gateway Pundit blog, recently published a blog post asking, 'What Happened to Matt Drudge?' Contending that the website had taken a 'pro-impeachment slant,' Hoft wrote, 'Dear Matt Drudge -- Please come home.' Jerome Corsi, a prominent right-wing conspiracy theorist, has repeatedly tweeted about the change in coverage, saying Drudge has 'lost his mind,' 'turned left,' and become a 'leftist hack beating [the] impeachment drum.' Even Rush Limbaugh, a friend of Drudge's, has commented on the matter. In late August, Limbaugh told a caller in that he's repeatedly been asked about the matter. 'My email inbox every day, 'What's happening to Drudge, Rush?'' Limbaugh said. 'And I tell people, 'Have you ever heard of clicks?'' After suggesting Drudge could be turning on Trump for web traffic, Limbaugh said, 'I actually don't know,' adding that as a 'professional courtesy' he doesn't 'ask him.' It's not clear whether Drudge had a falling out with the White House that prompted his change in coverage. After Trump ascended to the Oval Office, Drudge was known to visit the White House, spending time with the President, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump. A former White House official told CNN Business that Kushner had always maintained the White House's relationship with Drudge. The former official said it was unclear if that relationship had hit a snag. The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment. One explanation for Drudge's aggressive coverage could be that he wants to play a role in a second presidential impeachment. Drudge rose to notoriety during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, famously breaking the news of Clinton's relationship with then-intern Monica Lewinsky. 'Impeachment is where Matt Drudge entered,' the person close to Drudge told CNN Business. 'This is a great story. And Drudge is breaking out the popcorn.' Ziegler offered another theory. 'My basic view on Drudge is that people mistake him as an ideologue,' said Ziegler. 'Matt Drudge loves chaos. And impeachment is chaos.' Another suggestion, from a second person close to Drudge, was that it's a story consistent with the overarching theme of the website. 'It's the swamp,' said the person. 'The dirty nature of politics. I think it's not inconsistent.' Whatever the reason for Drudge's change, it's unclear whether it will cause other conservative news publications to bend to his preferred narrative. Much of right-wing media has sprung to defend Trump's dealings with Ukraine. Conservative television personalities, radio hosts, and media outlets know they serve an audience exceedingly loyal to Trump, and that turning on him could alienate the people who effectively sign their paychecks. 'If you're a conservative talk show host working for Salem, and you open up the Drudge Report and see negative commentary about Trump, is that going to change your commentary on Trump?' asked conservative commentator Charlie Sykes, referring to the right-wing media company Salem, which has pressured its radio hosts to cover Trump positively. 'I doubt it.' Trump himself has used his Twitter feed in a way that mirrors the style of Drudge, aggregating positive news and opinions about himself. The President routinely posts video clips of television segments flattering toward him. He also retweets his supporters and uses his Twitter account to boost media outlets whose coverage is favorable to him. 'I think Twitter has diminished Drudge's power within the right-wing media sphere,' said Ziegler. 'The retweet has replaced the link as the gold-standard.'
Written by Cody Fenwick
| October 9, 2019 The text being discussed is available at | https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/media-reporter-reveals-trump-is-losing-one-of-his-key-right-wing-allies/ and https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/09/media/matt-drudge-trump-impeachment/index.html |