During a recent forum with Daily Caller cofounder Tucker Carlson, former President Donald Trump made a comment about former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming that caused controversy and outrage in the media. Trump accused Cheney of always seeking “to go to war” and suggested that she would have a different perspective on foreign policy if she had guns “trained on her” at some point in her life. However, HBO host Bill Maher called out the media for exaggerating this statement and claiming that Trump wanted Cheney in front of a “firing squad.”
“I woke up today to the headline that Trump had called for a firing squad for Liz Cheney, and this is what I really don’t like about the media,” Maher stated in his panel discussion on HBO’s “Overtime.” He pointed out that the media was not being truthful by portraying Trump as someone who wants violence towards Cheney. Maher also emphasized that he is not a fan of Trump and his policies, but he does not appreciate the media’s efforts to paint him in a negative light through false accusations.
Meanwhile, podcaster Michael Moynihan joined Maher in condemning the media’s coverage of Trump’s statement. “Just to be clear, this is exactly what hippies always said. This is exactly what peaceniks always said,” Maher stated, referring to the idea that a person’s perspective would change if faced with violence. He added, “This is ‘Fortunate Son’ the song. It’s very easy to sit in your building and send young men to die.” Maher pointed out that Trump’s comment, while poorly phrased, was not as outrageous as the media made it seem.
However, despite the obvious distortion of Trump’s words, major media outlets such as The Washington Post and CNN ran articles suggesting that he was calling for Cheney’s execution. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland acknowledged that the coverage was “ridiculous and absurd” but asked when Trump had ever criticized a “war hawk” in the same manner as a “hippie.”
This prompted Moynihan to express his concern about the media’s role in giving ammunition to Trump’s opposition. “I mean, I saw headlines, chyron on television this morning saying that Donald Trump had said that [Liz Cheney] should be executed,” he stated. “I mean, at the beginning of that kind of rambling, incoherent thing, he said give her a weapon, which is not typically something you do to someone you’re going to execute.”
The media’s sensationalized reporting of Trump’s statement about Liz Cheney is misleading and only further fuels the divide between Trump and his critics. While Trump’s comments may have been questionable and poorly worded, it is clear that he was not advocating for violence towards Cheney.
Rather, he was making a point about the impact of being exposed to violence and its potential to change one’s perspective. It is important for the media to report accurately and factually without bias, even when it comes to someone they may not agree with. The constant vilification of Trump through false narratives only delegitimizes the media’s credibility.