Conservative New York Times columnist David French on Friday asked his more liberal readers to tune into Fox News so they can see how millions of their fellow Americans remember the Trump presidency.
Despite the fact that former President Donald Trump lost the popular vote by more than 7 million votes in 2020, French writes that Trump and Fox News are concocting an “entirely different world” in which the Trump era was an unquestioned Golden Age.
“According to Trump’s narrative, everything he did was good,” writes French. “His first term was a time of economic prosperity, energy independence, fiscal responsibility, a rejuvenated military, a locked-down border and fear and respect from foreign regimes. The only thing that marred his four years was a stolen election and his unjust persecution by the corrupt Democratic Party and its allies in the F.B.I.”
French makes clear that this is not how he sees Trump’s first term, which he argues was marred by “division, corruption and social decay.”
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However, none of this seems to have penetrated through to Trump’s base, which appears to love him more than ever if the Fox News town hall is any indication.
“The two most telling moments on Thursday came from Trump’s audience,” he argues. “First, they booed Mike Pence at the very mention of his name. Second, they shouted derisively at Hannity at the mere thought that Trump should perhaps tone down his rhetoric. Both moments emphasized the ferocity of their support for Trump.”