NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Looking at a decade of coverage of the man who loves all things gold, I have to conclude that many journalists suffer from Trump burnout syndrome. It’s not about being physically tired, and of course there are exceptions. No, the syndrome involves giving up and abandoning basic fact-checking because, you know, they think, what the hell, everyone knows that Trump says a ton of things that aren’t true. Much of this is related to the rise of social media. After all, why make a sophomoric story analyzing what the president did or said when the hot story is Trump praising Nicki Minaj and her beautiful butt? As for the truth squad part, don’t worry, I have the receipts. Rapper Nicki Minaj joined President Donald Trump on stage during a Republican campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday. (2026 Getty Images) The other day, the president came out and said he had ordered the Department of Justice to intervene in Alaska’s crazy election. It was right there. He didn’t hide it. He pronounced it openly. I know the widespread belief that the department was following its orders: impeach James Comey for the third time? For younger readers, there used to be a brick wall between the White House and the Department of Justice. If Joe Biden had crossed that wall just once, he would have been charged, convicted and behind bars. As a former Justice Department reporter, I can tell you that divide has not been pulverized since Watergate, when Attorney General John Mitchell went to prison. NEITHER HIGH GAS PRICES OR THE IRAN WAR WILL STOP TRUMP SUPPORTERS FROM VOTING MAGA Now, a pair of Sunday anchors, CNN’s Dana Bash and CBS’s Margaret Brennan, aggressively lobbied Attorney General Todd Blanche on the controversy (two Dan Sullivans and, as the New York Times revealed, the second was recruited by Democrats). At one point, Blanche addressed the president’s order that her department file a lawsuit. “No, no, he didn’t say it on camera,” the attorney general insisted. “Yes, he did,” Brennan replied. In fact, he did. But the next day, when I read the major newspapers, the press had moved on. (My apologies if I missed someone’s brilliant analysis.) It was as if the story no longer existed. That’s Trump burnout syndrome in action. US President Donald Trump (R) speaks to members of the media as he exits the White House on the South Lawn on October 10, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images))Here’s another example. Just a couple of days ago, Trump said that while he might move the press conference room, “the old pool will never be brought back. I NEVER thought of doing such a stupid thing!” Roosevelt’s mandate in ‘The People’s House’. “So we have a new definition of fake news: something the president used to say but has since changed his mind and no longer maintains his previous position. I want to make something clear: I’m not anti-Trump. I like him personally. I’ve covered him on and off since 1987 and interviewed him six times during the 2024 campaign. He can definitely be a charming guy in person. Most of the time we get along well (he’s sent me several favorable notes) and sometimes, as is typical of him, not so much. There’s a reason for which half the country voted for him, even if now many are unhappy with the war in Iran and the increase in prices at the pump. My goal here is to write about the behavior of the press. Trump is a master manipulator of the media. He knows, since I was in New York writing about his exploits as a combative developer, how to distract the press from an unfavorable story, and so he admits to me. When the president says that “Norway sucks” and that it’s a “shithole country” (because he’s still angry about not winning the Nobel Peace Prize), he knows it’s going to make headlines. Same thing with his comments about Nicki Minaj’s anatomy. He understands that most of the press will take the bait. Oh, and sometimes Trump just gets carried away at rallies. I’m not saying these things don’t deserve a mention in a special column or as a special topic on a talk show. cable, but they tend to squeeze in other stories. SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES WITH MEMES CELEBRATING TRUMP’S VICTORY When Trump called Barack Obama “stupid” (over a joke that the White House looks like Saddam’s cheesecake factory), he was getting closer to the real news. campaign, Trump created a big, important story, there’s no doubt about that. In 1987, Trump told me, without being asked, that if he ran for president, he would win. I confess to being skeptical CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After Trump came down the escalator in 2015, he told me he had a 15 to 20 percent chance of winning the nomination. All these years later, it’s impossible to deny that there is a strong anti-Trump element in the media. Convincing themselves that there’s no point in challenging him because he constantly lies, many are in fact suffering from Trump burnout. Howard Kurtz is a political and media analyst and former host of FOX News Channel’s MediaBuzz. Based in Washington, DC, he joined the network in 2013 and appears regularly on Special Report with Bret Baier and The Story with Martha MacCallum, among other shows.
