Over two years since liberal Maryland and Washington D.C. sued President Trump for allegedly violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, the media’s roars of approval turned into whimpers after a federal appeals court threw out the case.
On June 13, 2017, ABC’s World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News spent a combined seven minutes (six minutes, 59 seconds) playing up and glorifying the ill-fated lawsuit. But on Wednesday, they could barely be bothered to report on the outcome; 40 seconds total, with 18 seconds belonging to ABC and the rest going to NBC (22 seconds).
CBS ignored the outcome after dedicating the most time to touting its filing, two minutes and 28 seconds. ABC came in second back then with two minutes and 27 seconds while NBC had two minutes and four seconds.
When she was a correspondent for CBS, Margaret Brennan pitched the lawsuit as a way to call Trump out for a betrayal. “The Democratic attorneys general of D.C. and Maryland Karl Racine and Brian Frosh accused President Trump of breaking a promise to separate his private business interests from his public duties,” she reported.
Both of the Wednesday reports were bare-bones news briefs, with ABC anchor David Muir reporting:
And a legal victory tonight for President Trump. Federal appeals court throwing out a lawsuit claiming that he violated the constitution by profiting from foreign government guests at his hotel in Washington. Maryland and the District of Columbia had claimed that the Trump International Hotel presented a conflict for the President between his business interests and the national interest.
Back in 2017, Muir touted the legal action a “historic constitutional challenge” against President Trump. And before he got forced out for spreading fake news, then-ABC correspondent Brian Ross proclaimed it a “landmark lawsuit.”
As for NBC’s Wednesday reporting on the result of the lawsuit, it was more of the same from anchor Lester Holt:
President Trump won a major legal victory today when a federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit that alleged his Washington, D.C. hotel violated the constitution. Two Democratic attorneys general had accused the President of illegally profiting from government guests at the Trump International Hotel. President Trump celebrated the decision, calling the lawsuit ridiculous.
Meanwhile, back then, NBC Justice correspondent Pete Williams touted how the lawsuit was “adding new legal firepower to challenge President Trump's worldwide business holdings.” He then played a soundbite of one of the suing attorneys general mocking Trump by equating the Emoluments Clause to a “wall” he couldn’t get around.
In addition, Spanish-language network Telemundo followed in CBS's footsteps and skipped reporting on Trump's legal victory. Meanwhile, Univision only spent a whopping 25 seconds.
This was a clear cut example of the media getting excited by bad news for President Trump, then turning their back on it when it didn’t go their way. It’s obvious what they wanted the outcome to be.
The transcripts are below:
ABC’s World News Tonight
July 10, 2019
6:45:53 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: And a legal victory tonight for President Trump. Federal appeals court throwing out a lawsuit claiming that he violated the constitution by profiting from foreign government guests at his hotel in Washington. Maryland and the District of Columbia had claimed that the Trump International Hotel presented a conflict for the President between his business interests and the national interest.
NBC Nightly News
July 10, 2019
7:13:06 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: President Trump won a major legal victory today when a federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit that alleged his Washington, D.C. hotel violated the constitution. Two Democratic attorneys general had accused the President of illegally profiting from government guests at the Trump International Hotel. President Trump celebrated the decision, calling the lawsuit ridiculous.
