58 years of attacks on the media by powerful leaders trying to deflect criticism, from Nixon to Trump

Vice President Spiro Agnew, left, and President Richard Nixon at the GOP convention in Miami on Aug. 23, 1972. AP Photo, file

In his White House Correspondents’ Association dinner speech on July 24, 2026, President Donald Trump made his usual diatribes against the news media. He derided the “failing” New York Times and reiterated his complaint that CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins doesn’t smile enough. He dismissed the award she received at the dinner as “fake” and celebrated the recent firing of top CBS News employees.

Such ongoing extreme hostility from the president has contributed to Americans’ loss of faith in the news media, which has plummeted to an all-time low.