One of the most confusing aspects of the recent presidential campaign was the way the media handled dealing with each of the candidates. While Trump was constantly vilifying the media for failing to report what he claimed was ‘the truth’, he did experience quite a few profound moments of relief from the media who seemed so determined to make him seem foolish and immature. One of the most infuriating moments that many people probably remember vividly was Trump’s interview with Matt Lauer. The interview was a Q&A style interaction that saw Trump and Lauer seated before a live audience in a small, intimate setting, but the questions that Lauer asked Trump seemed as if they were hand-picked by the candidate himself.
It was fairly clear that Lauer was giving Trump an easy time during that interview, and many people took to social media to convey their disappointment with Lauer. The American people were hoping Lauer would grill Trump on some of his most interesting comments and ideals, but instead what happened was nothing short of a puff piece.
In the time since that interview, Lauer has apparently gotten the message from his fans and the rest of the American people. It might be a bit too late at this point, but Lauer recently had a phone interview with president-elect Trump on the Today Show. During that interview, the American people got to see the side of Matt Lauer that many were hoping to see during the first interview all those weeks ago.
Lauer brought up Twitter and briefly discussed how the president-elect has failed to back down from conflicts arising from the platform. In many instances, Lauer said, Trump was actually causing or inciting the conflict that he was actually attempting to quell, assuming that Trump’s version of the truth can be accepted. Lauer even went so far as to list the groups or organizations that have incited the wrath of Trump on Twitter, including the cast of Hamilton, which was a Broadway musical visited by vice president-elect Mike Pence. During his visit, the cast made an impassioned plea to Pence for equality throughout all sects of society. The message was aimed at Pence’s horrible anti-LGBT beliefs, yet Trump felt the need to attack the cast of the play for their request.
Lauer went on to say that Trump has also targeted China, Boeing, The New York Times, Saturday Night Live, and the media in general. Of course, the moment Trump realized he was being questioned about his Twitter activities, he instantly became defensive. If it sounds pathetic to hear about how the president-elect attacked innocent groups over Twitter for his own misgivings, it is even more pathetic to hear that same president-elect defend his horrible actions.
Part of Trump’s response to Lauer was that Twitter should be accepted as a modern form of communication, and while that may be true, Trump still refuses to see the distinction between a common person sharing movie reviews over Twitter and the president-elect inciting violence against entire groups of people using the same platform. Trump seems to think there is no bottom level of maturity required for tweets either, since he consistently uses the platform for what amounts to whining and digital tantrums.
When Lauer brought up SNL, Trump continued to defend himself, despite the obviousness of the truth that anyone who doesn’t like a show simply doesn’t have to watch it. Not only did Trump attempt to justify his immaturity, but he even insulted SNL in its current form, despite the fact he once hosted the show himself. In classic Trump fashion, he even stated the show has only gone downhill since he hosted.