If you stay away from algorithm-fed feeds like Flipboard or Twitter, or specialized sources like CNN or these forums, I would say closer to the low side. The front page headlines of ABC, CBS, and NBC are all the Titanic submarine, for example, and not the historic indictments(es) of Donald Trump. Reuter's American feed is about Ukraine.
If you grab a TV channel at random, it's going to be a baseball game, another NCIS marathon, daytime soaps or a 30-minute commercial for bad jewelry, as per usual. This isn't Katrina, this isn't 9/11, life is moving on more or less as normal and "Special Report!" isn't filling the screen every hour.
But I say "closer to the low side" because I can't say "low". This is a big story, and Trump is a fat fucking attention whore who seemingly thinks he can win this case by going to the airwaves. Some sources cover those ALL-CAPS or into-the-camera videos because what Trump says is, of course, newsworthy. Some because they want his rabid fanbase to click on their site. Some because what Trump says is often so poorly thought-out or just fucking stupid and they want the clicks of reasonable people. In other words, part of the reason it's now lower is Trump made himself such a divisive, partisan, polarizing topic, and he did it on purpose.
Which is why you get OP EDs like these two.
There is little in
The Trump Divide that Should Have Republicans Terrified which we haven't already discussed. Trump has
strengthened his grip of the rabid fanbase by getting arrested for multiple felonies. One bit stands out, partly because it's a viewpoint that hasn't been raised recently, partly because it was written by Tom Jones:
Trump's baggage
cannot be jettisoned. The GOP is fully prepared to take on not just known fat lying loser failed businessman failed thief adulterer racist Trump like they did in 2016, but all of that plus "failed violent terrorist leader" and "felon". Even if there was another solid candidate, which honestly there are they just probably don't want to stick their dick into this level of crazy, Trump's voters will not leave him and will not back anyone else. Even as heavy-hitting GOP members like Barr, Rove, Bolton, Christie, Pence, McConnell by his silence, etc. try to create some distance, desperately trying to push their fatally wounded party back towards the center, it's not working.
Which is where this second OP ED comes in.
Trump has no plan to win in 2024 by the Washington Examiner.
We've talked about this before as well: Republicans seem to have no party identity other than the Party of No and trying to get elected purely on the idea of revenge. What are Greene's policies about making the USA a better place, other than having people jailed, fired, or removed from the maxsec prison they put themselves in for being violent terrorists? What is Boebert's plan for improving the lives of her voters or Americans in general? What did Kari Lake run on? Anyone remember?
Trump is at the forefront of this.
It's why he made a late-night ALL-CAPS titled video about why punching down is good, yes he used that phrase and yes he defended it.
I see he's still gaslighting so hard he's fracking in his pants.
Anyhow, the Washington Examiner, like Barr, Bolton, probably Meadows at this point, etc etc is fully aware that Trump is eating all the GOP news and is killing GOP 2024 chances. They say what other big GOP names have said, including:
We all saw the civil war as a valid risk. Some people did nothing, thinking Trump would just go away. Some people did nothing, because as Trump supporters they just assume they'll win. And some people watch (possibly with popcorn) as the two sides tear each other to pieces -- as a party realizes it has no identity other than its continued reliance on Donald Trump, proven liar, proven loser, and soon, proven felon.