Trump is keeping score in his war on the media

Public broadcasters defunded. Journalists pushed out. Corporate shakeups celebrated. The message about controlling the press isn’t subtle anymore.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social with the headline: “President Trump is Reshaping the Media.”

The graphic had two sections: one was labeled “GONE” and other was labeled “REFORMS.”

Under “GONE,” the list included things like PBS defunded, NPR defunded, Joy Reid out at MSNBC, mass layoffs at The Washington Post, Stephen Colbert leaving CBS, and more.

Under “REFORMS,” the tone shifted to celebration. It touted things like saving TikTok, new ownership at CNN, Disney ending key DEI initiatives, ABC paying a $15 million settlement, Trump’s “record-setting” interviews, and Truth Social booming.

If you needed a clearer window into how Trump views the media landscape, this is it.

This was not criticism of media coverage. It was not even spin. It was essentially a scorecard. A scoreboard for who is up, who is down, and who has been pushed out.

And the message was unmistakable: Trump’s actions against the media have been intentional.

For years, many of Trump’s defenders have dismissed concerns about media intimidation as exaggerated. They say he simply criticizes outlets he dislikes. They say this is just politics or he is justified due to a network’s supposed bias.

But when the President of the United States is openly celebrating the defunding of public broadcasters, cheering the removal of specific journalists, and framing layoffs or ownership changes as political victories, we are no longer talking about normal political criticism.

We are talking about the normalization of pressure campaigns against the press.

It is not subtle anymore.

---

---

Trump isn’t quietly working behind the scenes to reshape the media environment. He’s bragging about it. He’s posting graphics about it.

And the strategy is not mysterious either: Pressure outlets financially. Celebrate when journalists lose their platforms. Frame corporate changes as ideological “reforms.” Then, promote friendly platforms as the future of media.

You do not have to speculate about the goal. The graphic says it outright: “President Trump is reshaping the media”

Now, this doesn’t mean that every example on Trump’s list is connected to him directly. Media companies restructure all the time. Ownership changes. Journalists leave networks. Layoffs happen across industries. But the significance here is how the president is framing these developments. He is treating them as wins in a larger battle against the press.

That should concern anyone who cares about a functioning democracy, regardless of their politics. Because a healthy democratic system depends on something simple but fragile: independent media that can criticize those in power without fear of retaliation.

If the incentive structure changes, if journalists believe their jobs or platforms depend on not upsetting political power, the entire information ecosystem begins to distort. Stories get softened. Investigations never happen. Criticism disappears. And eventually the public stops getting the truth.

This is exactly why independent media matters.

The David Pakman Show is directly supported by viewers and listeners like you. That means there is no network executive who can decide overnight that the show is too inconvenient. There is no corporate boardroom deciding whether criticism of a president might threaten a merger or regulatory approval.

We do not answer to advertisers who can pull funding after a pressure campaign.

We answer to our audience.

That independence is what allows us to say what needs to be said, even when it is uncomfortable for people in power.

And it is also why your support matters.

If you’ve ever thought, someone needs to keep saying this out loud, that’s the role independent media plays. But it only works if it’s supported.

We’re reaching over 150 million people every month across YouTube, podcasts, Substack, and beyond. But algorithms can change. Platforms can fold. And when that happens, this newsletter is how we stay connected.

If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, please consider joining.
If you’re already paid on one platform, consider supporting us on both Substack and our website.

You can subscribe on our website and right here on Substack.

And if you’re really on fire, consider gifting a subscription—we’ve got thousands on our waiting list ready to read, watch, and fight back.

Let’s keep building.

—David

PS: Can’t contribute right now? No problem. You can support us for free by subscribing on YouTube, listening to our audio podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or become a free subscriber to this very Substack. Every bit counts.