"Florida Retiree Announces Candidacy, Mocking Trump - New York Post"

CNN "Cruel Trolling... The Remaining 2 Years Will Not Be Smooth"

(Photo by New York Post)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The New York Post, owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, publicly mocked former U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of his presidential re-election bid.

On the 16th (local time), the New York Post covered Trump's announcement, which he previewed the previous night by inviting the media to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, in a one-column brief on page 26.

The article titled "Been there, Don that" belittled his three consecutive presidential bids: his 2016 election victory, 2020 re-election defeat, and the 2024 presidential run announcement. The phrase "Done that" was twisted to "Don that," playing on the nickname "Don" for Donald to mock him.

The article stated, "Just 720 days before the election, a retiree in Florida made a surprise announcement to run for president," mocking that "avid golfer Donald Trump started his presidential bid at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which is like a confidential document library."

It emphasized that the reality TV star famous for firing people will be 78 years old in 2024, and if Trump wins, he will share the title of the oldest president with current President Joe Biden.

It sarcastically added, "His cholesterol levels are unknown, but his favorite food is a blackened steak with ketchup." Only in the last sentence did the newspaper add, "Trump also served as the 45th president."

The New York Post placed the article about Trump's presidential bid announcement on page 26, not on the front page. Moreover, the front page bottom only had a teaser headline saying "Florida Man Announces" and directed readers to page 26.

By referring to Trump as "Florida Man" instead of by his name or title as "former president," it portrayed him as an ordinary Florida resident.

CNN commented, "The New York Post brutally trolled Trump," adding, "If Murdoch has turned his back on Trump, the next two years leading up to the election will not be smooth for him."

Not only the New York Post but other conservative media owned by Murdoch, such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), also sharply criticized Trump. WSJ mocked Trump's re-election bid, saying, "Democrats are thrilled because they see him as the easiest candidate to beat." WSJ published two editorials directly criticizing Trump, one right after the midterm elections and another the day before.

WSJ criticized, "Trump botched this year's midterm elections, allowing Democrats to control the Senate for two more years," and added, "Although Trump achieved policy successes like tax cuts and deregulation, he repeatedly led the Republican Party to political failures."

The progressive-leaning New York Times (NYT) also editorialized, "His new presidential campaign began with the same ugliness of lies and chaos. This poses a much greater threat to American democracy," and "Trump is unfit for public office," it condemned.