Topic: Newsmax
Newsmax is doing its best to hide from its readers the fragile state of its Donald Trump-hosted Republican presidential debate. Trump himself has said that the debate may not go forward because only two candidates have said they will take part, but Newsmax is continuing its blackout on that news.
Newsmax did, however, find the space for more Trump-fluffing. An unbylined Dec. 10 article fawningly described a signing Trump did for his new book in Florida:
Entrepreneur Donald Trump was busy signing copies of his new book "Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again" in Lake Park, Fla. on Saturday. The Lake Park event comes on the heels of Friday's book-signing at Manhattan's landmark Trump Towers where lines stretched a city block.
Enthusiastic readers lined up to hold court with Trump seated at a table in the warehouse-style book store where he autographed his latest tome in bold felt-pen strokes. See the video at the end of this story.
One shopper said she was, like Trump, a native New Yorker who “shares his principles.”
Those principles are shouted out in Trump’s book in no uncertain terms, and as another shopper noted, “Everyone should pay attention to what he says.”
Not only did the article not mention the endangered status of the Newsmax-Trump debate, it didn't mention the debate at all. Instead, we were told that Trump's book "spells out an agenda for making America number one again" and were provided video of the book signing in a warehouse store.
A Dec. 11 article, meanwhile, rehashed a British newspaper article on Trump, in which he claimed that "millions of Americans listen to me and respect me." This article actually hedges a bit on the debate, stating that Trump "also is slated to moderate The Newsmax ION Television 2012 Presidential Debate Dec. 27 in Des Moines, Iowa." That's a less-than-definitive assertion.
UPDATE: Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy has a new column in which he asserts that Newt Gingrich has "always been a conservative." Coincidentially, Gingrich is one of the two candidates who said he would take part in the debate. Remember, Newsmax disappeared a Ronald Kessler column praising Mitt Romney, who is not participating.
