Several recent stories in the news underscore that, when it comes to the American judicial system and the mainstream media, President Trump and various Republicans are going to be continually painted in the worst light possible. These partisan portrayals create an advantage for the Democratic Party and all of its policies, grievances, grudges and campaigns.

To highlight this ever-evolving tactic, well-known venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya was recently on CNBC and recalled the moment he realized he had been “lied to” about Trump.  

“The reality is that most of us were lied to by the media about President Trump. If you just go back to the source material, you should take away two things,” Palihapitiya said. “One, he didn’t say half the things they said he said. Two, why did these other people just fabricate what they wanted to say so that they could essentially assassinate his character?”

The answer to the question is as transparent as polished glass. They “fabricated” because they know that the mainstream media has been in the tank for the Democrats and the left for decades, and that, having torched its last shreds of professionalism upon entering the “Age of Trump,” they would gleefully “report” any and every falsehood targeting Trump, his administration and the greater Republican Party. 

As a recent example of that tactic, look no further than the “reporting” surrounding longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell. After the Kentucky Republican’s June 14 medical issue, much of the mainstream media and the left’s noise machine rolled out one conspiracy theory after another:  McConnell was “dead,” “brain-dead,” had a “stroke,” had a major “heart attack” or was in a “coma.”

When McConnell and his staff released a photo with him very much alive and well, sitting in a hospital bed with his wife, Elaine Chao, by his side and the sports section — complete with day and date — of The Washington Post nearby, many conspiracy theorists still speculated that the photo was “fake” or had been created with the help of artificial intelligence.  Even after the Post itself “fact-checked” the photo and deemed it authentic, the speculation continued.  

To be sure, there is a valid argument to be made that when any politician from either party reaches a certain age or suffers from chronic medical issues, they need to retire, both for their sake and for the sake of the nation. McConnell’s advanced age and medical issues were concerning years ago. But then, so were those of former President Joe Biden. 

Not surprisingly, the mainstream media voiced very little regarding Biden’s age or obvious cognitive decline while he was in office.  But now, if Trump literally blinks during a Cabinet meeting or an overseas visit and a photo is taken of him during that split second, the media will instantly scream that the “elderly” Trump fell asleep and is suffering from “cognitive decline.” 

And while the left-of-center mainstream media and the greater bureaucracy have long gone after Republicans, they have marshaled their collective forces most especially against Trump. Part of that greater bureaucracy, as we have seen time and again, is the judiciary. Three recent rulings against the president highlight what many on the right believe to be “lawfare” judgements fueled by partisanship and hate — not the law. It’s a miscarriage of justice the president has rightfully been pointing out and condemning for years. 

The most recent was when U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that Trump’s original lawsuit against the IRS was filed “in bad faith for the improper purpose of dishonestly advancing a political narrative.” More than going after Trump, the ruling also smeared acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. It is safe to assume that the White House and the Trump legal team view this ruling as an example of purposeful and gross overreach, seeking to wield the razor-sharp sword of the judiciary to injure Trump and his advisers.

Two other recent examples come from judges appointed by former President Barack Obama: Denise Casper and Indira Talwani.  

From Casper, we get this headline from ABC News: “Judge permanently blocks Trump EO requiring proof of citizenship to vote.” The last time I checked, almost every nation on earth requires proof of citizenship to vote. But in this case of overreach, the judge ruled that the president lacks the authority to oversee elections and rejected the administration’s “unsupported claims of widespread illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error.”

Next, we have Talwani’s ruling against Trump, spelled out in this headline from CNN: “Judge halts Trump executive order aimed at mail voting in states that challenged it.” What? Another ruling against common sense and the need to limit the possible manipulation of votes? 

There is example after example of such judicial “lawfare,” just as there are multiple examples of “fabrications” aimed at Trump and amplified on numerous “news” sites around the nation. The ultimate standard for the left and much of the mainstream media when it comes to Trump and the Republican Party appears to be that they are guilty and never to be proven innocent. Unfortunately for all, this narrative is spreading and taking deeper root as we approach the midterms and 2028. 

Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.