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Trump criticizes Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough’s ratings in Truth Social posts

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social early Monday criticizing the ratings of two television hosts, Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough. Trump wrote that Maher’s ratings were “so low that it is hard to believe his show can continue,” while saying he personally likes Maher and that Republicans should stop appearing on his show. Trump also wrote that Scarborough’s “Morning Joe” show “has been cut way back, and will soon be ‘dead!’” calling it “predictable and boring” with “REALLY BAD RATINGS.” Scarborough responded on air, telling Trump he did not have to watch the program. According to reporting citing August figures, “Morning Joe” is the top-rated morning show in the Washington, D.C. market and saw a 27 percent year-over-year viewership increase.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Trump posted criticism of Bill Maher’s ratings on Truth Social early Monday, calling them “so low that it is hard to believe his show can continue.”

    Reported byLeft

  2. Trump said he personally likes Maher but that Republicans should stop treating him as a “sounding board.”

    Reported byLeft

  3. Trump wrote that Joe Scarborough’s “Morning Joe” show “has been cut way back, and will soon be ‘dead!’” and called it “predictable and boring” with “REALLY BAD RATINGS.”

    Reported byLeft

  4. Scarborough responded on air, telling Trump he did not have to watch the show and had asked him not to.

    Reported byLeft

  5. “Morning Joe” was the highest-rated morning show in the Washington, D.C. market and averaged 733,000 viewers in August, up 27 percent year-over-year.

    Reported byLeft

  6. Trump’s own “Trump TV” channel reportedly had a viewership low of 179 viewers on the same day, according to one report.

    Reported byLeft

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    3 outlets

    All five articles, from three outlets, frame Trump’s posts as an emotional outburst, with headlines using words like “Melts Down,” “Ragepost,” “Attacks,” “vents furiously,” and “Blasts” to characterize his tone, while HuffPost’s second piece centers Scarborough’s on-air response rather than Trump’s post itself.

    Trump Loaded verb“Blasts”Frames Trump’s comment as an aggressive attack rather than neutral criticism.More neutral: criticizesDisagree with this highlight? ‘SAD’ Bill Maher In Early Morning Sensational language“Rage Post”Dramatizes the post as an angry outburst rather than describing its content.More neutral: social media postDisagree with this highlight? — But Throws Him 1 Compliment
    HuffPostFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left13

    awakened in a ragerantedMelts DownRagepost

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    awakened in a rageMore neutral: posted comments

    Assumes Trump’s emotional state rather than describing the act of posting.

    President Donald Trump has awakened in a rage at late-night host Bill Maher.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    rantedMore neutral: said or spoke

    Dismisses the content by characterizing the delivery.

    Targeting Maher’s ratings, presumably for his show Real Time with Bill Maher , Trump ranted, “Bill Maher’s ratings are so low that it is hard to believe his show can continue.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Melts DownMore neutral: criticizes

    Presents Trump’s reaction as an emotional collapse rather than describing the action neutrally.

    Trump, 80, Melts Down at Bill Maher, 70, in 8 A.M.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    RagepostMore neutral: social media post

    Coined term dramatizes the post as an angry outburst rather than describing its content.

    Ragepost

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 9 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    raged atMore neutral: criticized

    Describes Trump’s post as an angry outburst rather than neutral criticism.

    President Donald Trump has raged at a morning TV news host Joe Scarborough in an ironic meltdown.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    ironic meltdownMore neutral: comments

    Adds dramatic judgment about Trump’s emotional state.

    President Donald Trump has raged at a morning TV news host Joe Scarborough in an ironic meltdown.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    tantrumMore neutral: remarks

    Characterizes Trump’s statement as childish rather than describing it neutrally.

    Trump’s tantrum was ironic given that Morning Joe, according to August figures, averaged 733,000…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    AttacksMore neutral: criticizes

    Frames Trump’s critical comments as an aggressive assault rather than criticism.

    Trump Attacks MS NOW Star’s Ratings Amid Trump TV Disaster

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    DisasterMore neutral: low viewership

    Passes judgment on Trump TV’s performance rather than stating viewership figures neutrally.

    Trump Attacks MS NOW Star’s Ratings Amid Trump TV Disaster

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    thrashMore neutral: criticize

    Implies a harsh beating rather than describing verbal criticism.

    …facing a historically low approval rating — took time out of his Monday morning to thrash HBO’s Bill Maher and MS NOW's Joe Scarborough over their ratings.

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Sensational language

    vents furiouslyMore neutral: comments critically

    Adds emotional intensity not necessary to describe the act of posting criticism.

    Trump vents furiously about TV shows he doesn’t like in Monday morning social media spree

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    BlastsMore neutral: criticizes

    Frames Trump’s comment as an aggressive attack rather than neutral criticism.

    Trump Blasts ‘SAD’ Bill Maher In Early Morning Rage Post — But Throws Him 1 Compliment

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Rage PostMore neutral: social media post

    Dramatizes the post as an angry outburst rather than describing its content.

    Trump Blasts ‘SAD’ Bill Maher In Early Morning Rage Post — But Throws Him 1 Compliment

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s emotional tone and word choice
  • Scarborough’s and Morning Joe’s ratings success as a rebuttal
  • Scarborough’s on-air response to Trump
  • Contrast with Trump’s own struggling media venture
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The Daily Beast, Sep 28, 8:16 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily BeastFar LeftSep 28, 8:16 AM EDT
  2. The IndependentLeftSep 28, 2:35 PM EDT
  3. HuffPostFar LeftSep 28, 4:11 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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