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Trump speaks at White House ballroom site after midterm elections

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.

10 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Construction site with renderings on easels of a neoclassical building, a man in a suit gestures.
Image via Just the NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

President Donald Trump spoke at the White House ballroom construction site on Wednesday, the day after Republicans lost the midterm elections. He signed the final beam as it was lifted into place. The Hill and the Associated Press report that he did not mention the election results until taking questions from reporters. According to the AP, he talked about the project for nearly 20 minutes and said that if he had been on the ballot he would have won. Trump had no public events scheduled and called reporters in at short notice, according to the AP.

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

What happened

Key points

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

  1. Trump spoke at the White House ballroom construction site on Wednesday, his first public appearance since the midterm elections.

    Reported byFar Left2Left2Center2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, HuffPost
    Left
    Bloomberg, CBS News
    Center
    PBS NewsHour, The Hill
    Far Right
    One America News

  2. Trump signed the final beam, which was lifted into place while workers and officials watched.

    Reported byFar Left2Center2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, HuffPost
    Center
    PBS NewsHour, The Hill
    Far Right
    One America News

  3. Trump did not mention the midterm results until taking questions from reporters.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    PBS NewsHour, The Hill

  4. Trump said that if he had been on the ballot he would have won.

    One outletPBS NewsHour· Center

  5. Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections, with Democrats winning a landslide.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, HuffPost
    Left
    Bloomberg

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Trump spoke at the White House ballroom site on Wednesday, his first public appearance since the midterms, and signed the final beam. Left outlets stress the contrast with Republican losses, while right-side headlines focus on construction progress.

  • the left

    4 outlets · 1 opinion

    Left headlines set the ballroom appearance against the GOP’s midterm losses; Far Left outlets go further, mocking it as ‘Surreal’ or as if the defeat ‘Didn’t Happen’.

    Trump touts White House ballroom after GOP midterm losses
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines lead with Trump’s ballroom remarks and set them against the midterm defeat; PBS carries an Associated Press report, and The Hill calls the result a ‘drubbing’.

    Trump touts 'magnificent' ballroom in first remarks after midterm drubbing
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Right headlines report ballroom progress and the beam signing, with the election mainly marking the timing; both headlines come from Far Right outlets.

    Trump signs portion of WH ballroom, touting construction progress, in 1st appearance since midterms
    One America NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

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.

  • Left5

    seemed obliviousshocking losseshistoric landslideHails

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    celebrate the success

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    celebrate the successMore neutral: mark the progress of

    The verb casts the event as a celebration in the outlet’s own voice rather than describing it neutrally.

    …spoke to reporters at the construction site of the White House ballroom to celebrate the success of the project, one day after a major midnight loss.

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    seemed obliviousMore neutral: did not address

    Describing the president’s state of mind as oblivious pre-judges his attitude, which the article does not establish.

    The president seemed oblivious to the Republican Party’s shocking losses in the midterm elections.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    shocking lossesMore neutral: losses

    Calling the losses shocking is a judgement about the result that the reported facts do not require.

    The president seemed oblivious to the Republican Party’s shocking losses in the midterm elections.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    historic landslideMore neutral: landslide

    Adding historic to landslide adds drama beyond the reported size of the defeat.

    The day after his party lost control of Congress in a historic landslide, President Donald Trump took significant time out of his day to celebrate the…

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    HailsMore neutral: Praises

    The verb expresses approval, which goes beyond reporting that Trump spoke about the ballroom.

    Trump Hails White House Ballroom After Suffering Midterm Wipeout

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

  • Sensational language

    emergency ballroom speechMore neutral: last-minute ballroom speech

    Calling a last-minute speech an emergency suggests a crisis that the article does not report.

    'Surreal': Trump gives emergency ballroom speech to 'dead silent' crowd after blowout

    Used byRaw Story (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

4 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Trump’s ballroom focus over the GOP midterm losses
  • The marble floor and ballroom construction
  • The quiet, unexpected crowd at the site
See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    A day after a stinging midterm defeat, Trump focuses on his ballroom.

    President Trump speaking on Wednesday at the site of the new White House ballroom.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    'Surreal': Trump gives Sensational language“emergency ballroom speech”Calling a last-minute speech an emergency suggests a crisis that the article does not report.More neutral: last-minute ballroom speechDisagree with this highlight? to 'dead silent' crowd after blowout

    President Donald Trump gave a last-minute speech touting the marble floor and “missile-proof” ceiling of his White House ballroom a day after Democrats seized control of Congress. …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    Trump Loaded verb“Hails”The verb expresses approval, which goes beyond reporting that Trump spoke about the ballroom.More neutral: PraisesDisagree with this highlight? White House Ballroom After Suffering Midterm Wipeout

    President Donald Trump made his first in-person appearance since Democrats’ landslide victory in the midterm elections at the site of his White House ballroom, where he spoke at length about his renovation projects in Washington.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Trump touts White House ballroom after GOP midterm losses

    After the GOP's losses in the midterms, President Trump hosted a celebratory event in the unfinished ballroom that stood in stark contrast with his new political reality in Washington.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • HuffPostFar LeftOpinion

    Trump Celebrates Ballroom Construction As If Republicans' Midterm Blowout Didn't Happen

    The president Loaded modifier“seemed oblivious”Describing the president’s state of mind as oblivious pre-judges his attitude, which the article does not establish.More neutral: did not addressDisagree with this highlight? to the Republican Party’s Sensational language“shocking losses”Calling the losses shocking is a judgement about the result that the reported facts do not require.More neutral: lossesDisagree with this highlight? in the midterm elections.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s extended remarks on the ballroom
  • The signing of the final beam
  • The Republican midterm defeat as backdrop

Leaves out

  • The ballroom has drawn numerous lawsuits

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    WATCH: Trump previews ballroom construction the day after voters rejected GOP rule

    President Donald Trump gave extended comments Wednesday, not about the Republican Party's midterm election wipeout but instead justifying his building a sprawling White House ballroom.

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)
  • The HillCenter

    Trump touts 'magnificent' ballroom in first remarks after midterm drubbing

    President Trump, in his first public remarks since Republicans lost big in the midterm elections, showed off the White House ballroom construction Wednesday. The president signed the final beam, along with workers and other officials, and watched it get lifted into place. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Ballroom construction progress
  • Trump signing the final beam
  • The ballroom as Trump’s passion project

Leaves out

  • Trump’s claim that he would have won if on the ballot

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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

    CBS News, Nov 4, 2:08 PM EST

  • Center

    13 min later

    Its first report, Nov 4, 2:21 PM EST

  • Right

    47 min later

    Its first report, Nov 4, 2:55 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CBS NewsLeftNov 4, 2:08 PM EST
  2. BloombergLeftNov 4, 2:17 PM EST
  3. The HillCenterNov 4, 2:21 PM EST
  4. PBS NewsHourCenterNov 4, 2:27 PM EST
  5. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 4, 2:32 PM EST
  6. One America NewsFar RightNov 4, 2:55 PM EST
  7. The New York TimesLeftNov 4, 3:21 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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