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Washington Post reports anonymous accounts of Trump’s mood on midterm rally tour

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

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

The Daily Beast, The New Republic and The Independent all report, citing The Washington Post, that President Donald Trump has at times been in a “foul mood” while campaigning for Republicans before the November 3 congressional elections. The account comes from a person familiar with his behavior, and the outlets say his rallies are drawing smaller crowds than in past years, often in smaller venues. One adviser told the Post that Trump has at times been in “high spirits.” The Independent notes that Trump has asserted his events produce crowd overflows in each town he visits. The outlets say the rallies are meant to help Republican candidates in the midterms.

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. An unnamed person familiar with Trump’s behavior told The Washington Post that he has at times been in a “foul mood” during his midterm rally tour.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  2. Trump’s midterm rallies are drawing smaller crowds and are often held in smaller venues than in past years, according to the outlets.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, The New Republic
    Left
    The Independent

  3. The rallies are aimed at boosting Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 congressional elections.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    The Independent

  4. One Trump adviser told The Washington Post that the president has at times been in “high spirits” on the campaign trail.

    One outletThe Independent· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Trump’s rallies draw crowds that overflow the venues.

    Trump asserts that his events result in crowd overflows in each town he visits, according to The Independent; the outlets report that the rallies are often held in smaller venues than in past years, citing The Washington Post.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report, citing a Washington Post account from an unnamed insider, that Trump has at times been in a “foul mood” while campaigning for Republicans. Only left-side outlets appear here, stressing his private mood and shrinking crowds, with The Independent adding his unpopular war in Iran.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Headlines lead with Trump’s private mood and shrinking rallies; The Daily Beast and The New Republic use insider and farewell-tour language, while The Independent stays closer to the report.

    Loaded verb“Insider Reveals”“Reveals” presents an anonymous insider’s account as established fact.More neutral: Insider DescribesDisagree with this highlight? Trump’s ‘Foul Mood’ on Shrinking Rally Blitz
    The Daily BeastFar 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.

  • Left4

    Insider Revealshalf-full high school gymsfarewell tourTeam Struggles to Organize

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    Insider RevealsMore neutral: Insider Describes

    “Reveals” presents an anonymous insider’s account as established fact.

    Insider Reveals Trump’s ‘Foul Mood’ on Shrinking Rally Blitz

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    half-full high school gymsMore neutral: smaller high school gyms

    “Half-full” is an unmeasured estimate of attendance presented as fact.

    During the initial leg of his nationwide tour of half-full high school gyms , the president has been in a “foul mood,” one person with knowledge of his…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    farewell tourMore neutral: final stops of his campaign tour

    The phrase implies the end of Trump’s political career, a forecast the reporting does not support.

    …Trump’s speaking events don’t feel so much like pep rallies as they do stops on a farewell tour.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Team Struggles to OrganizeMore neutral: Team Plans

    The headline states as fact that the team has difficulty organizing, a point the single unnamed source does not establish.

    Trump in “Foul Mood” as Team Struggles to Organize Midterm Rally Tour

    Used byThe New Republic (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 private mood
  • shrinking rally crowds
  • Trump’s weakening political standing
  • unnamed insider sourcing
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The IndependentLeft

    Trump has been hitting the road to boost candidates before the midterms. It’s left him in a ‘foul mood’

    Trump’s campaign-style rallies serve as ‘an escape’ for the president amid his deeply unpopular war in Iran and his low approval ratings, according to a report

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
  • The New RepublicFar Left

    Trump in “Foul Mood” as Loaded verb“Team Struggles to Organize”The headline states as fact that the team has difficulty organizing, a point the single unnamed source does not establish.More neutral: Team PlansDisagree with this highlight? Midterm Rally Tour

    President Donald Trump’s midterm campaign rally blitz has him down in the dumps. During the initial leg of his nationwide tour of Sensational language“half-full high school gyms”“Half-full” is an unmeasured estimate of attendance presented as fact.More neutral: smaller high school gymsDisagree with this highlight? , the president has been in a “foul mood,” one person with knowledge of his behavior told The Washington Post Monday. …

    Read at The New Republic (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Loaded verb“Insider Reveals”“Reveals” presents an anonymous insider’s account as established fact.More neutral: Insider DescribesDisagree with this highlight? Trump’s ‘Foul Mood’ on Shrinking Rally Blitz

    Donald Trump has been in a “foul mood” during his midterm rally tour, according to a source. The 80-year-old president has been on a whirlwind road show across the country to muster support for the GOP ahead of the congressional elections on Nov. 3. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)

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, Oct 12, 10:55 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 LeftOct 12, 10:55 AM EDT
  2. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 12, 11:23 AM EDT
  3. The IndependentLeftOct 12, 1:46 PM EDT

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

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