This article was originally published in The Courier on 30th June 2018.
REPORTING TRUMP’S
FIRST YEAR: THE FOURTH ESTATE: Sunday, BBC Two
INSIDE THE AMERICAN
EMBASSY: Monday,
Channel 4
“Everything
is through the lens of himself,” she explained. “He’s obsessed with the Times. Even though he was born rich, he
doesn’t see himself that way. He sees himself as this guy who made it big and
plopped himself down in the world of Fifth Avenue, but he still wasn’t treated
seriously… now he’s in the biggest piece of real estate in the country and he’s
still not being treated seriously. He’s always going to care enormously about
what the Times writes.”
When
that revered newspaper opened its doors to director Liz Garbus, they knew she’d
be documenting a unique moment in American history. No one, however, was
prepared for the incessant barrage of chaotic drama and theatre that would spew
from the White House in the ensuing months.
As
Executive Editor Dean Baquet admitted, Trump is a gift for journalists. “What a
story. Great stories trump everything else,” he said, so caught up in his muddle
of excitement he didn’t seem to notice his play on words.
Garbus
captured the caffeinated buzz and escalating tension of a newsroom dealing with
a relentless workload. The staff came across as diligent and unflappable, even
in the face of torrential stress. Everything Trump says is either a gross
exaggeration or an outright lie, so they faced an almost impossible task in trying
to bring truth to power.
As
Haberman said, Trump feels threatened by anyone who doesn’t support him
unconditionally. In one particularly chilling scene at a pro-Trump rally, we
witnessed him coining his infamous “fake news” catchphrase. A “failing New York Times” reporter sat stoically as everyone around him cheered at a
deeply insecure and paranoid President declaring that the media was “the enemy
of the people”.
Thankfully,
this stellar series is also a heartening reminder that decency, sanity and
democracy still exist in Trump’s America. It reminds us, too, that his
administration is populated by risible men with very high, silly voices. Their
staff meetings must sound like the aftermath of an explosion at a helium
balloon factory.
Yeah,
take that Trump.
The
shell-shocked commemorations of his first year in office continued with INSIDE THE AMERICAN EMBASSY, a series taking
an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the everyday dealings of his Britain-based
lickspittles.
It
began with a profile of Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson IV during his first months
as US ambassador.
An
invidious septuagenarian billionaire with no previous ambassadorial experience,
Johnson is expected to bring his business expertise to the world of
international diplomacy. Like his boss, he’s a salesman.
He
came across as a chilly corporate drone failing to promote our “special
relationship” against a fervent tide of anti-Trump sentiment in the UK. I
almost felt sorry for him. Much like the team at The New York Times, Johnson and co have their work cut out for
them. It’s like dealing with a spoiled, recalcitrant child.
Viewed
in tandem, these documentaries exposed a presidency that almost certainly won’t
last its full term. Take some comfort from that.
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