“Sesame Street” Against MAGA? Trump’s Delirium Against the Media
by carlos matías
Donald Trump attacks media outlets he doesn’t like. In Alaska, he threatens the jobs of more than 200 workers (journalists, technicians, administrators, assistants, etc.) and the survival of at least four television stations and some 27 radio stations, plus their digital versions.
As soon as Trump arrived in the Oval Office, he made it clear that he would show no mercy to media outlets that did not share his views. He blocked The Associated Press from the White House press pool for not renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” He wants to shut down the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and its broadcaster Voice of America, Radio Free Asia (RFA), and Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), among others. The most important media outlets in the United States, which were regulars at the White House, are being replaced by the “new media”: The Daily Wire; Merit Street Media (created by controversial Republican Phillip Calvin McGraw, or “Dr. Phil”), Zero Hedge, etc.
Zero Hedge has been accused of spreading “conspiracy theories” and Russian propaganda (which the media outlet denies). It claims that it does not tolerate “racism” or contempt for people based on their race. But on May 7, it lamented that “while it is not allowed to have statues of Thomas Jefferson or Teddy Roosevelt, among others, in New York City, a 3.6-meter bronze statue of a random fat black woman standing there is certainly allowed” (...) The statues of Roosevelt and Jefferson were removed last year. After all, what did they do in contrast to this fictional overweight woman, whose nipples are visible through her baggy T-shirt?”
In general, “new media” consists of bloggers, podcasters, and other commentators and entertainers associated with Trump, the MAGA movement, and conservatism.
More than 8,000 government websites have been deleted (including the White House website in Spanish); 180 public radio stations are threatened with funding cuts, 27 of them in Alaska.
Trump wants to withdraw the $1.1 billion allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which could put hundreds or thousands of local stations out of business, especially in rural areas.
In his first 100 days, Trump has posted 64 derogatory comments against the media on his Truth Social platform; he has attacked journalists on an almost daily basis; he has promoted hostility and mistrust towards the press; 13 people convicted for the ‘Riot’ on January 6, 2021, who attacked journalists, have been pardoned; six investigations have been opened by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against CBS, Disney (ABC), Comcast (NBC), NPR, PBS, and KCBS; and Trump has filed personal lawsuits against CBS, The Des Moines Register, Gannett, and the Pulitzer Center.
“The country is experiencing a significant setback” in press freedom, a spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders told Sol de Medianoche. In less than a year, it has fallen two places in the ranking of countries for freedom of expression, and that despite already being in a rather low position: from 55th in 2024 to 57th so far in 2025.
Andrew Kitchenman, editor of Alaska Beacon, told Sol de Medianoche that Trump “wants to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, including public radio and television. Alaska is the state most dependent on public radio. Alaska’s public radio and television stations received $10 million from October 2022 to September 2023 and are currently receiving a similar amount. There are no signs that Trump will change his position, but it could also depend on Congress. Congress’s position is unclear, and it is unclear whether federal courts will allow Trump to unilaterally withdraw funding from public broadcasting.”
Alaska Beacon is a non-partisan, non-profit news outlet that does not receive public or federal funding. Kitchenman comments: “I have not taken any personal action regarding public funding for broadcasting. What I do know is that the majority of the board members of the Alaska Press Club (a professional association) signed a letter to Alaska’s congressional delegation asking them to support public broadcasting. And Ed Ulman, executive director of Alaska’s largest public media organization, Alaska Public Media, has testified about the value public broadcasting provides in Alaska.”
For his part, Ed Ulman has told this newspaper: “We have no comment. Our national organizations, CPB, APTS, PBS, and NPR have issued statements that you can find in their press releases.”
In March, Ulman testified in the U.S. House of Representatives that, “in many parts of Alaska and the country, public media is the only local outlet for news and provides crucial warnings and alerts during emergencies (...) Alaska’s public media stations produce audio and video stories about Alaskans that are broadcast nationally because of their affiliation with national networks (...) Without PBS, without NPR, there would be no news, public affairs, or community stories from Alaska. They would not be seen on PBS NewsHour. This is vital. It is vital that Alaskans know that they are connected to their nation and that what we do in Alaska matters to our nation.”
Trump’s latest attack on the media came as this edition of Sol de Medianoche went to press: The Department of Education has eliminated the Ready To Learn grant for renowned PBS children’s programs such as “Sesame Street,” “Rainbow Reader,” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog.” This five-year grant was set to expire at the end of September.
In a statement, Madi Biedermann, spokesperson for the Department of Education, said that Ready To Learn grants were funding “racial justice educational programming.”
