President Trump has leaned on MRC research for years. Going back to his first term, he’s kept our stats handy. In 2017, during his first 100 days, he told a rally crowd: “According to the Media Research Center, 89% of the media’s coverage of our administration has been negative.” He’s pulled from our work many times since, including nine times in this White House Press statement released yesterday.

The media don’t just dislike him because there’s an “R” next to his name. They really can’t stand that he hits back. In his very first press conference as president-elect in 2017, he looked at CNN’s Jim Acosta, said, “You’re fake news,” and moved on. He doesn’t pretend today’s press corps is neutral, and they never forgave him for calling it out.

Tuesday in the Oval Office was a rerun of that dynamic. ABC’s chief White House correspondent, Mary Bruce, tried to box him in during a joint appearance with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. She asked, with a smirk, “Is it appropriate for your family to be doing business in Saudi Arabia while you’re President? And Your Royal Highness, U.S. intelligence says you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist…”

Trump made her say “ABC” four times, then hit back: “Fake news. ABC fake news. One of the worst.” He swatted away the conflict-of-interest framing and told her she’d just insulted America’s guest.

She tried again with an Epstein-files “gotcha.” Trump pushed back on her “attitude,” called her “a terrible person and a terrible reporter,” and said, “You’re not credible.” Then he dropped the line our analysts know well: “When you’re 97 percent negative to Trump, and Trump wins in a landslide, that means your news is not credible and you’re not credible as a reporter.”

He was referencing MRC’s 2025 study on the network’s coverage of his 2nd term’s first 100 days. He flubbed the exact wording (the coverage was 92% negative), but the point stood: we’ve repeatedly documented negative coverage in the mid-90s. That’s our research being thrown right back in the media’s face.

That is where MRC comes in. We’re not writing his lines, and we don’t pretend he’s flawless. Our job is to supply hard numbers and document the liberal media’s agenda so that when politicians, voters, or anyone else challenge the press, they’re not just swinging at vibes. They’re swinging with receipts.

The media can call him every name in the book. They can come after us, too. The answer is the same: get the facts right, triple-check the numbers, and let the record speak for itself.

Take it easy,

David Bozell
President

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