The Bulletin July 12, 2025

Newsweek

14 hours ago

The rundown: A year after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, some political commentators are arguing the incident was minimized by the media. We decode if that was the case.
Why it matters: The assassination attempt could have been a galvanizing national moment, but some media critics say it was instead overshadowed by election coverage, partisan concerns, and editorial decisions meant to avoid amplifying Trump's near-death experience. Veteran political journalist Mark Halperin and conservative commentator Drew Holden have both sharply criticized the way media outlets covered — and then quickly abandoned — the story of Trump's near-assassination, framing it as a revealing moment about U.S. politics and journalism.
Read more in-depth coverage:
The Growing Threat of Political Violence From the Left
TL/DR: Holden noted that within weeks, coverage in major outlets dropped off dramatically, comparing it unfavorably to the media's treatment of the January 6 Capitol riot.
What happens now? Halperin argued that the muted response reflected deep-seated hostility to Trump from mainstream institutions, which failed to interrogate the story the way they would have if the target were a Democrat.
Deeper reading How Trump's Near-Assassination Was Downplayed and Memory-Holed in the Media