The return of Donald Trump to the White House on January 20th, 2025, was marred by unending controversies with media houses. He once again twisted the media landscape around himself, long after many had predicted that “Trump fatigue” would eventually set in. His inauguration set in motion a cycle that kept Americans on their toes as they waited for news from the Oval Office.
The president aggressively displayed natural showmanship, a trait that has characterized his public life for many years.
Trump has consistently tried to capture the attention of the news media throughout the years. Here are some ways in which Trump made headlines in 2025.
The Comeback
The fact that Trump was not “new” worked to his advantage. Reporters had a field day with the all-too-familiar playbook, the lingo, and the characters. In the media, he presented himself as the ultimate comeback king. His narrative of political resurrection revolved around court cases, institutional opposition, and personal reservations.
The media loves comeback stories because they elicit emotions and make a good read. This framing made it possible for outlets to view every action he took as significant. Regular activities were framed as insights, keeping the public in suspense.
Clickbait
What Trump’s media capture in 2025 revealed about journalism itself may have been its most outstanding aspect. It showed that the media organizations operate in a highly competitive environment.
The same media outlets that cautioned about the risks of excessive exposure kept focusing their coverage on him. Trump evolved from a topic to a recurrent format that was profitable, divisive, and predictable.
Trump did more than just “control” the media; he mirrored it. He saw that contemporary media prioritizes controversy over consensus, personality over policy, and immediacy over introspection.
Trump’s mastery of this dynamic allowed him to dominate media cycles, ensuring his presence remained constant. By exploiting the media’s appetite for sensationalism, he transformed news coverage into a feedback loop that amplified his influence and reach.
“Me vs Them” Narrative
Trump’s most successful tactic, portraying himself as both the protagonist and the adversary, was just as successful in 2025 as it was in 2016. He set himself up as the main character in a play in which Trump is pitted against the media, “the establishment,” and anyone who questions him. By framing every criticism as an attack, he effectively galvanized his base and sidelined dissenting voices.
This approach worked well for him. His accusations of bias were confirmed in every critical piece. Every rebuttal gave his story a new lifeline. Ignoring him was a story in itself. The media had to decide whether to cover Trump and give him more attention or to ignore him and run the risk of becoming irrelevant.
Intuitive Communication Style
Trump’s style of communication was flawless and seemed tailored for the media. He used superlatives, insults, and definite phrases in equal measure. In an era where audiences consume news through alerts and short videos, Trump’s rhetoric served as prepackaged content.
Newsletters, panels, and podcasts utilized Trump-related content to boost audience engagement, clicks, and subscriptions.
The Trump Effect
Whether you like him or not, President Trump was unavoidable in 2025. He generated 206.2 million mentions, thanks to his 20-point peace plan for Gaza, immigration crackdown, and tariff policies. Simply put, he became the narrative the media could not ignore. They gave him coverage, albeit with disclaimers and fact-checks.
For instance, back in July 2025, The Wall Street Journal published a report to the effect that Trump had sent Epstein a suggestive birthday card in 2003. He denied the allegations, terming them as fake. He even threatened to sue some media outlets.
The story kept the media busy until he sparked another frenzy by announcing that he was going to meet Putin in Alaska for peace talks. That’s how he played out the “Trump Effect.”
To Wrap Up
In 2025, Donald Trump’s control over the media was neither coincidental nor purely the result of controversy. It was the outcome of his communication skills and the incentives of contemporary media systems being deeply aligned.
Trump’s capacity to command attention ensures that the media will continue to cover him, whether they like him or not, as long as attention is the most precious resource in public discourse.
