Donald Trump has received more coverage on CNN than any other presidential candidate


It's not your imagination: If you turn on CNN and feel like it's All Donald, All the Time, that's because it kind of is.
Although earlier this year CNN President Jeff Zucker told producers not to cover Donald Trump when he was hinting around at running for president, as soon as he made his announcement on June 16, the network went into overdrive. Using the Nexis database, Politico discovered that since then, Trump has been covered by CNN on television and online more than 400 times, giving him more press than major GOP candidates like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, as well as Hillary Clinton.
There are two vocal contingents of journalists with strong feelings about how Trump should — and shouldn't — be covered by the media. Some believe he should receive minimal attention, arguing he's never going to be the nominee and is only in the race because he loves the spotlight. Others, like Steven Ginsberg of The Washington Post, say that as a candidate, he's part of the news and needs to be covered. "In my view, making decisions solely according to who may win the nomination is the worst way to cover a presidential election," he told Politico. "A whole lot happens on the way to the nomination and you can't explain what's happening with the candidates or the country without being on top of all of it."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There's also the matter of ratings — Politico says that stories about Trump bring in high numbers of viewers and tons of clicks. Some journalists believe that pieces about Trump are being assigned for the sole purpose of attracting lots of eyeballs, and others are afraid the media is legitimizing some of Trump's more wild claims by giving them top billing on programs and websites. Of course, it could also just be the easy way out, giving reporters a chance to enjoy Summer Fridays by slapping together some of The Donald's more outrageous quotes and calling it a day. "I get that it's easier than explaining the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership," an anonymous journalist told Politico, "but come on."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
'More must be done'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders