On Friday morning the
Huffington Post announced it had come to a decision concerning coverage of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. It stated:
"After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, we have decided we won't report on Trump's campaign as part of The Huffington Post's political coverage. Instead, we will cover his campaign as part of our Entertainment section. Our reason is simple: Trump's campaign is a sideshow. We won't take the bait. If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette."
The Huffington Post's Washington bureau chief Ryan Grim also dismissed Trump as "a clownshow" earlier this week.
Donald Trump's campaign dismissed the Huffington Post as a "glorified blog" in
a statement on Friday evening."The only clown show in this scenario is the Huffington Post pretending to be a legitimate news source."
The Huffington Post announcement came as Trump has begun to rise in the polls in the Republican Nomination. Much of the first month of his campaign has been surrounded in controversy over remarks he made concerning illegal immigrants from Latin American countries.
There is major concern about the amount of press Trump is recieving as it is affecting the coverage of candidates that some see as "more serious." Pointing to his high polling numbers we need to remember that Michelle Bachmann was polling even higher than Trump is today in 2011.
Often seen as an outsider and despised by the establishment of the Republican party, many are concerned by the impact Trump will have on other candidates. Whether it is pulling attention from more well established candidates like Perry, Huckabee, Bush, and Walker, to limiting the polling of some who are getting lower numbers because they aren't as well known such as Fiorina and Kasich.
Presidential primaries shouldn't be a place for sideshows like Trump. While he is a ratings hog, he dilutes the real conversation away from candidates with a real shot at representing the core values of the nation and the Republican Party.
