The Associated Press and a Very Un-'triumphant' Tweet

Plus, the New York Post pushes a misleading story about Joe Biden.

Check out this tweet from the official account of the Associated Press:

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The accompanying article was no less embarrassing. It reads like something the Trump campaign would have sent out. Here’s how it opened:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump made a triumphant return to Capitol Hill on Thursday, his first with lawmakers since the Jan.6, 2021 attacks, embraced by energized House and Senate Republicans who find themselves reinvigorated by his bid to retake the White House.

Despite pending federal charges against Trump for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, and his recent guilty verdict in an unrelated hush money trial, the Republican former president arrived emboldened as the party’s presumptive nominee. He has successfully purged the GOP of critics, silenced most skeptics and enticed once-critical lawmakers aboard his MAGA-fueled campaign.

A packed room of House Republicans sang “Happy Birthday” to Trump in a private breakfast meeting at GOP campaign headquarters across the street from the Capitol. The lawmakers gave him a baseball and bat from the annual congressional game, and senators later presented an American flag cake with “45” candles — and then “47" — referring to the next presidency. Trump bragged that even his telephone rallies for lawmakers could draw bigger crowds than mega-popstar Taylor Swift, who has yet to make any endorsement.

It really shouldn’t need to be said, but…

This is a pretty wild example of pro-Trump bias from the AP. Let’s walk through it.

The opening sentence set the tone: "Donald Trump made a triumphant return to Capitol Hill on Thursday, his first with lawmakers since the Jan.6, 2021 attacks, embraced by energized House and Senate Republicans who find themselves reinvigorated by his bid to retake the White House." The word "triumphant" is loaded with positive connotations, suggesting a victory or celebration. This is not a neutral term; it editorializes Trump's return, framing it as a significant and positive event. In reality, Trump's return to Capitol Hill should be viewed within the context of the January 6th attacks — a day when a violent mob, incited by Trump's false claims of a stolen election, stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the democratic process.