Jeff McCall - Media Studies Professor, DePauw University Joins Houston's Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, I really do believe the Trump derangement syndrome is
it's incurable, it's untreatable. I mean, we had the story
last hour. Mental health professional, New York mental health professional,
she's a therapist, is out there vandalizing teslas because because
she suffers from Trump derangement syndrome. In course, Ela Musk

(00:21):
derangement syndrome just as much so. The progressive far left
was never very happy when Bill Bacher decided he was
going to sit down and break bread with President Trump,
sit down at dinner with Kid Rock and a few
other folks. But he did, and then he had the
nerve to come on his show and report that Donald
Trump is a human being.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
As you know, twelve days ago I had dinner with
President Trump. I never felt I had to walk on
eggshells around him. And honestly, I voted for Clinton and Obama,
but I would never feel comfortable talking to them the
way I was able to talk with Donald Trump. He's
much more self aware and he elects on and like,
I'm just taking as a positive that this person exists,

(01:04):
because everything I've ever not liked about him was I
swear to God absent at least on this night with
this guy Trump was gracious and measured. And why he
isn't that in other settings, I don't know. I've had
so many conversations with prominent people who were much less connected,
people who don't look you in the eye.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
None of that with him, And.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
He mostly seered the conversation to what do you think
about this? I know your mind is blown.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
So was mine. I hadn't. Just a couple of examples,
Jeff the call joins us at to Paul University's Media
studies professional there that kind of broke the bank for
the progressive far left and having their darling, Bill Maher
say decent things about Trump.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
Oh, that was shocking to the progressive left. And you're
right to call him the darling. He was the darling
of the left media for a long time because the
progressive media always liked to point to Bill Maher as
kind of one of the leaders of the Trump resistance.
And he's upsetting the left now because he's knotted down
the line commentator who agrees with the progressive stance on

(02:08):
every issue, and for them, trying to think independently is
a problem, and that's not allowed by the true believer,
so to speak. That's what Eric Hoffer called the fanatics
of the fifties when we had mass movements like Stalinism
and Nazism, because they put rational thinking aside in order

(02:29):
to be part of the movement. And when you're part
of the movement, you have to be one hundred percent doctrinaire,
so to speak. And I must say rhetorically, I think
the progressive left is making a mistake by being all
in on one hundred percent Trump resistance, because at a
certain point, rational Americans know that it's ridiculous to side

(02:50):
with an MS thirteen gang member who's been deported, or
showing sympathy for Luigi Manjoni, or criticizing reciprocal tariffs, or
any number of things even like budget cutting on government
fraud and abuse and waste. So most Americans want common
sense solutions and answers from whatever party or politician, and

(03:12):
mar By trying to have some gumption and look for
workability in government has suddenly gotten himself off the guest
list for all the progressive cocktail hours that are going
to be coming down the road.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah, no doubt about it. Here's the question, does anybody
else in your estimation in the media, does anybody else
follow Bill Maher. Are there people at CNN, for example,
that have been sworn enemies of Donald Trump? Are any
of them willing to change their minds if for no
other reason than to try to rebuild their network and
to get some ratings again.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
You know, it'd be interesting, you would think that the
left wing media would try to follow the lead of
Mar at this point, because you know, he has been
willing to kind of look at different perspectives and to
look at the election from last fall to say, hey,
you know, Kamala Harris, who also was a darling of
the progressive left, couldn't get enough votes to win the presidency,

(04:05):
and somebody needs to look at the tone of the
nation now. And by the way, there are a lot
of people who are uncomfortable with Trump for a number
of the reasons we've talked about before. He's mercurial and
hard to predict. But on the other hand, people do
like the idea that he does want to bring some
sanity to government spending and to government international affairs, and

(04:26):
Mar's willing to listen to that. And the people at
CNN and MSNBC and the Washington Post and places like
that are still not willing to do that, and I
think they do that at their own risk.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
I think you're right about that, Jeff, Thank you as always.
Jeff McAll Media Studies Professor to Paul University