No one summed up the funeral-like atmosphere of Monday's coverage of the inauguration on MSNBC better than Rachel Maddow, star anchor and de facto TV therapist for liberals who can't believe Donald Trump will become president again. Not there.
“How is this happening?” she asked.
Her co-host Joy Reid lamented the “takeover of America by a vile spirit of greed and corruption.” “Everything is so painful,” anchor Nicole Wallace lamented. Maddow then appeared confused as she caught a glimpse of Kristi Noem, Trump's nominee for homeland security secretary, next to Apple CEO Tim Cook in the VIP section.
“Why are people with a lot of money on stage with cabinet candidates and their families?” she asked.
At Fox News, the atmosphere felt different. The emcees narrated the proceedings like happy commentators at a parade.
“The next vehicle we're going to introduce is called the Beast, and it's the vehicle that's going to carry the president,” Dana Perino said. “As you can imagine, it's a very safe vehicle.”
Fox host Larry Kudlow, who served as Trump's chief economic adviser during his first term, called the transfer of power a “spiritual moment.” And anchor Bill Hemmer was in awe of the show's star.
“Donald Trump, come on. He has the energy of a hundred people at times,” Hemmer said as Trump made his way to the Capitol. “Donald Trump accomplishes more by midday than most of us do in a week.”
“So get ready,” he added. “I'm back. It's card time.”
In the second season premiere of Trump's Presidency, it was perhaps unsurprising that cable news resumed the partisan patterns that came to dominate television during the president's first term.
However, the media landscape has changed significantly since 2017. On Monday, cameras caught prominent podcasters and digital stars winning invitations to Trump's inauguration. Inside the Capitol were Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Rogan, Jake Paul, and a member of the Nerk Boys. They were all official members of the so-called “manosphere” that supported Trump's candidacy among young people.
Their reportage had a unique sensibility. Influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul posted a video to Instagram from a shuttle bus on the way to the ceremony, in which Vonn is seen asking mixed martial artist Conor McGregor to touch the Paul brothers' mother. He was seen instructing her not to let it out. .
Old media giants also showed up. Rupert Murdoch, chairman emeritus of Fox, joined Trump at a church service on Monday and then attended the swearing-in ceremony. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was given a key seat.
At one point, a FOX News telecast featured one of the network's current hosts, Laura Ingraham, talking to former FOX contributor Tom Homan, who was tapped by Trump as border czar, on Capitol Hill. He was caught taking a selfie outside. “There’s a lot of smiling faces there,” Perino said.
Other attendees with ties to Fox News included former hosts Tucker Carlson and Kimberly Guilfoyle.
“When he first came into Washington, he really came here to defuse the situation,” Kristen Welker, host of NBC's “Meet the Press,” said of Trump. “Now he has allies in every corner of the Republican Party.”
Many experts closely tracked the facial expressions of senior officials sitting near Mr. Trump during his speech, which was widely compared to the State of the Union address. Hillary Clinton's smile, or former President George W. Bush's laugh, has given rise to a variety of interpretations.
While Trump criticized former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s record, his predecessor remained mostly silent and remained seated even as Republican lawmakers rose to applaud. “You might feel a little weary there,” Dana Bash said on CNN.
Immediately after the speech, Fox News political analyst Brit Hume said Trump had made “some pretty extravagant promises,” including a pledge to have “the greatest four years in American history.”
“Well, we all hope that turns out to be true,” Hume said. “But that's a pretty big commitment.”
jessica testa and katie robertson Contributed to the report.
