Why Trump’s constant attacks and his sniping with Elon Musk helps him and keeps the media scrambling

Trump is a whirlwind – and following his every move will make your head spin

WSJ White House reporter Annie Linskey and ‘Reason’ senior editor Robby Soave join ‘MediaBuzz’ to discuss whether Elon Musk’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s spending bill could stall the legislation, or help push it through the Senate.

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President Donald Trump is relishing all this, flaming every target in sight – or trying to put out fires in Los Angeles – as a president who loves being at war.

Elon Musk, clearly missing the spotlight, is using X as a weapon, calling for his former pal’s impeachment – but deleting his post tying Trump to Jeffrey Epstein might be viewed as an apology.

Gavin Newsom is all fired up, daring Trump’s border czar to arrest him and accusing the president of inflaming the situation by dispatching the National Guard over his objections.

TRUMP BORDER CZAR RESPONDS TO NEWSOM’S ‘ARREST ME’ CHALLENGE AS CALIFORNIA RIOTS OVER ICE RAIDS

The media are eagerly drinking from the Trump fire hose in the greatest, most entertaining breakup since Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni denounced each other. But several journalists were injured covering the violent LA protests, even as they reported that the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful.

And for me, it meant a crazy hour of television.

All eyes were on the President Donald Trump-Elon Musk feud last week, with the tech billionaire accusing the president of having ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo)

We made lots of last-minute changes on “Media Buzz,” but the biggest one involved ABC correspondent and anchor Terry Moran. I was tapping out the script on my phone during commercial breaks.

For reasons I’ll never be able to fathom, Moran posted a scathing attack on White House domestic policy chief Stephen Miller, calling him a “world-class hater.” He also put Trump in the same category.

LIBERALS, ANTI-TRUMP FIGURES BASH ABC FOR SUSPENDING TERRY MORAN OVER SOCIAL MEDIA RANT

On Maria Bartiromo’s show, which airs before mine, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Moran should be suspended or fired. Shortly after we went off the air, ABC suspended Moran, saying he had violated company standards. I’ll never fathom why he blew up his career.

You can’t overcover a public meltdown like this – Trump now saying Musk had “worn thin” and he’d asked him to leave – but journalists have a high-minded justification for the low-rent sniping. The president’s entire agenda is wrapped up in the not-so-beautiful bill, including border funding, tax cuts, food stamps and trimming the Medicaid rolls.

The measure passed the House by a single vote because a number of hard-line Republicans agree with Musk that it’s a “disgusting abomination” which, at a minimum, would boost the deficit by $2.4 billion over 10 years.

But Trump is like a movie studio mogul who simultaneously moves from one sound stage to the next. And that is a challenge to journalists who race to keep up–but also boosts ratings as he constantly takes questions from the reporters and producers he also denigrates. It’s a love-hate relationship, but lately, mostly hate.

BOLD MOVE TO KEEP AMERICANS SAFE FROM ‘TERRORISTS’ IS BASIS FOR US TRAVEL BAN FOR SOME AFRICAN NATIONS

Trump issued a travel ban on 12 countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa. Big story.

Trump brought Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S., after saying it couldn’t be done, and the mistakenly deported Salvadoran will face charges of human trafficking of illegal migrants – months after the Supreme Court ordered his return.

President Donald Trump brought Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. last week, months after the Supreme Court ordered his return from El Salvador. (Getty Images and Fox News)

Trump is battling elite law firms, many of which are caving and agreeing to provide up to $125 million in free services rather than lose access to classified material that would cause an exodus of clients. Big story.

Trump backed off on criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin after that incredible Ukrainian drone strike decimated a third of the Russian fleet thousands of miles away. Now, he says he may walk away from a war in which Putin has no conceivable interest in peace. Big story.

ZELENSKYY DISMISSES TRUMP’S CLAIM THAT RUSSIA WANTS PEACE, SAYS HE KNOWS PUTIN ‘MUCH BETTER’

Trump issued a wave of controversial pardons, especially one for a man who committed fraud by stealing from his employees, which came after his mother, a big-time GOP donor, paid $1 million to get face time with the president at a Mar-a-Lago fundraising dinner. Now, he avoids a jail term and having to make over $4 million in restitution to his victims. Big story.

Trump is freezing funds for Harvard and investigating the Harvard Law Review. Big stories.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

Trump has ordered an investigation of former President Joe Biden and the undisputed coverup of his mental decline, arguing that his actions could be overturned if top aides were making the decisions. Huge story. But the coverage has been muted, in part because the press doesn’t take it seriously and Democrats don’t want to fuel any story that involves more visibility for Biden.

This nonstop gusher may deflect criticism that Trump is profiting from the presidency by selling meme coins and other items that once would have prompted an uproar.

By the time you read this, the president may have made news on several other controversial subjects. It’s a strategy that helps him and, in many ways, the media that are always scrambling to keep up.