For Trump, There Is No Such Thing As Bad Press From FakeNews
On April 24, 2025, President Donald Trump sat for a high-stakes interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, joined by staff writers Michael Scherer and Ashley Parker, as reported by POLITICO. Trump framed the interview as a personal challenge, posting on Truth Social that he was testing whether The Atlantic could be “truthful,” despite his long-standing disdain for the magazine and its journalists. This meeting came on the heels of Goldberg’s explosive SignalGate scoop in March, where he was accidentally added to a Trump administration group chat discussing military strikes in Yemen, a revelation that embarrassed the White House and fueled Trump’s narrative of media bias. Trump, however, understands there’s no such thing as bad press, viewing the interview as an opportunity to dominate headlines and rally his base by confronting a vocal critic head-on, even as he called Goldberg a “sleazebag” responsible for “hoax” stories like the 2020 “suckers and losers” report about Trump disparaging fallen soldiers.
The Atlantic, under Goldberg’s leadership since 2016, has positioned itself as a fierce adversary of Trump, dedicating significant resources to critiquing his leadership and policies in what appears to be a concerted effort to destroy his political image. The magazine’s history of critical coverage includes its 2016 endorsement of Hillary Clinton—only its third presidential endorsement in 168 years—where it labeled Trump as “the most ostentatiously unqualified major-party candidate” in U.S. history, and a 2023 issue warning of the dangers of a second Trump term, as noted in NPR coverage. Goldberg’s reporting, including the SignalGate incident and earlier stories confirmed by Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly, consistently paints Trump as a threat to democratic norms, accusing him of authoritarian tendencies and disdain for the military. Trump, unfazed, leverages this hostility to his advantage, knowing that the more The Atlantic attacks him, the more he remains the center of national attention, a dynamic he has mastered over decades in the public eye.
Trump’s allies argue that The Atlantic’s relentless focus—amplified by Goldberg’s willingness to publish sensitive leaks—reflects a deliberate agenda to undermine his presidency, but Trump himself sees it as fuel for his narrative of being a fighter against the establishment. The magazine’s financial success, with over 1.15 million subscribers and profitability as of December 2024, only underscores its influence, which Trump uses to his benefit by engaging with it directly. While Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt decries Goldberg’s reporting as “sensationalist spin,” Trump thrives on the controversy, understanding that even negative coverage keeps him relevant and energizes his supporters. The personal animosity between Trump and Goldberg, evident in Trump’s repeated attacks and the magazine’s unyielding scrutiny, creates a cycle of mutual antagonism that Trump exploits, proving once again that in his world, all press is good press as long as it keeps him in the spotlight.
