President Donald Trump traveled to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Thursday, where he spent much of his time attacking the fake news media.  He went to this northeastern Pennsylvania city to support the ambitions of Representative Lou Barletta to unseat Senator Bob Casey, who has become a reliable liberal Democrat vote against Trump's policies.  This follows a week of constant media support for those in opposition to the president.

The showdown between White House correspondents such as CNN's Jim Acosta and the president and his supporters came to a new height at Thursday's press briefing. 

Jim Acosta.  Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

Press secretary Sarah H. Sanders took members of the White House press to task when she reminded them of the behavior directed against her and her family in public venues that has threatened her physically.  As a result, she now has Secret Service protection. 

Meanwhile, many in the media talked about the perceived threats to Acosta and others while covering the president's speech in Florida on Tuesday.  The media and progressives decry the perceived attempts to destroy the free press by the administration.  But with over 90% of all reports about the administration decidedly negative, Trump cannot allow these people to control the narrative.

Trump has decided to drive their negatives farther down.  Currently, they are rated positively by polls between 17 and 20%.  At the same time, Trump's positive ranking is now between 45 and 50%.  (Rasmussen poll Thursday was 50%.)  He cannot get any meaningful positive reporting despite any accomplishments.  Therefore, he will marginalize their impact by raising their negatives.

Press corps members spent much of their time with Sarah Sanders trying to divide Ivanka from her father over comments regarding the president's view over whether the "fake news media are the enemy of the people."  They have spent two years attempting to divide the president and his supporters with little success.  They do not understand the reasons for his election in 2016.  They still fail to understand his continued support.  How can they, since they are entrenched in the establishment swamp of Washington and the coasts?

Rarely do you hear anyone on any television or network radio provide any positive commentary for the administration, except for conservative pundits or Fox News.  At Fox, the support for Trump is tempered by people such as Shepard Smith and regular Democratic advisers.  Perhaps the most disturbing situation for Trump is the lack of coverage about any successes he enjoys.  This is the most critical situation regarding the bias of the media.

In a little over 18 months, the administration has reduced ISIS to a small threat, met with Kim Jong-un, gotten more financial support for NATO from European allies, improved our trade relationships with South Korea and the E.U., received remains of lost soldiers from North Korea after 65 years of cessation of hostilities, begun renegotiation of NAFTA to improve its effects on the USA, changed the position of America in the Middle East, established the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, ended the Iranian nuclear deal negotiated by Obama and damaged the Iranian economy, challenged the ascendancy of China, used tariffs to renegotiate trade agreements, countered Russian advances with weapons to Ukraine and attacks on surrogate troops in Syria, and reestablished American leadership on the world stage.  There might be some who would question these efforts, but there are few positive comments within the media.  And this is just a listing of some foreign affairs initiatives.

On the domestic scene, the listing of accomplishments confounds the left further.  He points to lowered taxes that have accelerated economic growth.  He has rolled back regulations that hampered businesses.  He did not succeed in replacing Obamacare, but did get the Congress to remove the personal mandate.  The administration has established cross-state-lines-associations for health care.  He has attempted to get funding for the border wall with limited success.  He has a chance to put his mark on the Supreme Court through his nomination of a second justice.  The trade deficit has fallen by $52 billion in the second quarter of 2018 while seeing GDP growth of 4.1 %.   Energy production has increased to record levels.  He pushed reforms at the Veterans Administration.  All this in less than two years.

Trump faces overwhelming opposition from Democrats and many establishment Republicans, which would severely limit any normal person's achievements.  The press opposes Trump because of his style and manner.  But reporters truly fear his ability to succeed in undoing the Obama legacy and the past decades of progressive, liberal, or socialist policies foisted upon America with the media's help.  This is a battle between two competing forces and ideologies.  Don't bet against Trump.