Media shrugs off Schumer gaffe
January 25, 2021
Once again, House Democrats filed the Articles of Impeachment against former President Donald J. Trump.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had words to share about the charges being filed against Trump.
In an unfortunate slip of the tongue, Schumer said, “Make no mistake, there will be a trial, and when that trial ends, senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the erection…”
The media was quick to flock to the gaffe but showed support rather than concern. ABC News covered up the mistake altogether, editing the audio in its coverage.
During the intro to “This Week,” ABC used some editing magic to fix Schumer’s phallic flub pic.twitter.com/eLywGsvZNR
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) January 24, 2021
An article in Refinery29 called Schumer’s Freudian slip, “well needed after a serious week.”.
However, the same courtesy was not granted to Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R.) or Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Tuberville’s gaffe when speaking about his father’s military career in World War II. stating the war was about fighting socialism in Europe. In light of this gaffe, news media companies pounced on Tuberville condemning his “lack of knowledge” of World War II, and clarifying that the second world war was only about fighting fascism. Instead of covering, or calling the gap “relatable”, the GOP senator was written off as an unintelligent politician.
In another incident, during the intense hearings in the Senate judiciary committee, the now Justice Amy Coney Barrett fumbled on the basic right of redress. One might think after hours of citing complex legal cases from memory, the media might let Barrett off with a minor gaffe.
This was not the case.
The onslaughts by the news and social media alike were severe, claiming Barrett was not qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.
Now that Democrats have power over the three branches of government, the media remains relaxed on the mistakes by the politicians in power, unlike the last four years when the leading party was scrutinized from every angle.