Former NBC anchor Billy Bush revealed details about an alleged media campaign aimed at undermining Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Bush painted a troubling picture of how major media networks, including ABC, appeared to prioritize partisan politics over journalism. Bush claimed that ABC News had assembled a 75-person investigative team specifically tasked with finding negative stories about Trump in an effort to sabotage his candidacy. He described this approach as activism rather than objective reporting.
Bush also discussed his own experience, recalling the impact of the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump made crude comments about women. The release of this tape, just weeks before the 2016 election, caused a media firestorm and led to backlash against both Trump and Bush. While Trump apologized for his remarks, Bush was suspended and later fired from NBC’s Today show, marking a major setback in his career.
Bush criticized the media’s fervent opposition to Trump, noting how network leaders like Jeff Zucker at CNN seemed to focus more on opposing Trump than on journalistic integrity. He suggested that competing media networks were aligned in their mission to prevent Trump from becoming president, with a shared agenda to “get him out of this presidential race at all costs.”
Despite the media’s efforts, Trump won the presidency, with many of his supporters arguing that the media had overplayed the significance of the tape. Bush’s comments highlighted broader concerns about media bias, ethical standards, and the way the media shaped the narrative surrounding Trump’s candidacy.
