Psaki Says Media, Including Her Own Show, May Share Blame for Drowning Out Democratic Message

During Wednesday’s broadcast of her MSNBC program, host Jen Psaki expressed concern that Democrats struggle to capture attention in a media landscape dominated by President Donald Trump’s daily activities and statements. Speaking with former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran, Psaki acknowledged that Trump’s consistent newsworthiness—despite low approval ratings—creates challenges for the opposing party to gain traction ahead of the midterm elections.

Psaki noted that while Democratic enthusiasm remains strong, the party has difficulty articulating a vision beyond opposition to Trump. She cited the struggle to transition from purely negative messaging to affirmative policy proposals as a key obstacle. “It has taken some time for a lot of the leading Democratic voices to move from just anti-Trump to more than anti-Trump,” Psaki said, noting the need for Democrats to communicate “here’s what we’re offering.”

The broadcaster extended partial responsibility to her own industry, suggesting that journalists and media platforms bear culpability for the imbalance. Psaki acknowledged that Trump’s actions are “so crazy” that they naturally dominate coverage, making it difficult to generate audience interest in Democratic health care or education initiatives. “Maybe we’re all at fault for this,” she remarked, indicating uncertainty about booking guests to discuss substantive policy matters outside the Trump narrative.

Moran concurred with Psaki’s assessment, framing the dilemma as a fundamental challenge facing all journalists: whether to cover Trump as political theater or as an administration whose policies demand scrutiny. Both agreed that public awareness of Democratic policy platforms remains insufficient compared with public disapproval of Trump.