GOP leaders failed to stop Trump earlier because (among other things) they believed their own propaganda about the mainstream media. They assumed that the liberal press would shred Trump for them, saving them the awkward chore of offending a part of their base they have been stringing along with culture war dog whistles for decades. Little did they know, the liberal press would put Fox to shame when it came to living up to the motto “we report, you decide” during this campaign season.

Trump, on the other hand, understood that profit, not progressivism, drives news media coverage and content.

More than anything else, this presidential campaign season has shown that the commercial media’s “bias” is about the “Benjamins,” not about pushing an ideological or partisan political agenda. For the GOP, it will serve as an invaluable lesson about what can happen when you fall for your own B.S.