With the 2024 presidential election coming to a close, media personalities and journalists reacted to President-elect Donald Trump’s unprecedented win and what it means for their careers and the industry, whether in front of the camera or behind it.
America’s top late-night show hosts returned to the studio following the election’s results, weaving in jokes about the president-elect.
Jimmy Kimmel, a host who Trump has previously referred to as a “loser,” performed a monologue where he called the election ”a terrible night for journalism, for justice, for free speech.” He addressed the long-lasting feud between Trump and himself multiple times throughout the night.
“My only request to President-elect Trump is that he let me share a prison cell with Taylor Swift,” Kimmel said. “I’m really good at making bracelets and I think we’d get along just fine. We’ll see how funny that is in six months when the great talk show host roundup begins.”
Jimmy Fallon began his opening monologue by weighing in on the election results with a more lighthearted tone.
“America decided to get back with their crazy ex,” said Fallon. “No matter who you voted for, I think we can all agree that it’s going to be a rough Thanksgiving.”
He threw more jabs at the former president later into the show by addressing the criminal counts faced by Trump in a more lighthearted tone.
“Trump is already super busy,” Fallon said. “First, he’s got to move all those classified documents back into the White House.”
Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert treated their respective shows as an open confessional of disappointment in the decision made by the American people.
“I wish I had some trenchant words of wisdom to impart,” said Meyers. “I’m sad to say I don’t. We’re about to step over the precipice into truly uncharted territory.”
Gabriel Kahn, professor of professional practice of journalism and co-director of the M{2e} program, stated that there is uncertainty as to the degree of retaliation that will be imposed upon the likes of the comedians and journalists who have been outspoken against Trump.
“What are we seeing is [that] this man is driven, motivated by grievances,” Kahn said. “The whole campaign seems to be about enacting revenge and punishing [the] enemy… That’s why he gets up in the morning to punish these people.”
Kahn also talked about the various ways Trump’s vocal critics might face public opposition and retaliation.
“It could take one of the supporters assaulting somebody or something like that, which I’m sure [is] going to happen multiple times,” Kahn said. “It could also be using the Justice Department to, as he has openly said, to investigate his enemies. Using the wheels of justice to settle political scores that have a high degree of confidence is going to happen. And so [whoever’s] on that list [has] reason to be concerned.
More than 300 undergraduate students are pursuing an academic major in journalism at USC at a time when media censorship is being placed in question.
Sophie Sullivan, a USC Annenberg media editor and a junior studying journalism, detailed the credible threats Trump has made against journalists.
“[It] is a scary time to be a journalist, and it’s an even scarier time to be a young student journalist,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said that Trump has been explicit in targeting his opponents, having an “us versus them” mentality, especially toward journalists.
“Him, but also his allies, like Elon Musk, are really pushing the idea of citizen journalism and not trusting the media, and only trusting the media that necessarily says the things and covers the thing that portrays him either in a positive light or portrays the things that he wants to do.”
Alan Mittelstaedt, associate professor of professional practice and faculty advisor at the USC Annenberg Media Center, said he shared a similar worry for the state of journalism with Trump’s return to the White House, especially for up-and-comers in the industry.
“I can see that if I were [a] young person at USC [and] thinking about what career [I] should pursue, I might not pursue journalism, and I might take something more comfortable,” Mittelstadt said. “But if I went into journalism thinking I need to work to make the world a better place, I, after being terribly disappointed by election results, would then be reenergized and regain purpose in my pursuit of journalism – it kind of depends on just how strongly someone felt in the first place.”
The role of journalism under a new Trump administration is left to be determined.
“Whether he’ll carry out his threat to treat journalists as the enemy of the people is to be seen, but we can be sure we’re not going to win support from Donald Trump for any of the important journalism that we pursue in the next four years,” Mittelstaedt said.