The entire media is guilty of giving Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his "obnoxious statements" wall-to-wall coverage in a misguided bid to boost ratings and increase profits, John Sununu, former chief of staff to George H.W. Bush, tells
Newsmax TV.
Sununu, who also served as governor of New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989, said while the meteoric rise of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in new polls is the big story in the 2016 presidential elections, you wouldn't know it watching political coverage on TV's cable and broadcast outlets.
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"The news today should be Cruz pulling 10 points ahead of Trump in the Des Moines/Register poll. [But] virtually all the media wants to talk about is Trump staying even or picking up a few points on the national polls," Sununu said Monday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
"The action is going to start in Iowa. It'll then go to New Hampshire. That's where they should be looking. Why are they giving focus to everything except what Cruz did in Iowa?
"I'm not promoting Cruz. I'm not supporting Ted Cruz. I'm not a great fan of his, but at least give the guy credit where credit is due, when it's due, instead of clogging up your airways with a different story on Trump."
Sununu said big ratings are the chief reason that the media-savvy Trump is being given so much airtime.
"It's the whole media and it's because they are so locked in to worrying about their ratings," Sununu said.
"They've decided they get ratings up when they put the obnoxious statements of Donald Trump on first."
On Monday, a new
Quinnipiac University poll revealed that Trump and Cruz are running neck and neck for first place in the upcoming Iowa caucus, with both so strong they have twice the support of their nearest GOP competitor, Marco Rubio.
According to Quinnipiac, the new numbers look like this:
- Donald Trump — 28 percent
- Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas — 27 percent
- Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida — 14 percent
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