Fake News and Failed Friendships : An Analysis of Trump , Pecker , and the National Enquirer
“ David thought Donald walked on water ,” a former Enquirer employee told The New Yorker ( Levine 1 ). “ Donald treated David like a little puppy . Donald liked being flattered , and David thought Donald was the king . Both have similar management styles and attitudes , starting with absolute superiority over anybody else ” ( Levine 1 ). “ We used to go after newsmakers no matter what side they were on ,” a former
Enquirer staffer told Jeffrey Toobin , a reporter for The New Yorker , " He ( Trump ) is the ultimate target-rich environment . The Enquirer had a golden opportunity , and they completely looked the other way ” ( Levine 1 ).
Pecker has no strong political views and a fascination with celebrity ( Toobin 45 ). Asawin Suebsaeng of The Daily Beast quoted him as saying , " Few presidential aspirants in recent history have generated the kind of discussion Donald Trump has ” ( para . 17 ). Pecker also claimed , “ It ’ s no surprise that the readership of the Enquirer recently told us that they wanted to read more about Trump than any other 2016 candidate ” ( Suebsaeng para . 17 ). Trump often acted as a source for the publication . “ When there was something going on in New York , David would talk with Trump about it ( Toobin 46 ). An American Media ( AMI ) employee told Toobin , “ if Donald didn ’ t want a story to run , it wouldn ’ t run . You can put that in stone ” ( 46 ).
Pecker wields great power through his multiple magazine properties . Stu Zakim , a public relations executive who worked at AMI for 3 years noted , “ Donald being the media manipulator that he is�it ’ s a perfect friendship ” ( CNN 1 ). The media mogul is emphatic about Trump , “ The guy is a personal friend of mine ” ( Borchers Trump ’ s Love para . 14 ). Toobin noted that the friendship has lasted for decades and the publisher boasts about helping his friends ( 40 ). According to Pecker , a cover depicting Donald Trump as a hero , lam-
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