When it comes to Trump, one of the biggest tools in the Media toolkit isn’t the negative press, as much as they love to leverage that. It’s refusal to talk about it at all.
For most folks, that’s the end of the road. But not Trump. A lifetime’s work as a carnival barker NYC real estate dealmaker turned TV personality and then President has honed a very particular set of skills we at ClashDaily have dubbed the lightning rod effect.
And he did it again in his SOTU speech. A lot.
Remember how he pledged to bring the Men’s Olympic Hockey team to the State of the Union?
He opened by reviving one of those famous quotes from his first term, the one about ‘too much winning’ and using it to brag on the US Olympic men’s hockey team.
WE CAN'T STOP WINNING.pic.twitter.com/nXDRtAJtbV
— The White House (@WhiteHouse)February 25, 2026
He talked up the goalie, Hellybuck, who put the team on his back and was a huge reason for the win, stopping something like 40 shots by some of the most elite goal-scorers in the game… surprising us all by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
And this is where the lightning rod comes in — from there, he talked about the next Olympics in 2028. They’re in LA. While everyone was on the feel good buzz of the Olympic victory, and the feel-good hopeful moments of looking at the next game, he delivered the news that news outlets are trying desperately NOT to cover — he bragged about how his policies have made the country safe for all Americans.
Journos want stories that make him look like some storybook goblin, not stories about how he’s protecting hearth and home. But here we are.
Source: Clash Daily
