Activist media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, and others are still trying to center the conversation on the Atlanta spree killings on former President Donald Trump, who they blame for the increase in anti-Asian violence. This is par for the course for the left, but even though it was revealed that the shooting was likely not motivated by race, they continue to push the narrative nonetheless.

The motivation behind this seems obvious. As I explained in a previous article, Democrats and their close friends and allies in the activist press are using the tragic deaths of eight people to further drive division and push their agenda. But there is another reason why they keep trying to bring Trump into this story.

It’s the almighty dollar, folks.

Fox News reported, “CNN averaged 2.5 million primetime viewers from Nov. 4, the day following the presidential election, through Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. But viewers fled the liberal network once President Biden took office, and CNN has averaged only 1.6 million primetime viewers from Jan. 21 through March 15.”

The report continued: “CNN’s viewership during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m. ET dropped 36% since Biden took office after it spiked following Election Day. CNN’s primetime viewership decline was even sharper among the key demographic of adults age 25-to-54, plummeting 47% during the same period.” (See also, CNN’s Ratings Collapse as a Lack of Orange Man Bad Takes Its Toll.)

If it wasn’t evident over the past five years, it is now: CNN and other activist media outlets need Trump in order to thrive. Their obsession with the former president is what fueled their ratings and now that he is out of office, they are looking for any reason to put him back in the spotlight. MSNBC, ABC, and other outlets are experiencing a similar trend, as is Fox News.

In other words: The activist media misses Trump like Michael Avenatti misses being relevant.

Since most activist media outlets keep their viewers engaged by using the type of sensationalism and faux outrage that accompanies their frantic “Orange Man Bad” reportage, they have nothing left to attract viewers. Moreover, it seems they are unable to gin up enough hysteria to make enough people angry.

Now that their bread and butter is gone, media outlets are scrambling to push a square Trump peg into a circular narrative, and it appears this is how they will proceed for the near future. It is obvious to anyone with an IQ of a newt that Trump had nothing to do with the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes or the spree killing in Atlanta.

Unfortunately, they are unable to report on a story such as this without spinning false narratives. So instead of being truthful, they throw Trump into the mix to salvage their ratings and promote a leftist agenda. Of course, it is not hard to see that this strategy is not sustainable over the long term. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try, right?