Sarah Wasko / Media Matters

Boris Epshteyn, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s chief political analyst and a former Trump administration aide, would like you to know that everything is fine at the Trump White House -- and if you hear otherwise, blame the media.

From today’s “must-run” “Bottom Line with Boris” commentary segment, posted with the headline, “Don’t buy into the media’s portrayal of a White House in chaos”:

BORIS EPSHTEYN: Have there been a lot of staff changes in the Trump White House? Sure. A lot of that is because the president is not a lifelong politician. He did not have scores of people riding his political coattails like almost every other president in recent history. The White House is a tough place to work. I can tell you firsthand that it is a pressure cooker. Is everything always smooth and perfect in this White House? Of course not. But is it at your job? Here’s the bottom line: Just because someone in media says that there’s a meltdown in Washington, D.C., does not make that true. As you’re taking in news and political coverage, do not buy into the hysteria.

The segment does not delve into exactly what’s caused such widespread reports of an administration in mayhem, nor mention any of the reasons there has been unprecedented staff turnover, such as pressure stemming from an ongoing federal investigation into collusion or reports of serial domestic abuse by a staffer.

This embarrassing segment will now be forcibly aired, often spliced into local news coverage, on more than 100 Sinclair-owned or operated news stations throughout the country as part of the media giant’s infamous “must-run” lineup.

Sinclair is known for its history of injecting right-wing spin into local newscasts, most notably with these “must-run” segments. The segments have included blatant (and sometimes embarrassing) pro-Trump propaganda missives from Epshteyn since last spring. In the last six months, Epshteyn has used his “Bottom Line With Boris” segments to attack members of the press for being too mean to the president, praise seemingly every move Trump makes, and offer jaw-droppingly ill-timed defenses of Trump and his staff members. Most recently, he developed an entire segment arguing that Trump’s authoritarian dream of a “military parade” was a good idea.

Thanks to the Trump Federal Communications Commission, pro-Trump propaganda like this could soon air on even more local TV news stations and in major cities across the country, reaching 72 percent of U.S. television households.