The way media construct events and personalities often has a significant impact on how the public perceives political figures. When former United States (U.S.) President, Donald Trump, took the limelight in international politics amidst the 2024 U.S. presidential election and once again, became the polarising figure, it became a significant topic of scholarly inquiry. Donald Trump’s post-election actions and statements have attracted the momentous attention of global media outlets, including The Star Online, a prominent Malaysian news outlet. This study examined how a representative Malaysian news outlet portrays a potent U.S. political figure after a pivotal election. By using the Framing Theory, this study examined Donald Trump’s portrayal aftermath 2024 U.S. presidential election to find the themes, tones, and sources in that coverage. News reports and opinion columns published between 6 November 2024, and 16 February 2025, the first 100 days, were content analysed to probe into how The Star Online presents and contextualised news and opinions on Trump for Malaysian audiences. This study aims to contribute to the media framing body of knowledge and learn about how local narratives connect with global news. The findings implied that The Star Online mostly took a negative tone in covering Trump by focusing on Trump’s policies, authoritarian leadership style, nationalism, and controversial statements after the election. The Star Online relied predominantly on international wire agencies as news sources, which indicates that the local media outlets may correspond with international media viewpoints, offering a homogeneous portrayal of Donald Trump.

Authors:
Lai Hoon Lim, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, Malaysia

About the Presenter(s)
Dr LAI HOON LIM is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology in Malaysia

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