Carl Bernstein: Trump wins if ‘alternate universe’ of Drudge is right

Legendary journalist Carl Bernstein on Tuesday called conservative website Drudge Report an “alternate universe” that helps lead “a big part of the electorate.”

 

Bernstein, best known for his coverage of Watergate in the 1970s, told CNN that Matt Drudge’s website and other key players in conservative media have played a landmark role in the 2016 race.

 

"The alternative universe of Drudge, alt-right, the different press and social media that we have seen almost dominate to some extent a big part of the electorate is a wholly new phenomenon," explained Bernstein, 74. 

 

"If it turns out that Drudge is right in what he is putting up on his site, Donald TrumpDonald TrumpWashington state attorney general using ‘every tool’ to fight travel ban White House adviser: We have provided 'enormous' evidence of voter fraud Trump aide Stephen Miller: All options on the table for travel ban MORE is going to win,” he added.

 

In July, Bernstein called Drudge a "kingmaker" that helped power Trump’s rise to the GOP presidential nomination. Drudge regularly has averaged more than 1.5 billion page views per month in recent months. 

 

"Drudge is really a great new factor in this election in terms of media," Bernstein said on CNN. “That site has been unapologetically in Trump's pocket from the beginning. 

 

"And I would say a large measure of why Donald Trump is the nominee goes to Matt Drudge in much the way that Fox has — when you use the word kingmaker, I'm not sure it goes quite far that way, but it is an influence unequalled."