CNN’s Jake Tapper has never exactly been subtle about his leanings, but this Sunday on State of the Union, he fully abandoned any pretense of journalistic objectivity when facing JD Vance, Trump’s vice presidential pick.

As Vance calmly dismantled Tapper’s pointed questions about Trump, the CNN host seemed almost beside himself, tripping over his words in an attempt to corner Vance with the latest “Trump is a fascist” narrative.

The exchange began with Tapper trying to cast Trump as a danger to democracy, zeroing in on the Trump campaign’s criticisms of former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who has become a favorite among anti-Trump Democrats. Tapper tried to paint Trump’s comments on Cheney as fascistic, but Vance wasn’t buying it.

When Tapper pressed, “None of that sounds fascist to you at all?” Vance simply responded, “No, of course it doesn’t,” holding his ground and refusing to play into Tapper’s talking points.

Tapper’s insistence on framing Trump as a would-be dictator didn’t just backfire; it showcased his own bias. As Vance called out Tapper for taking Trump’s words out of context, Tapper’s response was a flurry of sputtering denials.

Vance suggested that, if Tapper truly wanted to inform viewers, he could show Trump’s remarks in their entirety—something Tapper unsurprisingly avoided. Vance then delivered a pointed critique of the political establishment, calling out people like Cheney who, he argued, are more interested in stoking conflict than promoting peace.

Take two minutes out of your day to watch @JDVance embarrass Jake Tapper on national TV. You will not regret it.pic.twitter.com/v8A7A2NUv5

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 27, 2024

The moment offered a sharp contrast in styles. On one side, Tapper seemed intent on playing prosecutor rather than interviewer, attempting to paint Trump’s comments as authoritarian with increasingly strained phrasing. On the other, Vance remained composed, rejecting Tapper’s lines of questioning and turning the spotlight back on those in Washington who’ve led the U.S. into disastrous interventions.

What we’re seeing here is a media that’s so entrenched in pushing a one-sided narrative that they can’t even maintain the appearance of fairness. Tapper’s thinly veiled frustration with Vance’s refusal to take the bait says it all: the mainstream media isn’t used to conservatives who push back effectively, and Tapper’s lack of composure exposed just how little he’s prepared for it.

Rather than upholding a standard of impartiality, Tapper’s antics only highlighted the bias that viewers are increasingly noticing.