When the presidential primaries began, Donald Trump rocketed to near instant fame. While not everyone embraced his non-PC demeanor, it intrigued just about every political junkie. In this, the Leftmedia snatched a double opportunity. First, profit: Near 24/7 coverage of Trump inevitably bolstered television ratings. Secondly, promotion: Once the primaries were complete, the media could sever its so-called “neutrality” and turn on Trump, using his own rhetoric as a weapon against him in the media’s quest to pick Hillary Clinton as the successor to Barack Obama. New data affirms this strategy.

According to a new Harvard University study, “During the period spanned by the first four contests, Trump dominated the news coverage. … Trump’s coverage was also highly favorable. Positive news statements about his candidacy outnumbered negative ones by 57 percent to 43 percent.” But it was all downhill from there. By Super Tuesday, positive coverage decreased to 53% (47% negative). From March 15 to May 3, the correlation was reversed: Just 46% of media coverage was affirmative, and 54% negative. By the final month, coverage was 61% critical compared to just 39% positive.

In March, we reported on Trump’s dominating of campaign media coverage. It was estimated at the time that Trump’s appeal garnered him nearly $2 billion in free media coverage, far outpacing even Hillary Clinton’s $746 million. With the primaries now over, the media can use its leverage to elect its nominee: Hillary Clinton. Trump might be unpredictable. But the media isn’t.