It's official: Donald Trump is boring.
That, at least, is the consensus at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which is leading a broader media shift away from the man they once couldn’t get enough of.
Mr Murdoch’s New York Post reacted to Mr Trump's declaration that he is again running for the White House in 2024 with a contemptuous shrug.
“Florida Man Makes Announcement” was Wednesday’s front-page headline, buried under a gruesome local story and with the article itself tucked away on page 26.
It followed a string of front pages trolling Mr Trump, including one ridiculing him as “Trumpty Dumpty” who couldn’t build a wall, and another calling Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “DeFUTURE”.
Mr Murdoch was never a huge fan of Mr Trump, though he has certainly benefited from the advertising money and huge viewership the brash politician brought to his media empire.
The Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, was not enough to shake support for Mr Trump, nor were his baseless claims the 2020 election was “stolen” from him.
But now it is clear that after a string of Republican setbacks, the ratings golden goose must be sacrificed before he becomes even more of an electoral albatross.
Mr Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal blamed Mr Trump for the Republicans’ lacklustre performance during last week’s midterms, pointing to his “perfect record of electoral defeat” since 2016, when he beat Hillary Clinton.
The man who boasted that Americans would “get bored with winning” soon went on to lose control of the House of Representatives in 2018 and the presidency in 2020.
The defeats are bad enough for Mr Trump, but to lose Mr Murdoch’s endorsement is a catastrophe.
Just ask former British prime minister Gordon Brown, who lost to David Cameron in 2010 after the media mogul that famously anointed Tony Blair in 1997 decided he’d had enough of a Labour government.
Even Fox News, which for more than four years acted as giddy cheerleader for Mr Trump and gave him many softball interviews, is trying to distance itself.
As the defeated president announced his new White House bid, Fox did something that may once have been unthinkable: they cut away from the primetime speech.
It’s not just News Corp that is turning its back on Mr Trump, even though he remains a wildly popular figure among many Republican voters.
During Mr Trump’s speech, CNN pulled the plug on its coverage soon after Mr Trump delivered the money quote: “In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.”
MSNBC didn’t air the speech live at all.
It’s a sea change from 2015 and 2016, when news networks gave Mr Trump unfettered airtime, effectively silencing his Republican challengers and Ms Clinton, and arguably ensuring his rise to power even as they expressed outrage over his hectoring and bullying style.
A low point for American broadcast journalism came when several networks for hours displayed an empty lectern from which Mr Trump was scheduled to speak, instead of giving airtime to anyone else running for the world's top job.
The question now is whether the media's attempt to ignore Mr Trump can last. He has a strong chance of becoming the Republican nominee again and journalists love to put “Trump” in a headline — his name often garners more clicks on a story or video than that of President Joe Biden — but Tuesday's announcement seemed to mark a palpable shift in public perception.
Even he seemed uninspired by his own bleak speech, which was his standard mash-up of fearmongering, negativity and bullying.
Attendees were seen shuffling awkwardly for the exits as Mr Trump went on and on for more than an hour. At least one reporter said security guards stopped people from leaving the ballroom.
Perhaps Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as Mr Trump's spokesman and is now in finance, said it best: he likened his former boss to a gnarled, undead thing that no one can bear to look at anymore.
“You know how you have a zombie that you can’t kill, like in the Night of the Walking Dead? That’s Trump,” Mr Scaramucci said.
“He’s the orange zombie that the Republicans are desperate to make extinct … Trump is fighting [like it’s] 2016-17 in 2024, but the world’s moving to 2030.”
A look inside Donald Trump's feed on the Truth Social app, which is not available in most countries — in pictures
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On Truth Social, a social media platform founded by Donald Trump after he was banned from Twitter, conversation is often limited to sycophantic memes and conspiratorial memes. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Almost all of Mr Trump's followers are die-hard supporters and criticism of the former president is rare. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump's signature line on 'The Apprentice' was: 'You're Fired!' Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Many memes lionise the former president. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump hopes to get a second term in office in 2024. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
A not-true ReTruth: Trump-backed, election-denying candidate Kari Lake lost to Democrat Katie Dobbs in the Arizona governor race. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump suggests voter fraud in the Arizona governor race. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump attacks Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who may be well positioned to duel the former president in the 2024 White House race. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Many Maga Republicans miss Mr Trump. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump attacks mail-in ballots that allow millions of Americans who are unable to vote on election day to participate. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Some of the Trump supporters that stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, used American flags to attack police officers. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Supporters credit Mr Trump with not starting any new wars. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
How many moves in a game of chess? Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Another ReTruth. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
The 'Greatest Of All Time'? That remains to be seen. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump was expected to announce a new run for the White House on November 15. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump blamed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for Republicans' poor showing in the midterm elections. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump still attracts fierce loyalty from his 'Maga' supporters. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump suggests he would perform better than Ron DeSantis. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
A variation on the election-denying theme. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump has continued to make his baseless claims of election fraud in races he or his fellow Republicans lost. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Another ReTruth. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump returns to his debunked claims of widespread election fraud. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Another teaser for his November 15 announcement. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump 'ReTruths' a message from a follower. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
The 'legend' will be 78 at the 2024 election, the same age Joe Biden was when he got elected. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump is expected to announce he will run again for president in 2024. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump teases his announcement on November 15. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Truth Social is only available in the US, Canada and Brazil. Reuters
