Politico’s latest profile that obsessively describes how Rahm Emanuel eats a salad has become the latest example of the media’s soft focus on Democrats and cringe-worthy feature writing aimed at humanizing potential 2028 contenders.

Earlier this year, Vogue ran a swooning piece about Gavin Newsom that opened with the line, “He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence as he delivers his final State of the State address.” That kind of prose drew backlash for obvious reasons, but it didn’t teach a lesson to other outlets. Instead, the same tendency toward flattering, trivial portraits keeps spreading across mainstream outlets.

Now Politico has published a profile about Rahm Emanuel that treats his salad technique as a character study and campaign clue. The piece turns a banal moment into political psychology, suggesting the way he eats a meal reveals his leadership style.

Here’s what Wren wrote about Emanuel eating a salad:

This is how Rahm Emanuel eats a salad: He rips open its clear, clamshell container with two hands. He grabs the ramekin of the dressing. He pours it across the salad. Then he picks up the salad container, shaking it with an intensity and ferocity that forces the balsamic throughout, giving no quarter to the greens and the grilled chicken.

This is material information, mind you, for his would-be 2028 Democratic presidential primary rivals. Because how Rahm eats a salad is how he does anything and everything: with intent and with verve and without mercy.

That passage got shared far and wide, and not always kindly. Plenty of readers found it ridiculous that a national outlet would elevate lunch behavior into campaign insight, and the reaction exposed the weakness of this kind of reportage.

Yes. That is literally how everyone eats a salad. Turning everyday gestures into a foil for political profiling is lazy and reads like desperate attempt at color. This style prioritizes personality theater over real vetting of policy or record.

Even former Obama staffer Ben Rhodes publicly criticized the piece, which is notable given how close many in that circle are to the subject. The pushback from figures across the left shows there’s a limit even partisan allies will tolerate.

When the Left calls out one of its own for overreach, it’s satisfying to watch, but it also reveals a broader media problem. A network of flattering profiles and soft features rewards performance and style over substance, leaving voters with surface impressions instead of hard information.

If a Republican got this kind of treatment the tone would flip instantly; the same behavior would be parsed as evidence of aggression or instability. The double standard is predictable and dangerous for trust in journalism.

Some readers expected this profile to include familiar targets and talking points, like a nod to Amy Klobuchar, and the piece delivered those predictable flourishes in spirit even if not by name. The habit of shoehorning cultural shorthand into political profiles flattens serious inquiry into caricature.

So what is wrong with the media? They routinely lean into human-interest angles that humanize favored subjects while treating opponents as caricatures. That bias matters because it shapes narrative and skews the issues voters actually see.

The entire post reads:

His body’s center of mass moves directly over the planted foot while the other leg lifts off.His heel lifts, then his toes — hidden inside $3,700 Italian loafers, and his “Cuomo 2025” custom-made socks — press into the ground, generating forward propulsion.

Then his lifted leg bends at the knee, swings forward, straightens, and prepares for the next heel contact.

This is material information, mind you, for his would-be 2028 Democratic presidential rivals.

Because how he walks is how he does anything and everything: always moving forward, ruthlessly, no matter what is happening around him, until he gets where he needs to go.

Nailed it. That is the tone of a media class more interested in performance art than in accountability or consequences. Picking apart someone’s gait or lunch habits as a proxy for competence is a shallow way to cover people who may one day hold real power.

Exactly. The routine of fawning profiles, however well written, obscures judgment and invites mockery. Expect more of this as the 2028 cycle ramps up and outlets search for humanizing hooks to turn political actors into characters.

Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives. The pattern of flattering coverage for favored figures damages credibility and leaves important questions unasked.