It’s a Catch-22. He’s a contender for the presidency and the former president who has a real shot of winning. He’s also under indictment in multiple jurisdictions. The things he says are news, regardless of how stupid they are, because he’s saying them to become president and avoid jail.

The first time around they didn’t have to give him so much coverage early on in the primary race. This time, they don’t have a choice because it’s actually relevant news. That said, most networks have toned down coverage of Trump significantly. Actually most news orgs are more focused on the shutdown than the recent debate and Trump’s bullshit.