Alexander Vindman loses Florida Senate primary as Trump calls him 'treasonous creep'
Retired lieutenant colonel and impeachment witness defeated by Democratic Socialists of America candidate Angie Nixon
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

(Official White House photo by Molly Riley)
Photograph: WND (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Alexander Vindman, a central figure in Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment, lost the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida on 19 August 2026.
- Angie Nixon, a Democratic Socialists of America member and state representative, defeated Vindman after raising less than $1 million to his $16 million.
- Trump called Vindman a 'treasonous creep' on Truth Social and described Nixon’s victory as the 'most gratifying loss' of the primaries.
- Trump repeated his claim that his 2019 call with Ukraine’s president was 'perfect' and called for Vindman to be prosecuted.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 26 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 29 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
40/100
Craft
55/100
Hype
75/100
29 sources · methodology
Missing from the left
Only 7 of the 26 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
Alexander Vindman, the retired lieutenant colonel who testified in Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment, lost the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida on 19 August 2026. His opponent, state Rep. Angie Nixon, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Nixon raised less than $1 million for her campaign; Vindman raised more than $16 million.
Vindman was director of European affairs at the National Security Council when he reported concerns about Trump’s July 2019 call with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump was impeached by the House in December 2019 and acquitted by the Senate in February 2020. Trump has repeatedly called the call 'perfect' and said it was recorded.
On 20 August 2026 Trump posted on Truth Social that Vindman’s defeat was the 'most gratifying loss' of the primary night. He called Vindman a 'treasonous creep' and said Nixon 'can’t speak or think properly'. Trump also said Vindman should be prosecuted for his role in the impeachment.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests or the centre-rated digest mentioned that no left-rated outlet ran the story at all. None of the digests reported that Vindman had served in the U.S. Army for 21 years or that he was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Iraq.
Coverage settled. We checked this 90 times and stopped on 25 Aug 2026, 09:15. The figures above are what it finished at.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
We have not written our reading of the left coverage of this story. The left-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The Hill’s digest led on Trump’s celebration of Vindman’s loss. It carried Trump’s description of Vindman as a 'treasonous creep' and his reference to Nixon as a 'Radical Left Lunatic'. The digest did not mention the fundraising gap or the amount either candidate raised.
Right
16 rated outlets
- All six right-rated digests led on Trump’s reaction to Vindman’s defeat. They carried Trump’s description of Vindman as a 'treasonous creep' and his call for Vindman to be prosecuted. Five of the six digests named Nixon as a Democratic Socialists of America member; one, from Breitbart, described her as a 'DSA candidate'.
- WND’s full report quoted Trump’s Truth Social post in full. It described Nixon as a 'Radical Left Lunatic' and Vindman as a 'real treasonous creep'. The report also repeated Trump’s claim that the 2019 call was 'perfect' and said it had been 'routinely recorded'. It included tweets from three conservative commentators calling Vindman a 'traitor' and an 'architect of the Trump-Russia hoax'.
- Four of the six right-rated digests mentioned the fundraising gap. Three gave the amounts: Nixon raised less than $1 million, Vindman more than $16 million. Two digests did not mention fundraising at all.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Alexander Vindman loses Florida Senate primary as Trump calls him…?
- Of the 26 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 27% are rated left, 11% are rated centre, 62% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 29. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Alexander Vindman loses Florida Senate primary as Trump calls him… left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 26 rated outlets on this story, 27% are rated left, 11% are rated centre, 62% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Alexander Vindman loses Florida Senate primary as Trump calls him… biased?
- Alexander Vindman loses Florida Senate primary as Trump calls him 'treasonous creep' is one event reported by 29 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Alexander Vindman loses Florida Senate primary as Trump calls him…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Alexander Vindman loses Florida Senate primary as Trump calls him…?
- 29 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Who won the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida?
- Angie Nixon, a Democratic Socialists of America member and state representative, defeated Alexander Vindman in the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida on 19 August 2026. Nixon raised less than $1 million for her campaign; Vindman raised more than $16 million.
- What did Donald Trump say about Alexander Vindman’s primary loss?
- Donald Trump called Alexander Vindman a 'treasonous creep' and described his defeat as the 'most gratifying loss' of the primary night. Trump posted on Truth Social that Vindman should be prosecuted for his role in the 2019 impeachment and repeated his claim that the call with Ukraine’s president was 'perfect'.
- Which outlets reported on Alexander Vindman’s primary loss?
- Six right-rated outlets and one centre-rated outlet reported on Alexander Vindman’s primary loss. No left-rated outlet ran the story. The right-rated reports led on Donald Trump’s reaction; the centre-rated report also led on Trump’s comments.
Read it at the source
29 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Democratic socialist seeks to become first Black U.S. Senator from Florida - Los Angeles Wave Newspaper Group (opens wavenewspapers in a new tab)
wavenewspapers — is wavenewspapers biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ashley Moody Previews 'Anarchist Psychos' Attack Line Against Angie Nixon In Senate Race (opens FlaglerLive in a new tab)
FlaglerLive — is FlaglerLive biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ashley Moody says news media need to ‘answer’ for coverage of Democratic Senate primary (opens Florida Phoenix in a new tab)
Florida Phoenix — is Florida Phoenix biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Vindman To Transfer $7M War Chest To Florida Dems (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Angie Nixon’s Senate primary win surprised national Democrats. Some Florida insiders saw it coming. (opens WFSU Public Media Home in a new tab)
WFSU Public Media Home — is WFSU Public Media Home biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Why an anti-Israel DSA member bested Alex Vindman in a Florida Senate primary (opens Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a new tab)
Jewish Telegraphic Agency — is Jewish Telegraphic Agency biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Democratic socialists see another victory, this time in Florida (opens CNN in a new tab)
Centre
3- Vindman Will Give Campaign Funds to Florida Democrats (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Why an anti-Israel DSA member bested Alex Vindman in a Florida Senate primary (opens Jerusalem Post in a new tab)
Jerusalem Post — is Jerusalem Post biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Trump celebrates Florida loss of ‘treasonous creep’ (opens The Hill in a new tab)
Right
16- Vindman’s Humiliating Defeat Is Bad News for Anti-Trump “Resistance” (opens Hot Air in a new tab)
Hot Air — is Hot Air biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Surprise election upset shows hating Trump is no longer enough as Democratic voters turn to new playbook (opens khbrknews in a new tab)
khbrknews — is khbrknews biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- After Losing to Angie Nixon, Alex Vindman Will Give Millions to Democrats for the General Election (opens floridadaily.com in a new tab)
floridadaily.com — is floridadaily.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Vindman promises to donate his war chest to Florida Democrats after loss (opens Washington Examiner in a new tab)
Washington Examiner — is Washington Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Surprise election upset shows hating Trump is no longer enough as Democratic voters turn to new playbook (opens wfmd.com in a new tab)
wfmd.com — is wfmd.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Surprise election upset shows hating Trump is no longer enough as Democratic voters turn to new playbook – Democratic Accent (opens democraticaccent.com in a new tab)
democraticaccent.com — is democraticaccent.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Surprise election upset shows hating Trump is no longer enough as Democratic voters turn to new playbook (opens Fox News in a new tab)
Fox News — is Fox News biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Socialists Shove the Resistance Aside in Florida (opens Real Clear Politics in a new tab)
Real Clear Politics — is Real Clear Politics biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Show 8 more
- Why an anti-Israel DSA member bested Alex Vindman in a Florida Senate primary (opens Cleveland Jewish News in a new tab)
Cleveland Jewish News — is Cleveland Jewish News biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Vindman loss marks latest fall for once-prominent anti-Trump figures (opens Just the News in a new tab)
Just the News — is Just the News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Mocks Alex Vindman After Florida Primary Loss: ‘How cool is that???’ (opens Life and Liberty in a new tab)
Life and Liberty — is Life and Liberty biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Treasonous creep’: Trump reveals his ‘most gratifying’ moment in primary elections (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Treasonous creep’: Trump reveals his ‘most gratifying’ moment in primary elections * WorldNetDaily * by Joe Kovacs (opens OpsLens in a new tab)
- ‘Treasonous creep’: Trump reveals his ‘most gratifying’ moment in primary elections * WorldNetDaily * by Joe Kovacs (opens WND in a new tab)
- Trump: Angie Nixon Defeating Vindman Was 'Most Gratifying' Loss (opens Breitbart in a new tab)
- Trump celebrates loss of ‘treasonous creep’ Alexander Vindman in Florida Senate primary, calls for his prosecution (opens The Post Millennial in a new tab)
The Post Millennial — is The Post Millennial biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
3- Lara Trump's Instagram post sparks mixed heavy backlash as fans turn on father-in-law Donald (opens vt.co in a new tab)
- Headline Unavailable (opens Floridian Press in a new tab)
Floridian Press — is Floridian Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump calls for Vindman to be prosecuted after Florida election loss (opens Conservative News Daily in a new tab)
Conservative News Daily — is Conservative News Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
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