Toi, as a Yid you have better role models. But, someone without a true guidance will most definitely be affected by the moral tone the president sets.
That being said, the notion of being played by the media bothers me more than anything else. When they want the public to yell, they yell; to smile, they smile; to proclaim someone as a great speaker, they follow suit. Everyone knew about this politician’s past. All of a sudden, they decide to ‘figure it out’ all over again, and it becomes a story.
When a story is blasted and repeated in your face without your control, it gets a facade of being interesting.