So, I had something click today. Apologies if this has already been stated, I'm about 40 pages behind.
I think the reason that the media is being so dismissive of Trump is so that if he wins, they can make the biggest mess of it they can. They want the whiplash from "Everything is great, Biden is the one true President-Elect, Fascism has been defeated!" to "ZOMG DRUMPF STOLE THE ELECTION! AGAIN! WHO COULD HAVE FORESEEN THIS?!" to be as sudden and violent as possible, for the sake of creating the most chaotic reaction possible. They want people to be scared, confused and angry, because scared, confused and angry people do one of two things: they watch the news, or they make it. They want a response that is going to make the Floyd Riots look like a fucking joke, and in the process generate countless hours of primetime footage that the country is going to be glued to as they try to figure out what the hell just happened.