The phrase “deep state” entered the media lexicon in January 2017 with Donald Trump’s inauguration, reaching its pinnacle in September 2018. While Fox News has mentioned the phrase far more than its peers, both CNN and MSNBC have also frequently referred to the term. Since its most recent peak in October 2019 and a brief bump in February of this year as Trump was acquitted in the impeachment trial, mentions of the term across the three stations have been at their lowest levels of Trump’s administration, but last month began ticking upwards and this month mentions of the phrase have soared, especially on Fox News.