It was less obvious because the world was less connected and not everyone had a high quality video camera in their pocket.
The media could also be relied upon to edit in a favourable manner. That's still the case today, but he can't get away from the fact that every time he shows up, people film him, because he's always going to say something stupid. The idea that he might manage to have a normal day and not say something insanely dumb, is just inconceivable.