This is the first in a series of op-ed articles about Trump and the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election.
The 2020 election will be the most important and consequential election of a lifetime, and perhaps in the history of America.
Another four years of Trumpism will solidify a vision of America that will take our country decades to fully recover from. I implore each and every American voter to do your own research, do some serious, sincere "soul-searching", and exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, November 3. The future of our democracy as we know it depends on it.
A few things about me:
- I'm a registered Independent voter, not a Democrat.
- I don't disagree with everything Trump wants to do. I read his book "Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again" while he was campaigning back in 2016. In fact, I summarized the entire book in a post on this website which you can view here.
- I have been following the Trump presidency (including his 2016 campaign) on a daily basis, spending thousands of hours reading, doing research, and updating this website so I can be as informed as possible about what's going on. There is so much information out there, and sometimes it's hard to know what or who to believe. In order to find real truth, you have to pay close attention every day and dig deeper - that's what I do.
In the era of Trump it can be a daunting task to separate fact from fiction, but if you care about the future of this country you must invest in it. I suggest you do more reading and watch less videos. Watching videos is more sensational and not as conducive to critical thinking.
Read the quotes and not so much the analysis (which will always be bias to some degree). This will help you come to the most reasonable, rational conclusions. And if you read a quote and want to make sure it hasn't been taken out of context, go to whitehouse.gov where you can read transcripts of all Trump's speeches and remarks, or C-Span where you can watch video of all of Trump's speeches, remarks, and rallies, and read transcripts.
In terms of fact-checking websites I suggest factcheck.org or snopes.com.
In my opinion NPR, PBS, and Reuters are the most neutral and reliable media sources. If you choose to read a liberal news source like The New York Times, or a conservative source like Fox News, just be aware of the inherent bias in each. If you stray too far from what's called the "mainstream media", again, just be aware of the "baked-in" bias. Also, be highly suspicious of "conspiracy theory" media sources like InfoWars (Alex Jones).
Then there is social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and others. Because information posted on social media websites disseminates so quickly and to so many people, if the information is "bad" then it's doing a huge disservice to everyone. Social media companies have been recently "under fire" for not doing more to address the posting and spread of false information on their websites. Other than verifying a quoted tweet by Trump or some other major political player, I suggest you ignore news posted on social media.
Finally, since many of the issues today are fairly complex, it's sometimes hard to simply understand all of the details and ramifications of any given topic. For good explanations with minimal "hype" I suggest Vox.
So, how did we get here? It's painfully obvious that the media, all media to one degree or another, has become considerably more bias in the Trump era. But why, and how? Of course, media organizations have always leaned liberal or conservative - that's their nature - but why is the bias and divide now so great, and the vitriol so potent?
Trump started it.
Yes, it takes "two to tango" but Trump is the guy who got this sludge ball rolling.
Don't believe me?
Think back to the days before Trump announced he was running for president. Was the state of the media then the way it is now? Do you remember hearing the term "fake news" or "alternative facts" prior to Trump? Trump is the guy who put "fake news" on the map. He's the guy who made "fake news media" one of his rallying cries, and he has used it countless times.
If you were paying attention during the days leading up to the 2016 election and into the early days of Trump's presidency, you would have noticed that Trump frequently, and to a great degree, exaggerates, mischaracterizes, misrepresents, and sometimes flat out lies on a wide range of topics and issues. Of course, all politicians do these things from time to time and to varying degrees, BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT OR WITH THE FREQUENCY OF TRUMP.
Of course, the media called Trump out on this behavior, as they would have called out ANY politician regardless of political party. Because of Trump's personality, his ego, and his belief that he's always right, he hit back at the media. He also continued to spread lies and disinformation - because that's just what Trump does.
It didn't take long for a major "war of words" to develop between Trump and the media. Trump chose to discredit the media by calling it "fake news" and then "the enemy of the people". In reality Trump has no one to blame for his continuing feud with the media but himself. He essentially "made his bed" with the media from the get-go because of his exaggerations, mischaracterizations, misrepresentations, and lies.
Yes, Trump started it, and he has continued to "fan the flames" with the media by his continuing campaign of lies and misinformation.
I posted an extensive, in-depth article about this on February 28, 2017 which you can read here.
But here's another reason why things are now so out of hand with the media. When you continue to claim "fake news" over and over again, when you yourself are putting out "fake news" day after day by spreading misinformation and lying, that's hypocrisy on a massive scale. This hypocrisy has served to amp up the dislike, disrespect, and contempt even further.
One very unfortunate effect of all this is the blurring of the line between fact and fiction. We are now in a full-blown "war on truth", which is why now more than ever you need to "do your homework" to find the truth.
One might wonder if this was a "grand strategy" by Trump - to blur the truth - or whether he really does believe all of his baloney. I think he understands exactly what he's doing. I also think that he lives in his own little "bubble" of reality and that he believes almost everything he says.
Trump and his supporters continually bash the "fake news" media. Trump himself has said on many occasions that the media/press is the "enemy of the people". Trump's sentiment was reiterated and amplified on July 17, 2020 by his then just-demoted campaign manager Brad Parscale:
The media is a criminal network that has very few honest people. They have zero intention to tell the truth. I have seen so many live in fear of a negative story. I am happy I get to continue to fight with @realDonaldTrump against America's biggest enemy, the media!
Source:
Concha, Joe. (July 17, 2020). "Trump campaign's Brad Parscale calls media 'criminal network'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
To call the media a "criminal network" with "few honest people", and to say they have "zero intention to tell the truth" is in itself doing exactly what Parscale is complaining about in his tweet. Parscale's tweet is a gross exaggeration, ridiculous, and obviously "fake news" itself - just another example of the hypocrisy of Trump and his supporters.
On October 25, 2017, on the south lawn of the White House Trump said the following:
I think the press makes me more uncivil than I am. You know, people don't understand. I went to an Ivy League college. I was a nice student. I did very well. I'm a very intelligent person. You know, the fact is I think — I really believe — I think the press creates a different image of Donald Trump than the real person.
Source:
Borchers, Callum. (October 25, 2017). "Trump says the media unfairly portrays him as uncivil, which he's not because he 'went to an Ivy League college'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
First of all, there goes Trump again, blaming someone else, this time the press.
Second, in the source article, reporter Callum Borchers points out that Trump didn't say he was civil. Trump said that the media makes him appear "more uncivil" than he is. This is a telling moment about Trump. If he thought he was civil, don't you think he would have said so at the time? Almost anybody else would have taken the opportunity to say that and set the record straight, but not Trump, because Trump knows he's uncivil - he just won't directly admit it.
Third, even if the media were in fact creating "a different image of Donald Trump than the real person" (as Trump said), well, who's fault is that? Which just brings me back to what I've already said. When you constantly lie and misrepresent reality, don't complain when you're attacked by the media. As far as the media is concerned, Trump only reaps what he sows.
More:
Hi David. Your research is commendable. Trump is, in fact, a most complex individual, if we use common sense to understand him.
Is it possible that he does not think in terms of truth vs fiction? Is it possible that the Donald has linear thinking, in that it is unimportant (to him) what his thoughts bring to mind, and he says, because he is capable of subterfuge at any moment? It may be part of his ability to win (on his terms, by his method of creating constant, consistent confusion).
In my opinion, he is an expert at this GAME known as life. I see him as the politician 'turned inside out'. Only the Donald wears all possible color combinations, where the average politician sticks to the primary colors.
He definitely knows and employs 'uncivil means'. That seems to be his primary weapon. He is the politician's worse nightmare and subsequently, the knowledgeable voters worse nightmare. He is an expert on 'how to use human emotions" to achieve victory. He prays on the weak, the needy, the underserved and unheard voter. He excels at teetering on the brink, which most Americans may find unsettling, but uses it to amuse, if not ignite, his base.
In my opinion, Donald Trump is hell itself. Not to be confused with Satan, as Donald Trump may possibly utilize both.
Good Read David. I am so impressed with the time, energy research and your spin! I will keep reading and Thank You.
Pat