IdeaLog

Push back on the media’s normalizing of Trump

Posted on April 16, 2025

The media has been normalizing Trump for the past decade. They do this, in part, by inventing semi-rational policy explanations for irrational proposals. We should push back.

Here are three examples:

Tariffs and other economic policies

News stories and even some otherwise intelligent commentators talk about Trump’s tariff war with the rest of the world as it were an economic strategy. Usually, they assert that the purpose of these tariffs is to build domestic manufacturing capacity. That’s absurd.

First, who is going to invest billions of dollars building factories in the United States based upon tariffs that might disappear tomorrow? Trump has already flip-flopped repeatedly, making most of his announced tariffs disappear. It would be irresponsible for a company to rely on such a flimsy reed, and especially because, once a factory was built based on a particular tariff, that company would be helpless against future attempts at presidential pressure.

Second, and more important, economic policy is simply not his motive. Trump told a group of Republicans “that foreign leaders were essentially groveling to avoid the new tariffs,” as CNN put it. Said Trump: “These countries are calling us up. Kissing my ass. They are dying to make a deal… Please, please sir, make a deal. I’ll do anything sir.”

These tariffs, like the attacks on universities, law firms and the mainstream media (e.g. the AP), are a form of hostage taking and demanding ransoms. And the ransoms are not a matter of policy for the benefit of our country, they are intended to benefit Trump by increasing his personal power.

Greenland and other foreign policies

The New York Times recently ran a front page story claiming that Trump’s plan for Greenland is “persuasion not invasion.” But this normalizing premise was not supported by any credible evidence in the story. To the contrary, Trump said: “One way or the other, we’re going to get it.” Isn’t it obvious that the only way he’ll “get” Greenland is by invasion? That’s the only way he can “get” the Panama Canal or Canada. Again, this is hostage taking. Trump doesn’t care about the policy of getting access to rare minerals in Greenland (or Ukraine), he just wants to be offered a ransom.

Look at it this way: Trump is America’s Brexit. Like Brexit, an “America First” policy would be a decoupling from former allies, which would have to be based on the idiotic premise that we can do better without them. “America First” would hurt the U.S. in both the short- and long-term, just as Brexit hurt Great Britain. But Trump really doesn’t care about the policy of “America First,” he only cares about himself. There is no other policy.

Education and other domestic policies

Just as one example, this Washington Post editorial is based on the premise that the Trump Administration cares whether or not it is sending education policy “back to the states.” That premise is absurd. There is no conservative federalism or “small government” philosophy underlying this Administration. DOGE, for example, has nothing to do with eliminating waste, fraud or abuse. Rather, DOGE is now the main source of federal waste, fraud and abuse.

Trump and his right-wing extremist allies believe that, by destroying the federal bureaucracy, they increase their own power. And perhaps they are right. Certainly, every time some law firm, university or media company bows down to Trump, it does tend to increase his power. As Neville Chamberlain proved almost 90 years ago, appeasement doesn’t work. It only leads to more aggression.