Trump does theater: You are not a theater critic!
Top Story: Trump’s Stage. Your Reporting.
We live in an attention economy. The loudest, most attention-grabby voice wins.
Donald Trump and his political allies get that.
And it is central to their political success.
Especially if journalists forget what they’re dealing with.
How do you decipher the Trump Show?
Here’s some new ways of thinking about it.
The Plot: I won.
The Example: The threat of steep tariffs.
The Analysis: Did Trump really get concessions from Canada and Mexico after threatening to impose steep tariffs, as The New York Times reported this week?…Or did he actually lose the war on tariffs (Thanks to the stock market dip, and countermoves by Trudeau and Sheinbaum?)
The Reality: Trump backed down and got very little in return, except a few minor promises, some of which were already in the works.
The Tip: Don’t report that Trump wins things because he tells the press he has won things.
The Plot: I’m a tough guy.
The Example: Trump talking about kicking out undocumented residents.
The Analysis: Sure, Trump and his allies have been marching around the country terrorizing families who are undocumented. But when you look at the number of undocumented residents in the United States (11.7 million) it's clear that his people, are making a tiny, tiny dent.
The Tip. When reporting on Trump numbers, don’t forget the denominator.
The Plot: I’m buying that.
The Example: Greenland, Gaza Territory.
The Analysis. No, he’s not.
Tip: Be careful when you report on things that feed the Strongman image that Trump works hard to create. It’s theater; not reality.
The Plot: Everyone is dazed and confused.
The Example: DC right now.
The Analysis: Trump is working hard to destroy democratic norms and the chaotic overwhelm is one of his greatest tools.
The Tip: Hold supporters of democracy accountable for how they respond. It really, really matters. (See history!)
Also Noteworthy
Tennessee wants to criminalize elected officials for doing their jobs.
Could a few college drop-outs be taking over the U.S. government?
We’re Reading
Skillful coverage of the Trump Show.
More skillful coverage of the Trump Show.
Thank you REUTERS
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Our Staff
Executive Editor Kyle Spencer
Managing Editor Christen Gall
Our Board of Advisors
Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability
David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy
Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.
Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations
Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War
Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe distinguished professor of history and public policy at Duke University and author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America
Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War
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