Descending into Chaos: Nation Appears Unfazed by the Return of Trump
The Media's normalization of the MAGA Leader and His Flock Puts the Republic at Risk Once Again
One can describe Donald Trump in many terms, a sect leader, a pathological liar, or an insurrectionist. The list of descriptors is far too considerable to enumerate here. But what is certain, with the 2024 Presidential Election eight months away, the media has once again relinquished the moment. This failure is particularly glaring in that we are in arguably one of the most perilous periods in America since 1859.
It was during that year Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Slavery continued to deepen the divide between the agrarian, slave-dependent Southern states and the industrialized, free labor-based Northern states, and political disagreements over issues such as the extension of slavery into new territories, the Fugitive Slave Act, and the controversy surrounding the admission of new states to the Union intensified.
Fast forward to today, we face a notable contrast from the era when the Republican Party, under Lincoln's leadership, fervently advocated against enslavement. The movement he represented has evolved into a cult of personality spearheaded by perhaps the most ill-equipped individual ever to occupy the White House.
Donald Trump and his MAGA warriors’ efforts to reclaim rights that Americans of diverse backgrounds have acquired, especially within the last six decades underscores a pronounced shift in priorities. Reminiscent of the pre-Civil War era, the current struggle manifests itself both in geography and class as a conflict between the predominantly more rural states and the densely populated urban areas, with a significant portion of Trump's voter base comprised of individuals without college degrees.
Given this historical context and the unprecedented events since the last election combined with the media’s inability or unwillingness to examine Trump’s candidacies in 2016 and 2020 with the purposed intensity required, one would surely expect that his campaign in 2024 would be depicted as anything but conventional. Yet here we are once again with cable outlets and news publications treating Trump with unwarranted accommodation. His behavior on January 6th, the 91 indictments, and the countless lies among other repulsions to which we have been subjected are seen as just another day in Trump world.
This is the man who from the day he descended the escalator at Trump Tower consistently undermined the free press, labeling reputable news outlets as "fake news" and calling journalists the "enemy of the people." in an attempt to delegitimize the media's role in holding people like him accountable. He even mocked the disabilities of one at a rally to the delight of his supporters. Meanwhile, the media seems laser-focused on Biden’s age, although he’s only four years Trump’s senior.
Let us not forget that Trump's presidency was marked by direct attacks on an array of governmental institutions, including intelligence agencies, the Department of Justice, and the FBI. He labeled war heroes and soldiers who served in our military as “losers.” This erosion of trust in key institutions was devoured by his followers and is the reason why many of those Americans feel disenfranchised. Moreover, this sharp rhetoric and confrontational approach contributed to heightened political polarization and an 'us versus them' mentality that has only grown.
But when you think about it, the reason the former President gets a pass is quite obvious. Six American media conglomerates, AT&T, Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, National Amusements (which includes Viacom Inc. and CBS), News Corp and Fox Corporation (which are both owned in part by the Murdochs), Sony, and Hearst Communications control 90 percent of the news platforms that we access. This means that at most, two or three hundred executives make the decisions as to what many throughout the world read, see, or hear.
Given the size of these enterprises, the profits that they generate, and the corresponding alignment of their political interests, their lack of resoluteness in robustly fighting to maintain our democracy while abhorrent is understandable. There’s no real attempt to effectively denounce Trump as totally unqualified to hold public office, educate voters on ways in which their lives will change if he is awarded a second presidency, or aggressively expose the disparate movements and their leaders who seek to disrupt our culture. Even the media coverage of the setbacks that women have experienced since Roe was overturned seems to have tempered.
Plans have been devised by Trump’s band of would be autocrats, to transform our government into an illiberal laboratory in which our previous norms and values will be relegated to the dustbin of history upon his taking the oath of office. The potential for violence that permeates the ranks of Trump’s most ardent zealots also looms regardless of the election’s outcome. News outlets should be amplifying all of this with Goebbels-like precision and repetition. We are indeed at a crossroads. If as a country we venture in the wrong direction, returning to where we came from will be difficult.
Yet on the surface, Americans seem to be reacting to all of this with a shrug. Spring is on the horizon, people are planning vacations and as far as many are concerned, things in their own lives are just fine. Scroll through Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok reels, people just want to have fun. I see more YouTube videos on the NFL Draft, comedians and actors beefing with one another, or how to make a million dollars using Artificial Intelligence, with little to no content on the threats we face as a nation.
Comedian George Carlin years ago described our current situation. Paraphrasing his comments, it was his belief that the “real owners” of the country don’t want a society of critical thinkers, they want workers. They control the media, politicians, and virtually every institution and resource. It’s one big club and we ain’t in it. With that in mind, one thing is clear, Donald Trump is.