HuffPost — Changing The Conversation On Donald Trump


Since yesterday’s speech calling for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” many people have commented on his extreme rhetoric. Ariana Huffington’s response, however, and her goal in changing the conversation, has to be among my favorite.

Huffington announced yesterday that her websiteThe Huffington Post (HuffPost), will change the way they cover Trump.

Since Trump began his presidential campaign, the HuffPost decided to treat him as a sideshow rather than a real political figure. Huffington pointed out, however, that though Trump has lived up to being a source of entertainment, he has become something more: “an ugly and dangerous force in American politics.”

The HuffPost realizes that they must now treat Trump as more than an entertainer. They still do not consider his presidential run as a “normal campaign.” They do, however, recognize that he is a changing force to the political dialogue and a threat to our American values.

Huffington wrote,

“[A]t first, [the] over-the-top xenophobia, though disgusting, played as the sour shtick of a washed-up insult comic. Now that Trump, aided by the media, has doubled down on the cruelty and know-nothingness that defined his campaign’s early days, the ‘can you believe he said that?’ novelty has curdled and congealed into something repellent and threatening — laying bare a disturbing aspect of American politics.”

As a result, the HuffPost will now cover Trump’s campaign to remind their audience “who Trump is and what his campaign really represents.”

Huffington will be reminding her audience about:

“1) His enthusiasm for creating a database of all Muslims in the United States.

2) His ongoing lies about Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11.

3) His status as birther-in-chief, cynically sowing doubt about President Obama’s legitimacy as the duly elected President of the United States.

4) His misogyny — here’s just one HuffPost piece on this, but there’s no shortage of these.

5) His xenophobia and scapegoating of immigrants, including his lies about Mexican immigrants and his ardent desire to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

6) His unmistakable passion for bullying. Again, there’s no shortage of examples, but you could start with his defense of supporters who roughed up a protester at one of his rallies or his ridiculing of a disabled New York Times reporter.”

The HuffPost is not alone. Others in the press have decided to stand up against and treat Trump for the biogt, racist, and sexist that he is.

Huffington pointed out that reporters should not mince their words, instead they should simply tell the truth.  She stated,

“[I]f Trump’s words and actions are racist, we’ll call them racist. If they’re sexist, we’ll call them sexist. We won’t shrink from the truth or be distracted by the showmanship.”

Huffington admited that Trump is not the only presidential candidate who is making “extreme and irresponsible” comments, but because of Trump’s “wall-to-wall coverage” in the media, he is the one that the press should go out of their way to ensure the truth is told.

“By not calling out Trump’s campaign for what it is, many in the media, addicted to the ratings buzz he continues to deliver, have been legitimizing his ugly views.”

In addition to covering the truth about Trump, the focus should also be on “the disastrous impact it continues to have on his fellow candidates — and the national conversation.”

It is troubling that Trump is still leading in the polls. It should also bother intelligent people that his rabid fans are so idiotic and keep buying into his bullshit. It is depressing that he is still a part of the politicial conversation.

The HuffPost’s approach, however, is refreshing. It is ridiculous that this even needs to be said, but the press and media should cover all candidates by telling the truth, rather than sugarcoating the candidates behavior in an effort to appease ratings. The press and the media need to make the candidates accountable for their actions so that the voting public can form the necessary opinions about these candidates before electing the next president.

Featured image by Peter Stevens under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License