This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people.

The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information.

The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse.

This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it.

As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost.

  • Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Trump is the best thing to ever happen for the mainstream media. They don’t have to report on much else but his shenanigans.

    Less news stories about building housing

    Less news stories about the abysmal Healthcare scamcare system.

    Less news stories about a digital bill of rights

    Less news stories about empowering worker co-ops and other labor movements.

    Trump spam all day.

      • Ragnarok314159@sopuli.xyz
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        7 months ago

        Imagine trying to explain to Benjamin Franklin that yellow journalist super star will get elected and then sell classified documents to our biggest enemies for only his gain.

    • ceiphas@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      But the underlying problem is, you could literally elect a can of beans into the oval office, and it would do a better job than donald “dictator on day one only” trump. So there is no pressure on biden to even move… The lines are drawn between a fascist and a corporate shill. Choose your poison, Americans

      • ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        The difference though is the most important. We can change our minds and vote someone else in after Biden. If we elect Trump he will do his best to completely dismantle our democracy, something he almost accomplished the first time.

      • Djtecha@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        For a corporate shill he is really helping out the union movement. I would say that here’s more for workers rights then Obama is. And with less of the drone strikes. I think he could do more sure, but I don’t see this guy going full corporate stooge and I feel like it’s a knee-jerk reaction to claim he is.