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.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    9 months ago

    Don’t quote Ben Shapir, he’s an ass who thinks he debates people very well because he can yell louder. He’s not the type of person you’d want to quote

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      51
      ·
      9 months ago

      It’s apt in this case, because old Benchy is a massive right wing hypocrite who cares infinitely more about feelings than facts. Using his stupid words against him and his ilk when they do the very thing they bitch about is ok in my book.

    • Ragnarok314159@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      9 months ago

      Yeah, but remember that one time he had a zinger against an 18 year old kid at a college Q&A? It’s really been downhill since then for him.