> I think this is because people are understandably frustrated and frightened, and they're digging their heels in.
Yes, I completely agree. But my question is, why are people afraid and frustrated? Is Trump truly uniquely abhorrent, or is popular opinion being swayed by media narrative?
And Obama famously killed a US citizen with drone strikes.
But again, my point isn’t to say that drone strikes good or bad. As you said, past administrations also did bad things. I’m simply observing that, in my opinion, the current administration is not so different. At least not different enough to justify a highly elevated level of fear.
I’m an avid NYT reader, and it’s impossible to avoid news about Trump. The things I read seemed terrible at face value, and it makes me afraid. But when I really dig in, I find that the facts are generally misrepresented.
The headline on the front page of the app, which differs from the article’s true headline, is “ICE Crackdowns Have Captured Few Immigrants With Criminal Records, Data Shows”
When you click into the article, the “data” actually shows that 67% of captured immigrants have criminal charges. The headline is misleading.
Ostensibly, the headline meant that “ICE crackdowns in specific cities pick up fewer immigrants compared to the nationwide ICE average”. Should we expect them to? I don’t know.
Then, when you think about the data even more, you realize that the only way the nationwide ICE data could differ substantially from the selected city-specific data is if the city-specific data only made up a small portion of total ICE activity. So another interpretation of the data is “Small ICE operations in US cities is less effective at capturing immigrants with criminal history compared to ICE operations nationwide.”
I’m not commenting on whether or not ICE operations are good or bad. I just genuinely feel there is a narrative that is making people feel more afraid than is truly warranted.
Yes, I completely agree. But my question is, why are people afraid and frustrated? Is Trump truly uniquely abhorrent, or is popular opinion being swayed by media narrative?
For instance, you say congress authorized drone strikes, but not everyone in congress agrees about Biden’s drone strikes: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/27/democrats-biden-som...
And Obama famously killed a US citizen with drone strikes.
But again, my point isn’t to say that drone strikes good or bad. As you said, past administrations also did bad things. I’m simply observing that, in my opinion, the current administration is not so different. At least not different enough to justify a highly elevated level of fear.
I’m an avid NYT reader, and it’s impossible to avoid news about Trump. The things I read seemed terrible at face value, and it makes me afraid. But when I really dig in, I find that the facts are generally misrepresented.
Here’s a relevant example about a narrative of fear from the today’s NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/04/us/ice-arrest...
The headline on the front page of the app, which differs from the article’s true headline, is “ICE Crackdowns Have Captured Few Immigrants With Criminal Records, Data Shows”
When you click into the article, the “data” actually shows that 67% of captured immigrants have criminal charges. The headline is misleading.
Ostensibly, the headline meant that “ICE crackdowns in specific cities pick up fewer immigrants compared to the nationwide ICE average”. Should we expect them to? I don’t know.
Then, when you think about the data even more, you realize that the only way the nationwide ICE data could differ substantially from the selected city-specific data is if the city-specific data only made up a small portion of total ICE activity. So another interpretation of the data is “Small ICE operations in US cities is less effective at capturing immigrants with criminal history compared to ICE operations nationwide.”
I’m not commenting on whether or not ICE operations are good or bad. I just genuinely feel there is a narrative that is making people feel more afraid than is truly warranted.