The Media and Trump’s Second Term Agenda
Harris has been criticized for giving vague answers to policy questions, but the fact is we have a reasonably good idea what policies a President Harris would pursue. If elected, she will behave as we expect a Democratic president to behave.
On the other side of the aisle, it is easy to overlook how uncertain we are about Trump’s actual plans for a second term, and the extent to which congressional Republicans and the courts will go along with his most dangerous and unpopular proposals. Will Trump pull out of NATO? Will he deport 10 million unauthorized aliens? Will he use the justice department and the administrative state to go after his political enemies? Will he attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act without replacement? Will he try to eliminate access to medication abortions nationwide?
Trump has avoided giving unequivocal answers to questions about his positions on these policies and many others. He says one thing, then appears to contradict himself. He says he will prosecute his political enemies, then floats the idea of pardoning Hunter Biden, which suggests he will be magnanimous in victory. He disowns Project 2025 without rejecting specific policies. The result is that people who are for some reason inclined to support him can decide to ignore policy positions they disagree with – they can take him seriously but not literally.
The extent to which the press has failed to inform the public about the choice we face tomorrow is astonishing. To some extent this reflects the increase in media competition and the decline in the gatekeeping power of the press. Trump was simply able to avoid putting himself in a position where he would face hard questioning. Changes in public norms mattered as well – Trump evidently paid little price for declining to debate Harris a second time or for limiting his press availability to Fox News. But traditional media companies could have done a better job pressuring Trump to make his positions clearer. They could have made his evasions and equivocations a central story of the election.