As Republicans continue to find new ways to distract the country from the fact that Donald Trump was pals with a pedophile, every day this administration destroys more democratic and social norms. They include the mass deportations of individuals by masked ICE agents; attacks on freedom of expression; the suing of media outlets and abuse of regulatory power; the militaristic invasion of cities that didn’t vote for Trump; the undermining of election integrity; the replacement of scientific standards with conspiracy theories; the targeting of political opponents; the mass firings of government employees — and the list goes on.

But as blatantly antidemocratic as these events are, the way the Republican Party justifies them is almost as horrifying as the events themselves. Maybe more. The latest case in point is when Speaker Mike Johnson recently said that Trump is “the most effective person who has used social media” with regards to Trump’s AI video depicting himself flying a plane that dumps excrement over “No Kings” protesters.

Why the reporter didn’t call into question Johnson’s statement, i.e., how and why this video could possibly be seen as an “effective” use of social media by the leader of our country — of any country — I don’t understand.

There needs to be a new word for “lies.” “Disinformation” doesn’t do it. And “false claims” doesn’t ring true (pun intended). What Trump and company are doing is beyond Spin City — it’s equivalent to murder. Of language. And reality. And trust. The results are just as deadly for democracy.

Ann Rankin
Brunswick