Mainstream media outlets are uncritically reporting on a purported shift in “tone” by the Trump administration following the disastrous deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Minnesota.
But this reporting ignores the reality of President Donald Trump and his underlings creating a hostile atmosphere in the state and Trump’s longtime embrace of law enforcement abuse and brutality.
The mainstream press on Monday seemed to speak in unison about the alleged tone shift:
- Washington Post: “Trump softens tone on Minneapolis violence amid calls for accountability”
- NBC: “Trump strikes a positive tone on Tim Walz after phone call with the Minnesota governor”
- Semafor: “Trump softens tone on Minneapolis shooting”
- CNBC: “White House eases tone on Pretti killing”
These headlines come as the administration is in apparent retreat in Minnesota, following grassroots resistance to ICE and other agencies being deployed there for a chaotic immigration crackdown. ICE and Border Patrol agents shot and killed two civilians while also causing chaos on the streets while harassing children, observers, and others.
Related | Why Trump is finally waving a white flag in Minnesota
But the administration’s pullback doesn’t change the main thrust of Trump’s policies and actions: pursuing a mass deportation campaign targeting people because of their race and ethnicity. The mainstream coverage is ignoring or minimizing this reality, even though it is the driving force behind everything that has occurred.
The administration was so invested in pursuing this mission that in the immediate aftermath of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti being killed by federal law enforcement agents, figures like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller falsely labeled him a “domestic terrorist.” They claimed Pretti posed a threat to federal agents and that he was out to “massacre” them when video evidence showed this was a clear lie.
Trump himself issued a series of ransom demands to Minnesota officials as the shootings occurred, and in the immediate aftermath of the shooting death of Minneapolis mother Renee God, Trump justified the execution and mocked residents for their anger.
This was done to advance Trump’s cruel and racist agenda, and while the administration is trying to back away from the resulting fallout, the fundamentals have not changed. Characterizing the administration’s spin as a legitimate softening of tone ignores the current situation and Trump’s track record.
For instance, in a 2017 speech to police officers Trump encouraged them not to protect suspects from hitting their heads on the roof of police vehicles as they were arrested.
“You can take the hand off,” Trump said. Trump has always held on to this view and Minnesota was just the latest chapter in his hateful book.
Despite more than a decade of covering Trump as a political figure, mainstream media outlets continue to fall
for his spin—hook, line, and sinker. This naivete doesn’t help their
audiences to understand the world around them, and it contributes to
right-wing disinformation efforts.disinformation efforts.
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