The New York Times said it, then Trump proved it
Just before the voting process last year the New York Times Opinion section published a stark all-caps warning both online and in print DONALD TRUMP SAYS HE WILL PROSECUTE HIS ENEMIES ORDER MASS DEPORTATIONS USE SOLDIERS AGAINST CITIZENS PLAY POLITICS WITH DISASTERS ABANDON ALLIES BELIEVE HIM This was published one year ago Everything is right pic twitter com eMeN uekBx Victor Shi Victorshi October At the time several dismissed it as hyperbole Less than a year into Trump s second term elements of that warning are already playing out in real initiative from aggressive political prosecutions to deportation plans and tragedy response controversies The prediction wasn t just provocative it was prescient The warning resurfaced on social media this week going viral as users grappled with the unnerving reality of the Times editorial foresight Reactions ranged from disbelief to dark humor with memes threads and commentary documenting current events as they unfold For numerous the post is no longer satire it s a reflection of agenda and political behavior that directly impacts Americans lives Analysts and users alike note that social media is functioning as a decentralized fact-checking and commentary platform Citizens are citing executive actions federal deployments and enforcement orders to contextualize the warning Unlike traditional reporting which often lags behind framework decisions social platforms provide instant dissemination and real-time debate The emotional tenor of the viral post is striking Where political memes normally aim for laughter these responses are laden with anxiety and unease The all-caps warning akin to Trump s a multitude of online posts has become shorthand for the fears plenty of hold about the administration s trajectory amplified by the immediacy of online discourse In a sense the Times prediction has been validated by both plan and residents response and social media has become a primary arena for tracking debating and understanding the unfolding reality For Americans watching closely the message is clear the warnings are real and the general is now documenting dissecting and reckoning with them in real time Read more about this topic When facts become seditious it s time to hit the panic button Mark Zuckerberg tells Fox News that Meta will get rid of fact checkers in latest appeal to Trump When facts no longer matter key approaches to return to civil dialogue The post The New York Times explained it then Trump proved it appeared first on Salon com