The Trump Era's Assault on Stability, Sanity, and Our Ability to Think Critically

A Challenge to Our Stability

The 24-hour news cycle, ushered in by Ted Turner's CNN 45 years ago, has been replaced by the 100-kilometer-an-hour news cycle of the Trump era. This rapid-fire pace of news, with one event tumbling over another, has plunged North America into a state of disorientation.

From tariff turmoil in Canada to government upheaval in the United States, from military uncertainty in Ukraine to economic disruption in Europe, the relentless barrage of news has left many feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

The Trump administration's multi-front assault on convention, economic stability, and political custom, often delivered with theatrical flair, has posed a significant challenge to historians, political scientists, and psychologists. Many struggle to help their patients navigate this period of immense disruption and profound disturbance.

This rapid-fire news cycle has particularly severe consequences for young people. According to Monika Roots, a psychiatrist and co-founder of Bend Health, a national mental health agency, children and adolescents lack the life experience to put these events in context. The stress they feel around social unrest and the current political climate leads to anxiety, isolation, and a feeling of being overwhelmed.

The deliberate pace of change is perhaps even more unsettling than the depth of change itself. Speed acts as a force multiplier, making difficult changes easier to impose and opposition more difficult to mobilize.

The Trump administration's strategy of "flooding the zone" with executive orders, tariff threats, mass firings, and attacks on established agencies has created its own momentum and power. This barrage of developments leaves the opposition on its heels, struggling to respond effectively.

The current situation bears an unsettling resemblance to the "blitzkrieg" tactics employed by Nazi Germany in the early days of World War II. Seldom has so much happened so quickly, with such consequence.

While Winston Churchill slept soundly knowing the Americans would help defeat the Axis powers, very few are sleeping soundly this month. The Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday revealed that 58% of Americans disagree with the Trump administration's tariff policy on Canada.

Many are trying to consume less news because it is simply too much. The Trump administration's deliberate strategy of overwhelming the public with information makes it difficult to think critically about what is happening.