Following the inauguration of President Trump, there has been a large amount of news coverage concerning his administration and policies. Participants on campus panels have tried to analyze this information.
White House Wednesdays is a weekly event provided by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs that focuses on the various changes under Trump’s administration. Immigration policies and the inauguration are some topics that have already been discussed since Trump has been elected.
Jim Hanchett, director of marketing and communication at SPEA and one of the creators of White House Wednesdays, explained why it has been difficult to follow the news since Trump’s reign.
“Certainly the pace of change or proposed change is faster with this administration than with previous transitions,” he said. “Additionally, such a range of issues are emerging simultaneously that makes it hard to follow and put it into context.”
The most recent discussion on Feb. 15 featured Brian DeLong, director of debate at IU and lecturer in SPEA. His lecture consisted of the growth of insults and negative attacks while discussing politics. Many examples that were used to showcase this were Trump’s attacks toward Hillary Clinton and other republican nominees during his presidential campaign and since he has been elected.
Throughout DeLong’s lecture, videos and tweets were shown to exemplify this behavior. Several insults that Trump threw at other politicians consisted of their character or appearance, not on their stance on important issues or their policies. During Trump’s campaign he repeatedly called Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, “little Marco” and described Clinton as “crooked.”
This type of behavior has been shown in Trump’s supporters as well. Several posters and Trump apparel featured a “Hillary for prison” slogan and made vicious verbal attacks on Trump’s opponents.
DeLong also provided his own input on this topic. He explained why he thinks this attitude is a dangerous one to have and what the Trump administration is attempting to achieve.
“The breaking of decorum norms of presidential rhetoric serves to undermine disagreement as legitimacy of the presidency and ‘fake news,’” he said. “The goal is to unify the truth within framework of the Trump administration and nowhere else.”
DeLong also wanted to make the point that this behavior exists on the left side as well. Conspiracy theorists on the liberal political spectrum have made extreme comments toward former President George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, stating that they had a hand in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Hanchett said he looks forward to the future of White House Wednesdays and lists some topics that will be discussed in the coming weeks. A discussion about work life in Washington, D.C., and concerns about the future of the Environmental Protection Agency before Earth Day will be coming up shortly.
A point that Hanchett wanted students to know is that people from all walks of life and different viewpoints are accepted and encouraged to participate.
“People who are anti-Trump, pro-Trump, Greens, Libertarians or those new to our country and just learning about our politics and government are welcome to our events,” he said. “White House Wednesdays and all SPEA programs are for everybody.”
