What annoyed you most about the Trump era?

[EJ24]

Two things for me.

First, I hated this constant desire by CNN and other news outlets to "understand" Trump voters, by going to these diners in podunk towns in the rust belt and asking them why they liked the guy. They all had the same answers that made no sense. It got really old and repetitive after about 2 months. Trump literally could have done nothing but 4 years but make armpit fart noises, and these journalists would have written about "Why Armpit Fart Noises Are Working for Rural America".

The second thing is how shell-shocked liberals were about 2016, and to an extent I understand that. But even as it was incredibly obvious that Trump was in a worse position in 2020 than 2016, so many of them acted like he was a brilliant political strategist or unbeatable God, who the polls were always going to underestimate (silent Trump voters), or even if he didn't win, he wouldn't leave office. Really got into deifying the guy territory and it was stupid.

What about you? Anything in particular annoy the piss out of you about the last 4 years?

[Alben Barkley]

Both of the things you mention certainly annoyed me, but nothing was more annoying than his supporters themselves. Basking in their own ignorance and stupidity. Acting as if anyone pointing out how dumb their positions were was “triggered” and thus they had been “owned.” Literally impossible to reason with such people.

[YE]

Simply put how much oxygen he sucked out of the room due to his divisiveness on a day to day basis.

[bee33]

Cultural wokeness has accelerated.

[Badger]

Cultural wokeness has accelerated.

Yes, that is clearly the most annoying thing after the last four years by far. Scads of subscribers to the Federalist would surely agree.

[Crumpets]

"Annoyed"? Not being able to have any in-person social life or being able to hang out with my grandparents for the last 10 months. And it's not close.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

The amount of political commentary denouncing him in places where it shouldn't be, along with wokeness and forced diversity.

[Alben Barkley]

The amount of political commentary denouncing him in places where it shouldn't be, along with wokeness and forced diversity.

There was literally no situation in which denouncing him was not appropriate.

As for all the complaints about heightened “wokeness” and such, does this mean people are finally realizing that electing an open bigot whose campaign was nothing but white grievance “identity politics” escalated the culture wars far more than anything the left ever did? Pretty telling if the backlash to it was your biggest complaint about it, regardless.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

People acting like politics was great until Trump got elected.

[Santander]

TDS

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

I was annoyed Bill Nelson and McCaskill lost as well I hated the fact Strickland lost to Portman, in a 2020 Environment, all 3 would have won.

That's why Brown will win in 2024/ alot of Strickland voters are Sherrod Brown voters

[Hermit For Peace]

24/7 In your face stupidity, ego, blatant lying, ignorance, mental instability, cruelty, bullying, and ruling by tweet. Such a low-life shallow man.

[Illiniwek]

Finding out how many closet (and open) fascists there are in this country.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

Cultural wokeness has accelerated.

The "culture war" and 3 years and millions of dollars wasted on Russiagate. 

[Alben Barkley]

Cultural wokeness has accelerated.

The "culture war" and 3 years and millions of dollars wasted on Russiagate. 

Too bad Trump obstructed justice and pardoned most of the crooks working for him who were tried and convicted, then maybe it wouldn't have been such a "waste," huh?

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

Cultural wokeness has accelerated.

The "culture war" and 3 years and millions of dollars wasted on Russiagate. 

Too bad Trump obstructed justice and pardoned most of the crooks working for him who were tried and convicted, then maybe it wouldn't have been such a "waste," huh?

Too bad they didn't actually use that time and money with something Trump did that would've been more damning in the first impeachment, huh? Taxes? Emoluments?

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

Two things for me.

First, I hated this constant desire by CNN and other news outlets to "understand" Trump voters, by going to these diners in podunk towns in the rust belt and asking them why they liked the guy. They all had the same answers that made no sense. It got really old and repetitive after about 2 months. Trump literally could have done nothing but 4 years but make armpit fart noises, and these journalists would have written about "Why Armpit Fart Noises Are Working for Rural America".

The second thing is how shell-shocked liberals were about 2016, and to an extent I understand that. But even as it was incredibly obvious that Trump was in a worse position in 2020 than 2016, so many of them acted like he was a brilliant political strategist or unbeatable God, who the polls were always going to underestimate (silent Trump voters), or even if he didn't win, he wouldn't leave office. Really got into deifying the guy territory and it was stupid.

Very much agreed with both, especially the first one. Speaking of which, has there been any articles so far about interviewing Trump voters in Miami or the Rio Grand Valley? At least that'd be different than another interview at an all-white diner in Ohio after Sunday church.


Other things, largely related to the news media (Who really look bad coming out of this IMO). Just off the top of my head:

1. How many families were torn apart. Thanks to him, my Mom disowns her entire family. Just because Biden will be President doesn't mean bygones are bygones.

2. The accelerated rise in echo chambers & tribalism (On both sides). The internet certainly didn't help with this.

3. Related to above, this 'life & death' mass hysteria in politics now. It shouldn't be an existential crisis if a Democrat wins the Presidency or a Republican gets to replace a left-wing SC Justice.

4. This is more CNN-centric, but news outlets trying to satisfy both sides by having GOP crazies come on and defend Trump's conspiracies.

5. News outlets discussing politics as if they're sports/wrestling analysts. Things like "Trump's speech just got himself over with his base" or "Democrats fumbled the ball with their response". It really drove home the nihilism of the last few years.

6. News outlets being even more skittish about projecting/reporting election results. Nevada & Pennsylvania should've been called a day earlier and it was painful seeing them dance around Warnock's victory speech for 10-20 minutes before calling his contest.

7. News outlets not pushing back hard enough until the last few months. I I get that he brings ratings & readership, but it really annoyed me when it came to the NY Times criticizing him while also normalizing him whenever possible for access.

- This is more of a nitpick about political podcasts over listened to, but there's been some who discuss Trump's actions/speeches in an almost jovial/non-serious way. I get that it can be hard to avoid the absurdity or dark humor of it, but it just irks me.

Granted a lot of these were bubbling over the last couple decades, but they've really blossomed over the last 5 years.

[Ferguson97]

The fact that 40% of the country seemed to love him and everything he’s done.

[afleitch]

You weren't allowed to ignore him. Constant tweets, Constant reporting. Sometimes you didn't get media coverage of Obama or Bush for days.

Being on bated breath for 3 am tweets? No more.

[Amanda Huggenkiss]

That it became so hard to concentrate on one scandal at a time.

[Motorcity]

How the apathy and poor civic education of #bothsides and "but her emails" lead to all this dumb sh**t for four years

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

I was disappointed and disgusted by a lot during the Trump era. But what *annoyed* me, you ask?

"The President spoke with a new tone today"
"This is the night Donald Trump became President"
"Trump sounded Presidential tonight"

The media, hands down, was the most annoying thing about the Trump era. They were so bad at doing their jobs and are the reason he got to the WH in the first place but STILL didn't learn their lesson after the last 4 years.

[7,052,770]

How Republicans rallied around Trump so fervently and angrily dismissed any criticism, no matter how slight or how valid, as "Trump Derangement Syndrome"

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

That it's over

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Constant projection, whataboutism, and plain nastiness from his supporters. From his administration himself, his hatred of immigrants and refugees, graft, and screwing up the tax code. The constant media obsession with him was also incredibly tiring.