There are cons and pros to the Media’s atavistic, lazy and repetitive reports of Trump’s stream of lies, tantrums, taunts and violations of law, constitutional and other.  But adopting the Orwellian names he gives to policies and events is utterly without redeeming social value and exceedingly dangerous.

Take the “one big beautiful bill” that will eliminate health coverage for five to fourteen million Americans, further enrich the wealthy, impoverish the poor and is laced with excrement such as restricting courts from holding government officials in contempt and making it easier and cheaper to equip guns with silencers.  After reporting once or twice that Trump calls it “b and b” it should be reported for what it is a big budget or domestic policy bill without the need to also report more than once or twice that Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer call it “big and ugly” and unwittingly call attention to Trump’s naming convention.[1]

“Liberation Day” when virtually everything and everyone got royally fucked in the first phase of Trump’s tariff tantrum is just April 2, 2025, the day when Trump announced illegal 145 percent tariffs, before beginning the continuing series of suspensions, backtracks and umbrella steps.

Neither the “perfect call” of July 25, 2019, to Volodymyr Zelensky – resulting in Trump Impeachment I, nor his perfect call” of January 2, 2021, to Brad Raffenspberger resulting in indictment and Trump Impeachment II, should constantly be called “perfect” by the media – although in this still arguably free country the press can make that perfectly stupid mistake.

I even hear journalists reporting that Trump once again is doing his “weave” – not the comb over of his bald spot – but his constant loss of train of thought as his clear early-stage dementia drags him from one taunt or lie to the unrelated next.

Reporting Trump’s labels for these things a couple of times and occasionally referring back to them is the media’s job.  The problem in constantly and consistently, as many do, reporting that “freedom is slavery” “war is peace” and “ignorance equals strength” – is that the last one has become the modus operandi and article of faith for Trump’s base, in and out of Congress.

Beyond laziness, I get why the press does it.  Thinking it tongue in cheek, with a dollop of irony that they assume their audience gets.  But after a while, and we are well after that while, the intended irony is lost and the joke is on us.  And many start to believe that those calls were perfect, they have been liberated, that the bill was big, beautiful and unrelated to our tanking economy and quality of life and that their ignorance is strength.

[1]   It is no excuse that the Congress has officially designated the bill big and beautiful.  For those who have forgotten or never read “1984”, “Freedom is Slavery”, “War is Peace” and other Big Brother slogans were official designations as well.