The War on Truth and Reality
The Power Brokers Shaping Reality
On January 3rd, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes announced her resignation from The Washington Post after the newspaper refused to publish a satirical cartoon that depicted its billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman on bended knee before Trump. The cartoon symbolized how these tech giants, and the media in general, were bowing to Trump’s power and influence—handing over bags of cash, a visual metaphor for how corporate America has made concessions to a dangerous fascist regime. This serves as a reflection of how the media landscape is shifting under Trump’s influence, where power and control over information are paramount.
Trump’s Adoption of Soviet-Style Information Warfare
To truly understand the current political landscape, we must recognize how Trump has adopted tactics used by authoritarian regimes—especially the strategies perfected by the KGB—used by Soviet leaders and now by Putin. In the Soviet Union, the KGB understood that controlling public perception was central to maintaining power.
Propaganda wasn’t just about shaping opinions; it was about creating an alternative reality that kept people compliant and obedient. This manipulation of reality wasn’t limited to controlling facts—it aimed to rewrite the very narrative of what people believed to be true.
Trump's tactics echo this same strategy— distorting truth to secure political dominance.
Trump's actions closely mirror those of Russian leaders, using disinformation and propaganda to control the narrative. By labeling the media as “fake news” and spreading lies, he undermines truth, creating an alternative reality where facts are malleable and public trust is fractured. Like Putin, Trump manipulates perception to serve his political agenda and for power.
Shaping America’s Reality
Trump continues to use autocratic tactics to control the narrative, rewrite history, and distort the present, leveraging his network of online influencers on key issues like the economy, border, and immigration to further divide America.
Take, for example, Trump’s recent lies that a terrorist attack in New Orleans was the result of Biden’s “open border.” Trump and some of his Republican allies doubled down on this narrative despite the fact that the attacker was a U.S.-born citizen and an Army veteran who had served over a decade in the military. This wasn’t just a case of historical revisionism—it was an outright rewriting of present reality.
By blaming the attack on immigration, Trump and his supporters aimed to promote a narrative that linked the terrorist attack to the immigration issue—using it as a strategy to bolster support for his mass deportation plan.
Similarly, Trump’s insistence on rewriting the events of January 6, 2021, is another glaring example of distorting reality. Despite us and the rest of the world witnessing the Capitol insurrection live on television for hours, Trump and his allies continue to downplay the violence and chaos that unfolded.
Trump and his allies rebranded the insurrectionists as “patriots” or “tourists,” refusing to acknowledge their violent extremism—at the behest of Trump—or the fact that they attempted to overthrow the government and subvert a legitimate election. Trump promised to pardon them, labeling them "political prisoners," a term that echoed Russia’s response shortly after the attack, as Russian officials were the first to call the insurrectionists "political prisoners."
This revisionist narrative isn’t just about whitewashing the events of January 6th; it’s a deliberate attempt to erase the truth and reshape the memory of one of the darkest days in American history—one of the most significant attacks on democracy itself.
The Weaponization of Social Media
Trump’s war on truth extends to his manipulation of social media platforms, which have been key tools in shaping public perception. Elon Musk, through his control of X, has used his position to silence opposition voices and amplify far-right MAGA rhetoric—though recently, he has begun silencing far-right accounts that disagree with him on issues like H-1B visas.
Musk’s control of X, combined with its reach as one of the world’s most powerful platforms, has allowed him to create a digital space where disinformation and extremist views can thrive, further deepening the polarization and confusion that Trump and his allies are actively trying to foster.
TikTok, AI, and the Changing Media Landscape
In addition to controlling platforms like X, Trump has made moves to block the shutdown of TikTok, a social media app that has become a major source of political discourse, especially among younger voters. I wouldn't be surprised if Trump allows TikTok to operate under the condition that they alter algorithms to favor his regime—allowing him to control what information reaches millions of young Americans.
In recent weeks, we’ve also seen Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and other tech moguls rush to Mar-a-Lago, eager to align themselves with Trump and throw money at him. At the same time, Altman, CEO of OpenAI, wields growing influence over AI, capable of shaping narratives and public opinion through biased algorithms and disinformation.
Jeff Bezos, with Amazon’s deep Washington connections, and his media empire, including The Washington Post, have also been drawn into the political fray, already taking steps to influence the narrative surrounding Trump. This includes withholding an endorsement for a presidential candidate and, just last week, censoring a cartoon that criticized tech, media, and Trump.
Other legacy media outlets like ABC News, which recently settled a lawsuit over its coverage, are also increasingly self-censoring. In the face of an escalating autocratic threat, tech companies and media giants are adjusting their strategies to preserve influence and power. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of The Los Angeles Times, recently announced plans to introduce a “bias meter” alongside the paper’s news and opinion coverage—to appease Trump. Additionally, The Los Angeles Times’s editorial board retracted its planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, further highlighting how media outlets have been trying to curry favor—as the threat of authoritarianship looms.
Convergence of Power and the Fight for Truth
The convergence of political power and media influence presents a grave threat to democracy. Trump’s relentless efforts to rewrite history and distort reality, bolstered by social media giants and corporate allies, have created an environment where the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred. As disinformation spreads and extremist influencers are amplified, the very foundation of democratic values and institutions is at risk.
The war on truth isn’t just about revising history—it’s about shaping the present.
It is critical that the narratives we share are grounded in verifiable facts— free from distortion or manipulation.
As disinformation erodes the truth, the public must support independent journalism, organizations dedicated to democracy and anti-corruption, and document events in real time to combat the ongoing gaslighting aimed at manipulating reality.
By documenting events as they unfold, we can ensure that truth prevails over distortion and that future generations have access to an accurate record of history.
This is why people are flocking to alternative places to get real facts. Thanks for your hard work on our behalf!
Thank you. The challenge is how do you combat this? I have many around me who consume Fox and equivalents all day long. They are completely convinced by the propaganda. I am looking for Dem leaders or lovers of democracy to educate us on how we can offset this. I am ready to engage on all of this; I just am completely lost as to where to begin.