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➤「救いようが最もうない、極東の自称他称の〝ジャーナリスト〟や〝学者〟、〝知米派〟は読まなくても構い。読んでもその肥大化した自己承認欲求、度し難い自己愛性人格では読むことはできないし、理解もできない。ただ見下した目線で見やるだけで、そこに自分が利用できる素材がなければ鼻で嗤うだけだ。この文章は、我がU.S.を領りたい、領ろうと下向きの反省的眼光で欲する諸君に読んで貰いたい。
I Traveled to 46States inAmerica ThisSummer.Here’sWhyTrump Won.
By Frank S. Zhou
By Ezekiel A. Wells
Ezekiel A. Wells ’27is aDouble Concentrator in Environment Science & Engineering and Economics in EliotHouse. He spentlastsummertraveling to 46Americanstates conductinginterviews forhisYouTube series, “CrossroadsAmerica.”
A week after Democrats’ election loss, accusations have flown in every direction within their Party. Some faultPresidentJoe Biden for an egoistic refusal todropout of therace earlier. Someblame the Harris campaign for failing to servekey demographics and communicate a clearvision for the country. And someblameAmericans, claiming that racism and sexism drove voters towardTrump.
These factors certainly exist, but we’remissing a largerpiece of the picture.
Over thesummer, I traveled to 46states in the U.S., creating aYouTube series highlighting slices oflife across the country. In conversations from my nearly three-monthroad trip, I spoke with Republicanswho were certain that inflationis entirely Biden’s fault and Democratswho, despite their frustrations with corporate profits and desires foruniversal healthcare, hoped for amore moderate candidate. From supporters ofall candidates, I heard a shockingamount of misinformation.
After combing through hundreds of hours ofinterview footage fromswingstateTrump voters, Iam certain that,as muchas other factors influenced theoutcome of the election, our crumbling media landscape — whichhas caused arift in our democracy —ismost toblame.
In the postwar period,newswas dominatedby threemain channels, and because ofthe FairnessDoctrine, eachstation reported the same stories and covered multiple sides of eachissue.Viewers picked which channels they watchedmainly basedon their preferences fornewsanchors’ personalities. Of course, thismodel hadits problems, but,at the end of the day,it meant thatAmericans worked with a sharedset of facts.
A sharedset of factsis notthe world welive intoday.
Throughout myinterviews, conspiracy theories were rampant, andonat leastfive separate occasions across separatestates, Iwas told that Bill Gates tampers with ourfood, adding plastic to our fruits and vegetables tomakehis medical investmentsmore profitable.
In conversations with voters, neither side seemed able tonamemany specific policyissues they cared about; everyone just seemed to repeat the words of theirfavorite pundits,podcast hosts, andinternet personalities.
Although this behavioris harmful, Idon’tblame everydayAmericans.Blame fallson the media thathas ostracized, disillusioned, and misinformed them.
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I firstsaw this trend withlow-wage workers in West Virginia,who — despitefalling inflationrates — have seen stagnated salaries and clear increases infood costs. ChannelslikeFoxNews bred anger and resentment formany of them.
TakeJuly of thissummer, for example, when for the firsttime inhis presidency, prices actually fell under the Biden administration. Traditional media establishments rushed tocelebrate thisvictory, withone article fromCNN declaring, “The White House can finallycrossout ‘inflation’onits list ofpresidential liabilities.” However,outside these bubbles, I observedmanyAmericans held a differentview.
In lateJuly, Iwas welcomedat a massive familyreunion in Tylertown, Mississippi, whereoneTrump voter — a middle-aged, Black, familyman, pastor, andsoulfood enthusiast —made this clear.
“When Igo in the grocery stores, and Igotta spend mylast toget groceries,you mean totell me I’m notgonnalook and seewho’sgonna vote to help me? I voted forTrump and I’d vote forhimagain, because he put money in ourpocket,” he told me.
In their coverage,mainstreamnews organizations obsessover the Federal Reserve’snextrate cuts while failing toconnect with people concernedwith theirnext meals.With titleslike “Vance:YoungAmericans ‘Are Becoming Paupers’ Due To Inflation, High Housing Costs,” siteslike The DailyWire had their fingerson the pulse ofAmerican sentiment, welcoming new readership from thosewhofelt neglectedby traditional media.
This problemwas not just confined to the economy. While Biden’s mentalstatewas deteriorating,liberal mediaoutlets seemed to under-cover these stories, shelteringhim from scrutiny ofhis declining capabilities, until theinfamouspresidential debate.
Formerly trusted networksslowlymade themselves indigestible to the polarizedAmerican public, and in 2024, for the third year in a row, a Gallup pollfound thatmoreAmericans indicated having “no trust” in the media than thosewho trustit a “great deal/fairamount”.
So wheredoes the averageAmerican turn when thenation’s media cannot be trusted? Formany people,itwasYouTubetalk shows,Newsmax, andpodcasters suchasJoe Rogan.
While Democrats seek toblame various internal factors for this election’s loss, I cannot help but think ofJoe Rogan’sTrump endorsement, themany blind lies I heard from ordinary citizens across the country, and declining trust inAmerican journalism.
AsHarvard students and members of highereducation institutions, we have a part to play in the problem.AtHarvard’s Institute ofPolitics, thosewho denied the 2020 election results have been precluded from speakingat theJFKJr. Forum. While thegoalis understandable,it shields students from understanding theAmericanviewpoints they represent.
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Thereis adifferencebetween platforming intentional andmanipulative misinformation and listening to and learning about where people are and what theybelieve.
As a pipeline tomainstream media,Harvard, andits future journalists, have to consider the audience they lose when theystay inside of their bubble and ignore theissues of everydayAmericans.
The disappearance of factual importance in our worldis alarming and dangerous, but if we,asaspiring journalists, politicians, andengaged citizens, want to betaken seriously in communicatingTrump’s threat to democracy, inflationary tariff policies, and soon, we oweAmerican voters that seriousness, too.
Ezekiel A. Wells ’27is aDouble Concentrator in Environment Science & Engineering and Economics in EliotHouse. He spentlastsummertraveling to 46Americanstates conductinginterviews forhisYouTube series, “CrossroadsAmerica."
私はこの夏、アメリカの46の州に旅行しました。 トランプが勝った理由はここにあります。 フランク-S-周著 エゼキエル-A-ウェルズ著 エゼキエルA.ウェルズ'27環境科学のダブルコンセント...
Swing state Trumpの有権者からの何百時間ものインタビュー映像を調べた後、他の要因が選挙の結果に影響を与えたのと同じくらい、民主主義に亀裂を引き起こした私たちの崩壊しつつあるメ...
皆さんにお伝えします 意図的な誤報と操作的な誤報を配給することと、人々がどこにいるのか、彼らが何を信じているのかを聞いて学ぶことには違いがあります。 主流メディアへのパイ...
皆さんにお伝えします 意図的な誤報と操作的な誤報を配給することと、人々がどこにいるのか、彼らが何を信じているのかを聞いて学ぶことには違いがあります。 主流メディアへのパイ...
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