OMG, did you see what Trump said?
Please stop repeating everything Trump says! (You too, DNC!)
We often point to what Trump and Musk say without saying why it’s wrong. We assume that everyone will be as outraged as we are, but people who don’t ALREADY see things the way we do are being exposed to THEIR MESSAGE, often without ours. PLEASE stop spreading our opponents’ messages!
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“Can you believe he said that?”
This is a follow-up to my previous newsletter, The “Do Not Associate” List, in which I pointed out how repeating and sharing our opponents’ messaging, even if we are trying to debunk it, only exposes persuadable people to it, activating and strengthening it in their minds. This is even more true for people who do not pay attention to the news, among whom Trump beat Harris by 19 points.
Our best strategy is to state the truth - our message - and not even mention what our opponents are saying. It’s not worth the risk of sharing their message with people who might believe their message instead of us. Instead, describe what they say from our perspective instead. For example, instead of repeating Trump’s claim that Federal Judge James Boasberg was appointed by Obama (even to point out that this is wrong) just say:
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt does what they do every time a judge catches Trump breaking the law - attack their independence and integrity, without bothering to check their facts!
Here are examples from the DNC’s Fact Post News rapid response team on Bluesky, but my intention is not to single them out. We do this all the time!
Do not repeat their claims, not even to refute them.
Whichever message people are exposed to first is the one that gets neurologically “switched on.” Here, our message comes afterwards.
Say This:
Trump’s self-imposed trade war and unconstitutional purge of federal government employees are already hurting the economy. February job numbers are down and it’s only going to get worse. No wonder he’s trying to spin his way out of the bad news.
Say This:
Federal Judge, James Boasberg, is demanding answers from Trump, who defied his order to stop flying immigrants to El Salvador without checking first to see if they had actually broken any laws.
Trump doesn’t seem to understand how the judicial branch works. The entire point is to provide checks and balances, and that means judges can order people - even presidents - to stop when they violate the constitution. That’s literally their job!
Say This:
The average price of a dozen eggs is still $4.95. Trump either doesn’t know the price of eggs or he’s just lying.
Do not repeat their claims and assume they speak for themselves.
Say This:
Without the Department of Education, only rich kids will get a quality education or be able to afford college. Trump wants to shut it down.
The DOE helps fund local schools in low-income areas and supports kids with disabilities. It promotes high quality teaching through research and helps our young people afford college and training.
Say This:
Did you know that there are about the same number of people working for the federal government now as there were fifty years ago, even though the population has gone up more than 50%?
Our civil servants work harder than private sector workers and for lower pay. Now Trump is firing them for political reasons, violating their contracts and insulting their character. He’s the one who doesn’t work.
Say This:
Planes are falling out of the sky. We need more air traffic controllers, not less. Trump’s solution? Fire some of them and for those who remain, take away their union rights. Trump is screwing over workers and putting our lives in danger.
Do not state the offending opinion first.
Sometimes we, or reporters, do this just to see if they will “fall into the trap” and agree. This is even worse, as it validates the original bad opinion. In this case, the unaware observer might actually think that this is, in fact, conventional wisdom.
Say This:
Social Security and Medicare were paid for by American workers and their employers. Benefits should go up, not get cut. If you want to balance the budget, close the giant revenue gap caused by decades of the super-rich getting fat off public benefits, research and government contracts and skipping out on the bill.
Here, the reporter doesn’t challenge the claim that Zelensky is a dictator, only asking if Trump would say that Putin is “also” a dictator.
Say This:
Putin invaded Ukraine in violation of a treaty signed by Russia. He routinely violates the terms of peace agreements and has his political rivals thrown out of windows or blown up in airplanes. Why is Trump so afraid to stand up to him, or to label him the dictator that he is? And why does he attack Zelensky, who heroically defends the freedom and lives of the Ukrainian people?
Do not expose people to bad headlines in images.
Many, many people will read the big font headline in the image, and NOT the small print of the post!
Just don’t do it. If you must use the image, block out the headline.
Whatever you talk about is what you will get more of.
Always talk about what you want people to think. Never repeat or share the words of our opponents. If you absolutely must tell people what they said, describe it, don’t repeat it.
Thank you so much for reading and sharing! Keep the pressure on. It’s working!
In solidarity, always,
Antonia
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Contact me at antonia@antoniascatton.com or (202) 922-6647
NOTES:
The "Do Not Associate" List: How to stop helping MAGA spread their myths.
Antonia Scatton | Reframing America | Mar 11, 2025
Why Trump Won Voters Who Don't Consume News: Required reading on the neuroscience of framing!
Antonia Scatton | Reframing America | Dec 17, 2024
Great advice! In our outrage it’s too easy to keep highlighting the lies. Reframing will take a little practice but this strategy is very logical once we think about it.
Once again, thank you, Antonia. I’ll be sharing widely. I’m distressed that asking folks to change their verbal behavior can exacerbate fear and denial before it triggers change, but we have to just keep on asking.