If a person in a position of power says something absurd, that’s a media frenzy. If they say two or three absurd things, you might start to question their capabilities. But a hundred, two hundred, a thousand absurdities? Suddenly, it’s a constant barrage against your sensibilities, blowing up little bits of nonsense and shoving important issues under the rug.  

After all, if everything you say is important, then nothing you say is important. The president knows this. Other politicians know this. You need to know this too, so that when an authority figure waves something shiny to catch your attention, you don’t fall for the bait.  

Right now, the administration is treading water. The president is under scrutiny for illegally refusing to release documentation on Jeffrey Epstein, for deploying federal forces into cities who are essentially executing citizens in the streets, for pardoning former insurrectionists and other high-profile criminals, and for openly accepting gifts from foreign powers — be it a Qatari jet or a Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize. Warren G. Harding wishes he had the circus of corruption centered on the White House, or what’s left of it. The fact that the president has made it this far in his second administration without being impeached again is a testament to his party’s consolidation around him, despite warnings from his allies in Congress.  

So what does the president do? He renames the Department of Defense, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Kennedy Center. He talks up hypothetical military action against Denmark and accepts a made-up peace prize from FIFA, a soccer league. Instead of talking about the Epstein files or his blatant acceptance of bribes, he gets people talking about a pseudo-Hunger Games he’s supposedly planning and starts sticking his name on seemingly every building he passes. 

None of this is accidental. This is a highly intentional process creating a barrage of information for which you are the target. The president isn’t just “owning the libs” when he posts AI-generated videos of himself dumping waste on political opponents or of resorts he wants to build in Gaza. He’s waving a laser pointer, and the feral cats that make up American corporate media are chasing it around, leaping from one shiny distraction to another. 

All that being said, you do have a say in the matter. You can’t control what MSNBC or CNN are reporting on, but you can control where you rest your attention. Call out the occupation of Minneapolis, not the petty renamings. Be concerned about the leaked illegal communications from the Department of Defense rather than the FIFA Peace Prize. Don’t get distracted by Greenland; zero in on the important stuff. Not all transgressions are created equal, and letting your guard down, letting yourself be overcome by the onslaught of overt diversions spewing from the Oval Office day and night, lets them win. 

The key thing is this: If it’s pressing and actionable, it’s worth noting. The White House has consolidated control over the executive branch, but there are certain bureaucratic and legislative hurdles that aren’t going to be overcome overnight. Any attempt to circumvent said hurdles or checks and balances — such as ignoring subpoenas, deploying paramilitary, or taking actions against members of the bureaucracy who oppose the president — is worthy of attention. Vague statements about seemingly unreachable goals are not.

If something seems too odd to be possible, it probably isn’t. Use common sense. Stay vigilant. Stay alert.