Times Insider delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how news, features and opinion come together at The New York Times. In this podcast, the opinion columnist Andrew Rosenthal talks about the news — the good, the bad and the most maddening.
What is Times columnist Andrew Rosenthal mad about this week? President Trumps’ response to the increase in anti-semitic attacks since he was elected.
Mr. Rosenthal says the President stumbled, three or four times, before he could say something decent and caring about the rise in anti-Semitic acts since he was elected; and, when the President finally managed to say something about the problem, he offered what the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect rightly called “crumbs of condescension”: He said the anti-Semitic threats and attacks were, to quote the president, “a reminder of ‘the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.’”
“No, Mr. President,” says Mr. Rosenthal, “they are a reminder of all the work you and your team did to encourage hate and prejudice and evil.”
The worse recent news, Mr. Rosenthal says, is the announcement that Mr. Trump will be following through on some of his promises to send what he calls his “deportation forces” against undocumented immigrants. Mr. Rosenthal says that deporting many millions of people — including those who pay taxes, educate their children and pose no threat — “will inevitably create injustice, make the lives of legal immigrants harder, because they will be constantly under suspicion, break up families and drive undocumented people even further underground.” Mr. Rosenthal adds that mass deportation will not create new jobs for Americans — unless, that is “they want to be deportation agents or work in the for-profit prison industry.”
Last, the good news. Mr. Rosenthal says that not everyone is buying into the Trump agenda of intolerance and rage. Citing angry constituents who showed up at town hall meetings around the country and allies around the world who are “wondering whether America has taken leave of its senses,” Mr. Rosenthal gives special recognition to Senator John McCain of Arizona, who has been an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump and his policies.
Susan Lehman is host.
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