--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like many people, I became increasingly…" description: "\"Like many people, I became increasingly alarmed during the 2016 campaign and the first year of the Trump administration by the full-on war being waged ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/michiko-kakutani-22945_being_like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-a_1254556.jpg" --- # Like many people, I became increasingly alarmed during the… ![“Like many people, I became increasingly alarmed during the 2016 campaign and the first year of the Trump administration by the full-on war being waged on the very idea of truth.” quote by Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/michiko-kakutani-22945_being_like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-a_1254556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/michiko-kakutani-22945_being_like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-a_1254556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/michiko-kakutani-22945_being_like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-a_1254556.jpg) > “Like many people, I became increasingly alarmed during the 2016 campaign and the first year of the Trump administration by the full-on war being waged on the very idea of truth.” [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The political climate has turned truth into a battlefield, eroding public trust and discourse. **In simple terms:** Truth is being attacked in politics. Key Takeaway Defend facts and critical thinking. Themes politics truth media trust Mood concerned urgent Type commentary analysis When to use this quote - election coverage - social media - academic research - policy making Key Concepts disinformation propaganda public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify information? - What role should media play in protecting truth? A Different Perspective Truth battles can be weaponized for power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [2016 Campaign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/2016-campaign-1117554/) [Administration War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration-war-2576735/) [Alarmed 2016](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alarmed-2016-3966378/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Increasingly Alarmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasingly-alarmed-3966377/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year/) [Year Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year-trump-3865185/) ## Related quotes > [“the United States, increasingly alarmed at the progress of North Korea’s nuclear program,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-oberdorfer/the-united-states-increasingly-alarmed-at-the-progress-of-north-korea/) [Don Oberdorfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-oberdorfer/) > [I covered the 2016 campaign and covered that in a very traditional way. I was on the road, I want to say, like 340…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/i-covered-the-2016-campaign-and-covered-that-in-a-very-traditional/) [Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/) > [If the first year of the Trump administration has made anything clear, it's that experience, knowledge, education and political wisdom matter tremendously. Governing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/if-the-first-year-of-the-trump-administration-has-made-anything-clear/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [What has changed immensely in America since 2017, the first year of the Trump administration, is the relentless demonization of nonwhite immigrants, economic migrants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/what-has-changed-immensely-in-america-since-2017-the-first-year-of/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [ The \[Donald\] Trump plan would increase the national debt a little over a $1 trillion a year, the Trump plan would reduce taxes at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-donald-trump-plan-would-increase-the-national-debt-a-little-over/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [In the Obama administration's Washington, government officials are increasingly afraid to talk to the press. The administration's war on leaks and other efforts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-downie-jr/in-the-obama-administration-s-washington-government-officials-are/) [Leonard Downie, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-downie-jr/) > [The issue of what my role in the - in persuading the Bush administration to go to war has been greatly exaggerated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/the-issue-of-what-my-role-in-the-in-persuading-the-bush/) [Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/) > [“In October 1982, president Reagan officially announced his administration's war on drugs. At the time he declared this new war, less than 2 percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/in-october-1982-president-reagan-officially-announced-his/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [My father never felt the need to wrap himself in anybody's mantle. He never felt the need to pretend to be anybody else. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-reagan/my-father-never-felt-the-need-to-wrap-himself-in-anybody-s-mantle-he/) [Ron Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-reagan/) > [“Never has a party so quickly or easily abandoned its core principles as my party did in the course of the 2016 campaign.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-flake/never-has-a-party-so-quickly-or-easily-abandoned-its-core-principles/) [Jeff Flake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-flake/) > [As the 2016 campaign has graphically illustrated, Trump doesn't treat rivals gently. Testifying before a congressional committee in 1993, he began with his rote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/as-the-2016-campaign-has-graphically-illustrated-trump-doesn-t-treat/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [President Trump deserves credit for calling to attention the corrupting influence of money in politics throughout the course of his 2016 campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/president-trump-deserves-credit-for-calling-to-attention-the/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [If Rand Paul does run for president in 2016, his campaign will have a credibility that Ron Paul's three bids for the Oval Office lacked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/if-rand-paul-does-run-for-president-in-2016-his-campaign-will-have-a/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [If voters' anger is the hallmark of the 2016 campaign, nothing has generated that anger as much as the establishment's decade-long duplicity on immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/if-voters-anger-is-the-hallmark-of-the-2016-campaign-nothing-has/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [I think Trump wanted to use his 2016 campaign to basically say to a lot of folks that liberals hate you. And we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neera-tanden/i-think-trump-wanted-to-use-his-2016-campaign-to-basically-say-to-a/) [Neera Tanden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neera-tanden/) ## More by Michiko Kakutani > [I find it hard to write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/i-find-it-hard-to-write-in-the-first-person/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [I was the kid in class who was afraid to get called on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/i-was-the-kid-in-class-who-was-afraid-to-get-called-on/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [“Technology offers the illusion of companionship without the demands of intimacy, and communication without emotional risk, while actually making people feel lonelier and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/technology-offers-the-illusion-of-companionship-without-the-demands/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [One of my favorite things, as a critic, was finding books by new writers who possessed a distinctive voice and vision, an inventive gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/one-of-my-favorite-things-as-a-critic-was-finding-books-by-new/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [President Trump not only lies with astonishing temerity and abandon, but those lies connect into equally false narratives that gin up the worst fears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/president-trump-not-only-lies-with-astonishing-temerity-and-abandon/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [Indeed, 'The Second Plane' is such a weak, risible, and often objectionable volume that the reader finishes it convinced that Mr. Amis should stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/indeed-the-second-plane-is-such-a-weak-risible-and-often/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [California belongs to Joan Didion. Not the California where everyone wears aviator sunglasses, owns a Jacuzzi and buys his clothes on Rodeo Drive. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/california-belongs-to-joan-didion-not-the-california-where-everyone/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [If a novelist had concocted a villain like Trump - a larger-than-life, over-the-top avatar of narcissism, mendacity, ignorance, prejudice, boorishness, demagoguery, and tyrannical impulses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/if-a-novelist-had-concocted-a-villain-like-trump-a-larger-than-life/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [I've always been a news junkie, and an avid reader of newspapers and magazines, and this interest only ramped up during the campaign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/i-ve-always-been-a-news-junkie-and-an-avid-reader-of-newspapers-and/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [With his mendacity and increasingly virulent attacks on immigrants, Muslims, women, the press, the judiciary, the intelligence services, the F.B.I. - any group or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/with-his-mendacity-and-increasingly-virulent-attacks-on-immigrants/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [One of the things I wanted to do in 'The Death of Truth' was explore some of the larger social and political dynamics that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/one-of-the-things-i-wanted-to-do-in-the-death-of-truth-was-explore/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [The current memoir craze has fostered the belief that confession is therapeutic, that therapy is redemptive and that redemption equals art, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/the-current-memoir-craze-has-fostered-the-belief-that-confession-is/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [I'm not much of a cook. I used to keep books in my gas oven - until someone told me it was a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/i-m-not-much-of-a-cook-i-used-to-keep-books-in-my-gas-oven-until/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [My mother's family was among the 120,000 people of Japanese descent on the West Coast who were dispatched to internment camps during World War II.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/my-mother-s-family-was-among-the-120-000-people-of-japanese-descent/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [The one genre I'm not really into: self-help books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/the-one-genre-i-m-not-really-into-self-help-books/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) [Explore all 26 Michiko Kakutani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) ## More Being quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/) [Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [We should not live in fear, we should all enjoy being able to express our views freely and openly, challenge each other on issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/we-should-not-live-in-fear-we-should-all-enjoy-being-able-to-express/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) [Browse all 18,139 Being quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Like many people, I became increasingly alarmed during the 2016 campaign and the first year of the Trump administration by the full-on war being waged on the very idea of truth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michiko Kakutani" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-alarmed-during-the-2016/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-alarmed-during-the-2016/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/michiko-kakutani-22945_being_like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-a_1254556.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/michiko-kakutani-22945_being_like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-a_1254556.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/michiko-kakutani-22945_being_like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-a_1254556.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Like many people, I became increasingly alarmed during the 2016 campaign and the first year of the Trump…” — Michiko Kakutani", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michiko Kakutani", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Like many people, I became increasingly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-alarmed-during-the-2016/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/like-many-people-i-became-increasingly-alarmed-during-the-2016/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```