Matter of Opinion · New York Times Opinion

It’s Not Just Politics: Trump Has Reshaped Pop Culture

December 6, 2024·40 min·3 clips

Ross argues that The Shape of Water embodies the woke, anti-Trump resistance culture of the early Trump era.

This episode of Matter of Opinion examines how the Trump era has influenced American culture beyond just politics. Hosts Ross Douthat, Michelle Cottle, and Carlos Lozada analyze specific books, films, and television shows as cultural artifacts. Ross Douthat selects Guillermo del Toro's 2017 film *The Shape of Water* as symbolic of early Trump-era oppositional culture. He describes the film's plot involving a mute woman and a captured amphibian creature uniting against a government antagonist. Douthat argues the movie represents a progressive, "woke" alliance of minority identities pitted against forces of white male reaction. Michelle Cottle chooses the television series *Yellowstone*, which premiered in 2018 and features Kevin Costner as a Montana rancher patriarch. She notes the show's themes of tradition, land, and family under attack from modernity resonate with a large audience. Carlos Lozada points to the 2018 book *White Fragility* by Robin DiAngelo, which became a sensation in 2020. He outlines its premise that white people form an undifferentiated racist collective and that any dissent from its thesis is proof of its concept. The hosts contrast this oppositional culture with the more celebratory, patriotic pop culture of the Reagan era. They explore whether a distinct "Trump culture" is emerging, possibly centered on the archetype of the hustler rather than the traditional hero. Lozada suggests novels like Barbara Kingsolver's *Demon Copperhead* and Percival Everett's *Erasure* (adapted into the film *American Fiction*) as literary reflections of the era's tensions. The conversation considers if Trump is a cause or a consequence of cultural shifts, with Cottle arguing he is a reflection of America's worship of celebrity and money. The tone is conversational and analytical, featuring a panel discussion among informed columnists. Listeners interested in the intersection of politics, media, and pop culture will find this episode engaging. Those seeking a purely political or policy-focused discussion might prefer a different episode.

As heard by us

A sharp look at how politics shows up in art and ideas, from Disney villains to Hamilton and identity talk.

Matter of Opinion moves from recent election talk into the way politics keeps surfacing in culture. It treats Disney villains, Hamilton, Glee, and the language around Robin DiAngelo and Ibram Kendi as more than references; they become tools for asking how representation,…

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For when you want politics and culture traced through art, not cable chatter, slogans, or spin.

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