One of the worst outcomes of the Trump era? Pervasive cynicism | Opinion
It can be difficult to maintain your faith in humanity in a stupid and indecent world. This is the challenge of the Trump era. The president and his cronies do not care about shared norms of law, morality or truth.
And, as our country slips toward idiocracy, cynicism grows.
President Donald Trump recently claimed the only limit on his actions was his own morality, ignoring the Constitution and international law. When speaking at Charlie Kirk’s funeral, Trump dismissed the idea of loving your enemies. He said of his opponents, “I don’t want the best for them.”
The president recently told Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre that since Norway did not give him the Nobel Peace Prize, he was no longer committed to peace. In a speech this week in Davos, he blathered on about Iceland, confusing it with Greenland.
Meanwhile, the people of Minnesota are living in fear of the federal government.
It is tempting to want to argue about this sort of stuff. Ethicists will criticize Trump’s egoism; political philosophers may declare that absolute power corrupts absolutely; Christians will remind us that Jesus asks us to love our enemies; fact-checkers will insist that the Norwegian government does not give out the Nobel Prize, and that Greenland and Iceland are distinct.
We could criticize the incoherence of giving up on peace after failing to win a peace prize, or we could argue that civil disobedience is not domestic terrorism — as the Trumpians claim.
These critical points are relevant for reasonable and decent people. But facts and logic do not matter in the “Trumpiverse.” Trump recently said, “God is very proud of the job I’ve done.” With God on his side, what’s the point of arguing?
Greek tragedy reminds us that hubris is resistant to reason. It is useless to debate morality with a scoundrel, or truth with a liar. You cannot argue with irrational people.
Reasonable people debate facts and argue about their interpretation. Decent people are inquisitive, curious and open-minded. They are sincerely interested in sorting out what is true and good.
But not everyone is reasonable, decent or sincere.
It’s generally unwise to argue with hypocrites, swindlers and cheats. These snakes abuse our inclination to reason. When a con man gets a foot in the door, he already has a foothold in your brain. If you try to persuade him to leave, he’ll manipulate you further. While you are arguing with him, he’ll pick your pocket.
This happens in abusive relationships, where gaslighting and emotional manipulation lead to heartache and despair. If you try to reason with toxic or stupid people, you will get lost in the mire. The more you argue, the thicker the mud becomes.
When you live in a swamp, you should look out for snakes. But it is important to remember that not everyone is a snake. We must beware of cynicism, which can lead to despair and inaction.
Wise people acknowledge corruption and take precautions to avoid contamination. When you understand the futility of responding to indecent people as if they are decent, you can better hold on to your wallet and your sanity. But healthy skepticism about charlatans and quacks should not undermine your faith in humanity, or your commitment to decency.
When you live among snakes, you must be careful not to become one.
Among the worst outcomes of the Trump era is the pervasive cynicism it breeds. Cynicism is better than gullibility. But cynicism corrupts society and deadens the soul. It undermines trust and the creative spirit. If everything is rotten, it may seem rational to give up and give in. But then the snakes win.
Progress depends upon hope. Not everyone is stupid or wicked. A better world can be built. Charlatans and imbeciles have always existed — history is full of them. But there are also decent and reasonable people.
The trick is to negotiate the swamp without succumbing to cynicism. You need to know who to trust and who to ignore, who to argue with and who to avoid. You must figure out when to open your heart and when to slam the door. In this soul-draining era, we should be wary without wearying of humanity, or losing faith in the future.
Andrew Fiala is a professor of philosophy and director of The Ethics Center at Fresno State.
This story was originally published January 25, 2026 at 5:00 AM.