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Thanks to Hensou's link to The Observer, I wandered over to the Viewpoint section. Well done, young man.

How to write an anti-Trump viewpoint article
By Jonah Tran
Mar 5, 2025 12:00 am

We have entered into the golden age of viewpoint articles at The Observer. If you haven’t been keeping up with the news, you probably missed that Donald Trump was elected as our 47th President. And thanks to the articles in the viewpoint section — we are informed of this. Since his election, columnists and non-columnists have flocked in hordes to Google Docs in order to contribute 750 words to the ongoing political dialogue at Notre Dame. I enjoy all viewpoint articles, but I especially enjoy the anti-Trump ones. I also enjoy trends, so I am adding my 750 words. Today, I will lay before you a manual on how to write an anti-Trump viewpoint article. It is my great hope that I will inspire the heart of at least one of you, my audience, to rise up and write an article based on my instructions.

Hyperbolic language is your friend. In my personal experience, I have found tremendous success with phrases like “threat to democracy,” “clear and present danger” and “wannabe dictator.” And if you’re feeling bold, you can go with “Nazi.” The good thing about hyperbolic language is its effect in drawing immediate attention to itself. It is provocative — and for a good reason! As we learned in high school English class, the best way to start your essay is with the so-called “hook.” This is no different.

Blame the billionaires too. The primary target of criticism should, obviously, be Elon Musk. But, you can seriously bolster your argument by referencing other billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, who all of a sudden switched teams. It goes without saying that there is a proportional relationship between someone’s wealth level and their evilness.

Use the Catholic faith and Catholic social teaching as further support for why Trump is an evil Nazi. The key points to hit here are immigration policy and DEI policy, but, in my opinion, the line of reasoning is to use Catholic social teaching to argue for protecting and preserving a woman’s right to choose.

Frame your article with a view to the history of the world. Point four and point one work really well together, since you can frame Trump as a wannabe dictator akin to the most despicable men of history, like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, etc. In this way, you can ally yourself with the side of heroism and virtue in history. Just as courageous individuals hid and sheltered Jews in their homes in an act of defiance against evil, so too do we courageous ones write op-ed articles for a college newspaper in an act of defiance against evil. Moreover, this is the most momentous time in American history, and it will be the most momentous time in American history again in 2028 — and again in 2032. Think about the history of your own family, for the current actions undertaken by the American people are basically a metaphorical spitting in the face of your future great-grandson.

Emotional appeals are strongly encouraged. It is a good idea to paint a vivid mental picture of the hypothetical marginalized individual, against whom your opponent is transgressing. Better yet, a personal anecdote would add a more distinct tone to your writing in order to differentiate it from the other anti-Trump viewpoint articles that come out during the same week. I will provide you with my own personal anecdote. It was a gloomy Nov. 6 afternoon. I was walking through the basement of LaFortune Student Center, when — out of nowhere — I overheard someone in Taco Bell say something about lowering corporate tax rates. It pains me to write this, but at that moment, I vomited in my mouth and immediately had to redirect my route to St. Liam’s Hall.

End with a call to action. Just like I am inspiring you, you too need to inspire. Encourage your readers to take to the Google Docs to write their own 750 words. Every small act of defiance matters. And, after all, history is watching — and so is your great-grandson who doesn’t want spit in his face. And 50-plus years from now, when you are sitting down to have ChatGPT write an autobiography or memoir, you can confidently tell it the trials and tribulations of this present time. You can tell of how you vigorously heralded your Instagram “close friends” list of the clear and present danger facing the country. But most importantly, you can tell of your 750 word treatise, forever archived in the digital back rooms of ndsmcobserver.com. And with that, you can draw your final breath with the solace that you were, in fact, on the right side of history.

Jonah Tran
Jonah Tran is a junior at Notre Dame studying finance and classics. He prides himself on sarcasm and never surrendering. You can file complaints to Jonah by email at jtran5@nd.edu.