A New York Times editorial published Thursday sparked a firestorm of criticism for what many saw as a contradictory warning about the dangers of President Donald Trump’s second term.
In an opinion piece titled, “There is a way forward: how to defeat Trump’s power grab,” the Times’ editorial board warned that the president’s return to power has already inflicted more damage on American democracy “than anything else since the demise of Reconstruction.”
But outrage exploded online Thursday as political observers accused the Times of legitimizing Trump’s hardline MAGA agenda while offering little in the form of resistance. Critics slammed the editorial for urging Americans to acknowledge Trump as a “legitimate” and “effective” leader, while praising some of his immigration policies as “both legal and popular.”
“Holy s---. I knew this @nytimes.com editorial would be bad, but it's so much worse than I could have imagined,” podcaster David Roberts wrote on Bluesky. I mean, it is indistinguishable from a parody of reactionary centrism. This is every center-left pathology, laid out for your examination.”
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“Why on earth would a protest movement against the worst president in US history begin by acknowledging that he's not so bad,” investigative journalist and podcaster Michael Hobbes told his followers on Bluesky.
“The reactionary centrist scolds were completely wrong about everything, while the most progressive & leftist people you could find online, the ones with Trump Derangement Syndrome, were completely right,” lawyer Max Kennerly posted on Bluesky. “Therefore, the only path forward is more reactionary centrist scolding.”
“There’s no guarantee we will fully recover from the wounds of Trump’s first 100 days,” retired Harvard Law professor Laurence H. Tribe posted to his Bluesky account. “But nobody should give up. Here’s the Gray Lady’s 2-alarm version of how to fight 'bravely and smartly for this country’s ideals.' Not bad, but it’s time for a 5-alarm offensive.”
“Perhaps the most misleading headline of 2025. If the New York Times believes there's a way to defeat Trump's power grab, other than a few platitudes they certainly don't outline one here,” writer and director Marshall Hersovitz wrote on X.