In April 2013, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan offered some insights into his assumptions about public attitudes. “You know what Americans can’t stand?” the Ohio Republican asked rhetorically. “You know what they can’t stand about this town? So-called experts.”
The right-wing congressman said the “best example” of the phenomenon was Dr. Anthony Fauci — one of the greatest public servants of his generation, a pioneering public health visionary and a scientist heralded by many as a “once-in-a-century public health leader.”
In Jordan’s mind, however, Fauci was the “best example” of the kind of “so-called expert” whom elected officials should disregard.
This came to mind watching the vice presidential debate, as Republican Sen. JD Vance and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz sparred over whether to “trust the experts” on the economy. NBC News flagged a memorable quote from the Minnesotan.
“Economists, don’t be trusted. Science can’t be trusted. National security folks can’t be trusted,” Walz said, mocking Trump and Vance, before adding: “Look, if you’re going to be president, you don’t have all the answers. Donald Trump believes he does. My pro tip of the day is this: If you need heart surgery, listen to the people at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, not Donald Trump. And the same thing goes with [economic policy].”
The day after the debate, the Ohio senator told a Michigan audience that he was “annoyed” by Walz’s comments, adding: “I don’t think economists know what the hell they’re talking about.”
JD Vance says he was "annoyed" by Tim Walz citing economists saying Trump's policies will lead to a rise in inflation, because "I don't think economists know what the hell they're talking about" pic.twitter.com/o17KJFB5h2
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 2, 2024
To be sure, it would be a mistake to argue that assorted subject-matter experts and authorities in their field are infallible and that their assessments must be followed blindly in all instances.
But the debate exchange between Vance and Walz was emblematic of a larger point: Among the countless issues that divide the nation’s two major parties is a disagreement over whether to trust expertise. Prominent Republican voices have come down on one side, telling the public not to trust public health officials. Or climate scientists. Or economists. Or historians. Or election officials. Or law enforcement officials who compile crime statistics. In 2024, the only truths Americans should accept are the words of Donald Trump and the Republican Party — unless they change their minds about what’s true, at which point Americans have a responsibility to accept the revised truths. This isn’t altogether new, though it was striking to see the divide play out on a debate stage, for tens of millions of viewers to see.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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