How to Beat Trump’s Noise Machine

At a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on October 5, 2026, President Donald Trump defended the cost of his war with Iran by saying that if Iran struck Los Angeles or San Diego, it would be a very small price to pay. Governor Gavin Newsom of California branded him deranged and dangerous, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city is not collateral damage. Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor and Navy veteran seeking a House seat, also objected, putting protection of Americans ahead of everything else, according to Time.

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian argue that the uproar served Trump's purposes. Cable news spent a day debating his meaning, pulling attention from sagging polls, higher inflation, falling employment and other troubles. The authors, who say they have known Trump for three decades, reject the idea that he is erratic or mentally slipping. They describe a deliberate habit of burying unfavorable stories under louder provocations, which their book Trump's Ten Commandments calls the Wall of Sound.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Time’s reporting. Read the full story at Time →