The woman keeping track of ‘eroding norms’ in the Trump era
‘We forget all the things we should be outraged about’
Adapted from a column by The Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan.
Every Saturday and Sunday, Amy Siskind publishes a list to Medium, Facebook and Twitter. The title never changes:
The Weekly List tracks all the ways Siskind sees America’s taken-for-granted governmental norms changing in the Trump era. Siskind, who campaigned for Hillary Clinton, started publishing her lists shortly after Donald Trump was elected president in November 2016.
The project started small, read by friends and with only a few items a week.
By Week 9, though, the list had gone viral.
“It blew up — I had 2 million views that week,” Siskind said. “People were responding like crazy, saying things like, ‘I’m praying for you.’”
As time went on, the list grew much longer and more sophisticated. Now, every item has a source link. She spends 15 or 20 hours a week compiling each list, and people are reading. Siskind said her weekly audience usually hits hundreds of thousands across platforms.
- “Yahoo reported four top law firms turned down requests to represent Trump citing his unwillingness to listen to advice, potential harm to recruiting and client relationships, and his history of not paying bills.”
- “Monday, in a bizarre display in front of cameras, Trump’s cabinet members took turns praising him.”
- “A journalist noted: “Putin televises the beginnings of his cabinet meetings.”
- “On Tuesday, reporters at the Capitol were told they were no longer allowed to interview senators in the hallways, contrary to years of precedent.”
- “Trump and his WH have made no mention or acknowledgment of June being LGBT Pride month.”
- “AP reported that a company that partners with both Trump and (son-in-law) Jared Kushner is a finalist for a $1.7bn contract to build the new FBI building.”
Siskind also keeps track of occurrences beyond the immediate sphere of politics, such as acts of hate against minorities.
“It’s scary to look back on the early weeks and see what we’ve already gotten used to,” she said. “We forget all the things we should be outraged about.”
From Siskind’s point of view, an experiment has become a mission — one that sometimes competes for attention with raising her two kids and running The New Agenda, a pro-women nonprofit organization that she founded.
“It has required stamina that I’ve never had before,” Siskind said.
But her followers appreciate the effort, if not the disturbing content.
Siskind will continue publishing the Weekly List until Trump is “out of power.”
“I don’t have a grand plan,” she said. “I just want to be able to trace our way back.”
