How to Block Donald Trump From All Your Screens: A Guide

by

As someone who has been through four years of non-stop Trump drama, I completely understand why you might feel like you’ve had enough. The exhaustion is real and it’s only been a few weeks since his reelection. It’s like sitting down to watch the 10th Fast and Furious movie and realizing during the opening credits that you’re already tired of car chases.

With Donald Trump‘s reelection to a second (possibly last) term, some Americans are gearing up to Resist yet again. They plan to petition their representatives to counteract Trump’s oversteps. They will participate in demonstrations and display signs. They will offer their time for Democratic initiatives. They will expressively challenge the president’s recent norm-violations when conversing with friends, family, and even engage in debates with strangers on social media platforms.

This article is not for those people.

This applies to individuals who might be thinking: “I’ve already accomplished so much for four long years, and yet he’s returned again!

Hey there, fellow gamer! I totally get where you’re coming from. It feels like we’ve been running the same political race for years now, doesn’t it? Just as watching the 10th Fast and Furious movie can sometimes feel a bit repetitive, the latest developments with Trump 2.0 have left us feeling a little exhausted even before the action really gets started. It’s like we’ve hit that point where you know exactly what to expect, but the excitement just isn’t there anymore. Let’s hope for some unexpected twists and turns in this game of politics!

In simpler terms,

Sure, why not? “Move fast and break things,” just like the tech bros. And it’s fine if those broken things are trusted institutions … essential services … or people … right? I mean, it might all be fine. I’m not saying it won’t be. “We survived last time so therefore we will again” — anybody who’s played Russian roulette knows this is flawless logic. 

For now, it’s up to you to choose the amount of circus you want to witness. It can be debated that burying yourself in digital media isn’t always the best course of action (and we do provide guidance on how to do this). Reading about Trump’s actions or his direct quotes in headlines, in essence, allows his voice to resonate within your mind, which is somewhat akin to…

Look, we don’t want to overstate this, but it starts to feel vaguely assault-y when you cannot escape one man’s monologue no matter where you go or what you do. Trump’s random 2 a.m. ALL-CAPS thoughts become official public statements, which become media headlines, which pop up on your phone, which go into your mind and can cause — for some — anxiety, annoyance, anger and despair. 

It’s worth discussing whether it’s socially irresponsible not to participate in politics due to its impact on others versus feeling overwhelmed by political matters because of personal obligations or discomfort, but ultimately, one’s mental state can be controlled, can’t it? CNN reported that a Trump advisor mentioned the recent cabinet appointments were intended to shock people, which aligns with what we experienced during Trump’s presidency – public outrage only fueled his power. Instead of engaging in the noise and drama, there’s a sense of defiance in choosing not to pay attention.

Indeed, there are certain groups, like undocumented immigrants, for whom ignoring Trump’s actions isn’t an option. At some future time, it’s possible that a situation may arise where no one among us can afford to disregard what he does.

But as promised, here is how to block Trump from your screens:

Browser Experience without Trump: To enjoy a Trump-free web browsing experience, consider installing the Trump Blocker extension on Google Chrome. This tool effectively screens out Trump-related headlines, enabling you to maintain your subscriptions to preferred publications without being inundated with Trump content. As a result, the FoxNews.com homepage appears less cluttered and more puzzling (even more so). Here’s a snapshot showing the Blocker at work – now you’ll find only weather updates, Kate Upton news, and baking advice!

Using iPhone for web browsing: The EmoGuard keyword blocker is priced at $3.99 and requires a short setup time, but it effectively replaces any occurrence of Trump’s name with cheerful emojis while you browse Safari. Here’s what the RealClearPolitics and CNN homepages would appear like with EmoGuard:

Android phone browsing: Try adding Blocksite, which allows you to block specific keywords.

TikTok: Navigate to the settings menu by clicking on the three lines, then choose ‘Settings and Privacy’, followed by ‘Content Preferences’. Here, you can customize your video keyword filters for a more tailored experience.

On Twitter/X: To hide tweets containing a specific word you find unpleasant, navigate to Settings > Privacy and Safety > Mute and Block > Muted Words. Make sure to capitalize ‘Trump’ and also block its possessive form to prevent seeing related posts in your home timeline. Please note that tweets from individuals named Trump may still appear as they are not blocked based on the name alone.

Facebook. In 2018, Facebook implemented a “keyword mute” function enabling users to suppress content in their newsfeed with specific keywords. The timing of its introduction during Trump’s presidency was likely just happenstance. Similarly, the disappearance of this feature somewhere between then and Biden’s term-end could also be considered coincidental. Currently, we’re stuck with clicking the three dots on a Facebook post, choosing “Show Less (of posts like this)” as an alternative. However, if you utilize this option on several Trump-related headlines, Facebook may pick up on your preference.

Navigate to your profile, tap the three horizontal lines at the top, go to “Hidden Words”, then choose “Manage Custom Words and Phrases”, from there you can customize your preferences.

TV: Well, nothing to be done about this one except simply don’t watch political content.

Next week: How to shush Elon Musk. 

Read More

2024-11-19 16:54