- Chaotic Era
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Donald Trump’s second inauguration marks the next chapter of a complicated era in American history. Four years ago, many Americans thought we had closed the book on the former President and would see a return to normalcy in our politics with the Biden era. That didn’t exactly work out.
It’s become almost cliché to note that the media is fracturing, our society and institutions are changing faster than ever before, old models are dying, and as a result, our politics has entered a period of chaos and instability.
Americans are receiving news and information from thousands of different messengers and platforms on any given day, and the traditional political press has generally failed to understand this new environment. Political news coverage (still!) too often relies on quotes and pitches from TV consultants, old school pollsters, and octogenarian politicians who have little insight into what’s really reaching voters.
Chaotic Era will fill a key void in political journalism by highlighting stories at the intersection of politics, media, and online influence that are being missed by the mainstream press corps.
This newsletter will amplify new voices, spotlight emerging tactics, question old ways of doing things, and share unique data in order to explain how our politics is really playing out in 2025 and beyond.
I’ll conduct original reporting and deep dive investigations, round up relevant stories you may have missed, and provide insider political analysis that you can’t get anywhere else.
For starters, I’ll focus my writing on four key categories that are all semi-related:
The Democratic Party’s reckoning and future
Online influence and social media
Big Tech and the Trump administration
The media industry and its not-so-spontaneous combustion
At least once a week, I’ll try to make it all make sense. For paying subscribers, you’ll hear from me more often. Make sure you’re subscribed:
About Kyle Tharp
I’m an independent writer and researcher who has built my career at the intersection of politics, tech, and media.
Over the years, I’ve worked for a combination of liberal advocacy groups, PACs, software companies, and media startups. A nationally recognized expert on digital politics, I spent the past five years tracking online spending, trends and tactics in politics via a newsletter called FWIW.
I’m regularly cited or quoted in the national and international press, including The New York Times, Axios, Semafor, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal.
Although I approach my analysis from a progressive point of view, I strive to be fair and accurate in my reporting and have earned the respect of political operatives on both sides of the aisle.
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