Feb 16, 2017
Donald Trump’s presidency has evoked strong emotional and psychological responses from both the public and the president himself, raising issues not often brought forth in public policy and governance. Many, including members of the media, are trying to make sense of this complicated web of anger, passion, rationality and irrationality. Among those reporters is Jesse Singal of New York Magazine, who is bringing the social sciences into the news amid an often-heated environment. In this episode of Politics & Polls, professors Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang interview Singal and discuss, among other topics, his recent articles on fear among conservatives and how the “contact hypothesis” — when members from different groups interact — can diminish prejudice and hatred. Jesse Singal is a writer-at-large at New York Magazine, where, among other things, he covers social science, politics and weird internet subcultures. He’s an alumnus of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.