Staff Reports
Jake Tapper’s recent remarks on immigration and the food supply are the latest example of the mainstream media’s refusal to abandon tired narratives in the wake of a Trump victory. Instead of recalibrating to better engage with reality, journalists like Tapper seem intent on recycling the same old lines that served them poorly in the past. The mantra of the left is as predictable as it is unconvincing, trotting out clichés about “weaponizing the DOJ” and “tariffs causing inflation” as if those arguments have not already been thoroughly debunked.
In this latest iteration, Tapper resorted to the age-old trope that the country relies on illegal immigrants to keep the food supply running smoothly. Such sentiment carries its own flavor of condescension, implying that without these workers, Americans would be unable to find their way through the grocery aisles. This underestimation of American workers implies that a certain demographic is only valued for their labor in fields—a condescending narrative that more than raises eyebrows.
Moreover, the assertions made by Tapper completely overlook the chaotic realities of illegal immigration. Not only does he ignore the costs associated with processing and housing undocumented immigrants, but he conveniently sidesteps the significant legal and ethical dilemmas posed by the employment of these workers. The same individuals claiming to champion workers’ rights seem remarkably ambivalent when it comes to documenting who is picking the crops. The exploitation of cheap labor appears to be a blind spot for those who otherwise decry corporate misconduct.
This also raises the eyebrow of another glaring hypocrisy on the left. When it comes to labor in agriculture, the demand for a living wage suddenly disappears. Indeed, the same people advocating for increases in the minimum wage seem to sing a different tune when it involves the labor involved in harvesting crops—let’s just keep those salaries low, after all! This contradictory stance reveals a willingness to sacrifice principles for convenience, a hallmark of leftist ideology.
Jake Tapper Takes the Tired Route on Immigrants and the Food Supply, Delivers a Rice Cake Responsehttps://t.co/4KdYbyVo94
— RedState (@RedState) November 19, 2024
Interestingly, Tapper’s claims also suggest that the nation’s food supply teetered on the brink of collapse until masses of immigrants flooded in. However, recent history tells a different story. Food prices skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic while illegal immigration surged, contradicting the assertion that labor is the sole driver of agricultural stability. As egg prices soared near double the pre-pandemic levels, any narrative linking immigration to lower food costs becomes laughably suspect.
As the mainstream media continues to hum the same tired tune, it’s evident that they remain ensnared in their own ideological contradictions. Tapper and others, in their efforts to topple Trump and the political movement he represents, unwittingly expose their own errors. The emotions and narratives they cling to reveal a deep disconnect with reality and a peculiar incapacity to evaluate their own positions critically. In the end, the choice between reality and rhetoric seems an increasingly obvious one.
