Fallacious Trump Square One Fallacy - FT#187
Dec 16, 2025
Delve into the Square One Fallacy as RFK Jr. calls for vaccine testing while Trump proposes a media ratings system that already exists. Explore Kemi Badenoch's misguided comments on puberty blockers and Nigel Farage's ever-shifting Brexit demands. In the Fallacy in the Wild, uncover how cannabis opponents misuse research calls and how the tobacco industry historically delayed regulation. Join the Fake News game to see which Trump quote is fabricated, and hear a deep dive into media effects research on violent video games that challenges common beliefs.
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Square One Fallacy Defined
- The Square One Fallacy is pretending no meaningful research or action exists and calling to start from scratch.
- Jim and Mark show RFK Jr.'s vaccine-testing claims as a textbook example of this fallacy.
Ignoring Existing Solutions
- Suggesting a new ratings system after long-standing ratings exist is a square one fallacy.
- Jim uses Trump's post-shooting comments on violent media to illustrate ignoring existing solutions.
'More Research' As Delay Tactic
- Calls for 'more research' often mask ideological or financial motives to delay action.
- Jim and Mark link such tactics to historical examples like tobacco industry delay and modern culture-war politics.