There’s great irony in complaining about Trump’s lack of truth then in the same breath blaming “malicious actors”. The truth is that Trump gave a voice to a large group of people that the media and other establishment didn’t want voiced. And now he’s president. I don’t know if that could have happened without the internet but I doubt it.

I see Trump as the Internet’s first president. Every other avenue was strongly against him but ultimately couldn’t shout down the “truth” of his popularity because he had internet based communication channels that mass media didn’t control.

Structurally speaking, Trump was a major victory for alternatives to mainstream media and politics. That’s why the defeated parties are desperately grasping at the “malicious actors” fabrications. They can’t handle the loss of control.