We’re less than two months into Trump’s second presidency, and the negative impact he and Elon Musk have had on (literally) everything cannot be overstated. But because I am not qualified or paid to talk about Trump’s impact on everything, I’m instead focusing on how publishers, libraries, and schools have been affected by his executive orders and social media rants. Much of this news is likely to change by the time this post is published, but I think it’s important to step back and look at the broader picture, as grim as that broader picture might be.
Tariffs
In February, Trump said tariffs against Canada and Mexico were moving forward in early March, although he quickly hit the pause button on the tariffs approximately two days after implementation. The publishing industry is preparing for “tariff turmoil,” but the CBC says that the Canadian publishing industry is hopeful that books will be exempt from US tariffs. On the American side, publishers are concerned about the cost of paper (67% of the United States’ uncoated paper imports came from Canada in 2023), as well as whether American book manufacturers have the capacity to take over the production of books that are currently printed in China. And Canadian and Mexican publishers are considering whether it’s economically or politically feasible to attend the usual US industry conferences. Canadian mystery author Louise Penny has cancelled her U.S. book tour over Trump’s trade war threats.
The postponed tariffs are supposed to take effect on April 2nd.
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DEI and Federal Funding
Trump and associates are attempting to wipe out DEI programs across the country by making schools, libraries, and other organizations ineligible for federal funding if they continue to support DEI initiatives. Of course, the exact definition of what constitutes “DEI” was not made clear in the executive order, which has resulted in many organizations preemptively canceling programs in order to protect their funding.
For example, after Trump installed new leadership at the National Archives, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta abruptly canceled several events pertaining to climate change, homelessness, and the civil rights movement that had already been scheduled months in advance. The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District made a similar move and discontinued its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility program, on the advice of legal counsel. Meanwhile, Illinois libraries are keeping a “watchful eye” on the federal funding upheaval, and American Libraries published a recent article about the federal funding threats to libraries.
A federal judge did temporarily block the Trump administration from carrying out certain directives to crack down on DEI programs, but this is unlikely to stop the damage that’s already been inflicted.
Miscellaneous Nonsense
There’s too much to adequately cover in a single post, so here are a few additional news items to be aware of.
