Trump is a master liar. There are his insulting lies (Vice President Kamala Harris is “mentally disabled”). Then there are his xenophobic (“They are eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats.”) and antisemitic (saying Jews will be responsible if he loses) lies.
There are his economically ignorant falsehoods (e.g., foreign countries pay tariffs). There are his lies to raise resentment and anger at the current administration (e.g., it is denying aid to hurricane victims, crime is rising, tens of thousands of migrant murderers are running loose). There are his lies to deflect blame (e.g., former House speaker Nancy Pelosi is responsible for the attack on Jan. 6, 2021; sexual assault victim E. Jean Carroll, who successfully sued Trump for defamation twice, was lying). There are his lies about Democrats (e.g., they favor infanticide).
Trump also recycles numerous lies about the American people (e.g., everyone wanted to repeal Roe v. Wade, women love him) and his own record (e.g., his economy was the “greatest” ever, he had a perfect call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, troops under his command suffered only “headaches” from an Iranian attack). He even lies about what he said (e.g., denying he ever signaled openness to restricting contraception). His lies undermining democracy might be the most dangerous (e.g., he won in 2020, millions of illegal immigrants are registering to vote).
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We should not forget the “merely” ludicrous assertions of his own powers. (e.g., Hamas would not have attacked Israel if he were president, he could “settle” the Ukraine war) and dystopian predictions if he loses (e.g., we won’t have a country, there will be a “bloodbath”). And his absurd conspiracy theories can never be disproven (e.g., the Deep State). His exaggerations about his wealth, his physical health and his cognitive performance are among the most cringeworthy.
His lies are so prolific, they prompt some to question whether he knows he is lying. But like many authoritarian leaders, Trump uses his go-to tactic to bend reality and bamboozle the public. He lies to conceal his own abject failures, criminality, incompetence, disloyalty and ignorance — and the lies are made more potent when the right-wing media echoes his lies and the mainstream media presents his distortions as he said-she said disputes. For him, it’s better to be called a liar (and rely on the public’s suspicion that “all politicians lie”) than acknowledge his manifest faults and failures.
There are psychological explanations for his lying. There are historical and political explanations for his lying. But the consequences of his lies — stoking fear, hatred and distrust of democratic elections — are disastrous for democracy, which depends on a shared understanding of reality.
There are his economically ignorant falsehoods (e.g., foreign countries pay tariffs). There are his lies to raise resentment and anger at the current administration (e.g., it is denying aid to hurricane victims, crime is rising, tens of thousands of migrant murderers are running loose). There are his lies to deflect blame (e.g., former House speaker Nancy Pelosi is responsible for the attack on Jan. 6, 2021; sexual assault victim E. Jean Carroll, who successfully sued Trump for defamation twice, was lying). There are his lies about Democrats (e.g., they favor infanticide).
Trump also recycles numerous lies about the American people (e.g., everyone wanted to repeal Roe v. Wade, women love him) and his own record (e.g., his economy was the “greatest” ever, he had a perfect call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, troops under his command suffered only “headaches” from an Iranian attack). He even lies about what he said (e.g., denying he ever signaled openness to restricting contraception). His lies undermining democracy might be the most dangerous (e.g., he won in 2020, millions of illegal immigrants are registering to vote).
Follow Jennifer Rubin
We should not forget the “merely” ludicrous assertions of his own powers. (e.g., Hamas would not have attacked Israel if he were president, he could “settle” the Ukraine war) and dystopian predictions if he loses (e.g., we won’t have a country, there will be a “bloodbath”). And his absurd conspiracy theories can never be disproven (e.g., the Deep State). His exaggerations about his wealth, his physical health and his cognitive performance are among the most cringeworthy.
His lies are so prolific, they prompt some to question whether he knows he is lying. But like many authoritarian leaders, Trump uses his go-to tactic to bend reality and bamboozle the public. He lies to conceal his own abject failures, criminality, incompetence, disloyalty and ignorance — and the lies are made more potent when the right-wing media echoes his lies and the mainstream media presents his distortions as he said-she said disputes. For him, it’s better to be called a liar (and rely on the public’s suspicion that “all politicians lie”) than acknowledge his manifest faults and failures.
There are psychological explanations for his lying. There are historical and political explanations for his lying. But the consequences of his lies — stoking fear, hatred and distrust of democratic elections — are disastrous for democracy, which depends on a shared understanding of reality.
