President Trump on phone while accompanied by Michael Flynn and Steve Bannon - Bloomberg
Donald Trump is a serial liar. There's really no other explanation for his behavior. He starts with a statement that's been proven false; then claims that he did not say it, someone else said it and he's merely repeating it, or unknown persons confirmed it, and thus, it cannot be false. And, as an excuse for any minor inaccuracy, he maintains that he had to say it to avoid political correctness.
During the campaign, for example, Trump claimed that he saw Arab Americans in New Jersey celebrating the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11. Faced with numerous eyewitness accounts to the contrary, as well as videos that disputed him, he retracted this claim and said he might have seen celebrations in other countries on television. Nonetheless, he continued to maintain that hundreds of people told him that they saw the New Jersey celebrations.
During the campaign, for example, Trump claimed that he saw Arab Americans in New Jersey celebrating the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11. Faced with numerous eyewitness accounts to the contrary, as well as videos that disputed him, he retracted this claim and said he might have seen celebrations in other countries on television. Nonetheless, he continued to maintain that hundreds of people told him that they saw the New Jersey celebrations.
The latest example of Trump’s serial lies is his outrageous claim that President Obama wiretapped his New York office. Not only would it have been a crime for President Obama to have wiretapped Trump, but it would also have been a crime for any agency of the federal government to have done so without a federal warrant. And, no such warrant was ever issued.
From these two examples, and many others, it is clear that Trump is a serial liar. What is not clear is why he lies about events that can be demonstrably shown to be lies. Some observers have argued that it is because Trump is so desperate to distract the public’s attention, he is unconcerned about how they view his truthfulness. Other observers, however, see Trump’s lies as a symptom of mental impairment. They note that the way he speaks is highly suggestive of someone who is suffering from dementia.
As anyone who has been around a parent suffering from dementia will tell you, the number of unique words and non-specific nouns they use decreases. It is incredibly sad to hear that loved one repeat the same phrases and stories or to hear them trail off in the middle of the sentence. But, as must also be true of Trump's supporters, we learn to accept our loved one's ever increasingly simplistic speech as normal. What good would it do to correct them or ask for clarification?
Through his simplified speech, Trump turns objective facts about events into his perception of those events. He has a right to have his opinion of what he has perceived. But, for the President of the U.S. to have his own unique perception of events endangers the entire world. The mainstream media does not know what to make of Trump’s submersion in his own reality. And so they seem intent on learning how to accept it. Many of us, however, have careened from being concerned to being slightly nauseated as we see the dangers of having a demented President contend with North Korea and the rest of the world.
But, even if we believe dementia is the reason for Trump’s serial lying, we cannot completely dismiss the possibility that some of Trump’s serial lying was also used to distract from other issues. Whatever mental deficiencies may plague Trump’s mind, he has had more than 50 years of experience as a marketer and decades of experience as a media personality. It is possible that some well-learned behaviors are not affected by all forms of dementia. Also, Trump’s family and staff are capable of highlighting events designed to distract the public from events Trump might find disagreeable.
While the Trump Administration claimed that Trump’s decision to launch missiles against Syria was to enforce a red line and to address Ivanka’s concern about Syrian children being gassed, some observers believe the attack was also launched to counter the growing number of unflattering stories about Trump. These stories included his continuing deference and possible collusion with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, and a floundering administration due to his inability to govern and lead the country. Although the 59 Tomahawk missiles did little damage to the airfield they struck, the Main Stream Media abruptly turned from criticism of the Trump Administration to praising it.
Congressional testimony by former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates has raised embarrassing questions about why President Trump allowed Ret. General Michael Flynn, an admitted foreign agent, access to top secret information. At the same time as Yates’ testimony his Administration has floated plans to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Even if this increase is militarily sensible, the timing of the announcement is consistent with the Administration’s attempt to distract from yet another discovery in Trump’s ongoing Russian saga.
One of the biggest possible distractions from allegations of Trump’s collusion with Russian interference in our 2016 election is the unfolding information about his money laundering and shady deals with Russian oligarchs. But, billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, in a tweet storm, argued that Trump is not smart enough to have colluded with the Russians. Instead, Cuban believes that Trump’s business deals with Russians have made him a lot of money and thereby earned his gratitude and loyalty.
Trump’s affinity to Putin and Russian oligarchs as payback for his services as their money launderer may not be a sufficient reason for the general public to ignore collusion with the Russians. But it may be more than sufficient for a Republican Congress to avoid seriously pursuing an investigation of collusion allegations against Trump. After all, it could explain to business friendly members of Congress why Trump and his associates clandestinely met with known Russian thugs and criminals, including some with ties to Russian intelligence. Republicans, priding themselves on understanding and empathizing with the businessmen, might be willing to overlook shady business deals, even if they are not willing to ignore colluding with a foreign power to undermine an U.S. election.
Admittedly, this distraction is similar to an alibi a killer might use who says I was robbing a bank at when the victim was killed. But, it is may be the only one that Trump has left to try and obfuscate his ties to Putin’s anti-American geopolitical goals.
From these two examples, and many others, it is clear that Trump is a serial liar. What is not clear is why he lies about events that can be demonstrably shown to be lies. Some observers have argued that it is because Trump is so desperate to distract the public’s attention, he is unconcerned about how they view his truthfulness. Other observers, however, see Trump’s lies as a symptom of mental impairment. They note that the way he speaks is highly suggestive of someone who is suffering from dementia.
As anyone who has been around a parent suffering from dementia will tell you, the number of unique words and non-specific nouns they use decreases. It is incredibly sad to hear that loved one repeat the same phrases and stories or to hear them trail off in the middle of the sentence. But, as must also be true of Trump's supporters, we learn to accept our loved one's ever increasingly simplistic speech as normal. What good would it do to correct them or ask for clarification?
Through his simplified speech, Trump turns objective facts about events into his perception of those events. He has a right to have his opinion of what he has perceived. But, for the President of the U.S. to have his own unique perception of events endangers the entire world. The mainstream media does not know what to make of Trump’s submersion in his own reality. And so they seem intent on learning how to accept it. Many of us, however, have careened from being concerned to being slightly nauseated as we see the dangers of having a demented President contend with North Korea and the rest of the world.
But, even if we believe dementia is the reason for Trump’s serial lying, we cannot completely dismiss the possibility that some of Trump’s serial lying was also used to distract from other issues. Whatever mental deficiencies may plague Trump’s mind, he has had more than 50 years of experience as a marketer and decades of experience as a media personality. It is possible that some well-learned behaviors are not affected by all forms of dementia. Also, Trump’s family and staff are capable of highlighting events designed to distract the public from events Trump might find disagreeable.
While the Trump Administration claimed that Trump’s decision to launch missiles against Syria was to enforce a red line and to address Ivanka’s concern about Syrian children being gassed, some observers believe the attack was also launched to counter the growing number of unflattering stories about Trump. These stories included his continuing deference and possible collusion with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, and a floundering administration due to his inability to govern and lead the country. Although the 59 Tomahawk missiles did little damage to the airfield they struck, the Main Stream Media abruptly turned from criticism of the Trump Administration to praising it.
Congressional testimony by former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates has raised embarrassing questions about why President Trump allowed Ret. General Michael Flynn, an admitted foreign agent, access to top secret information. At the same time as Yates’ testimony his Administration has floated plans to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Even if this increase is militarily sensible, the timing of the announcement is consistent with the Administration’s attempt to distract from yet another discovery in Trump’s ongoing Russian saga.
One of the biggest possible distractions from allegations of Trump’s collusion with Russian interference in our 2016 election is the unfolding information about his money laundering and shady deals with Russian oligarchs. But, billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, in a tweet storm, argued that Trump is not smart enough to have colluded with the Russians. Instead, Cuban believes that Trump’s business deals with Russians have made him a lot of money and thereby earned his gratitude and loyalty.
Trump’s affinity to Putin and Russian oligarchs as payback for his services as their money launderer may not be a sufficient reason for the general public to ignore collusion with the Russians. But it may be more than sufficient for a Republican Congress to avoid seriously pursuing an investigation of collusion allegations against Trump. After all, it could explain to business friendly members of Congress why Trump and his associates clandestinely met with known Russian thugs and criminals, including some with ties to Russian intelligence. Republicans, priding themselves on understanding and empathizing with the businessmen, might be willing to overlook shady business deals, even if they are not willing to ignore colluding with a foreign power to undermine an U.S. election.
Admittedly, this distraction is similar to an alibi a killer might use who says I was robbing a bank at when the victim was killed. But, it is may be the only one that Trump has left to try and obfuscate his ties to Putin’s anti-American geopolitical goals.