Merged Why does Trump lie about EVERYTHING?/Commander in Cheat

[TurkeysGhost]

To be honest, telling obvious lies and having the other powerful people accept it is quite the exhibition of authority. Trump's authority over the Republican party is so complete, things like truth aren't really important.

Many authoritarians tell obvious whoppers. It's just the way they flex their muscles.

 

[PhantomWolf]

The worst thing about Trump's lying is that he often lies about things that he doesn't need to lie about. There has been cases where he is lied about the US Economy when it was doing well enough that telling the truth would have been just as if not more beneficial to him. That's a problem, because when your lies actually obscure a beneficial truth, you have a major issue.

 

[portlandatheist]

It stuns me. I haven't liked a single Republican president of my life time. But I understood their appeal. Trump is truly a despicable human being absent of any redeeming character I can see. I have never seen a single person in my entire life more self centered, more rude and more dishonest.

A very distant second was one of my older brothers who lied and exaggerated a lot. The difference being, my brother went to prison and deserved it. Trump is much worse and the country made him President.

I don't get it.

I'm sorry about your brother. Your thoughts are the same as those of mine. If I were a life long dyed in the wool conservative, my thoughts wouldn't be any different. I've had complete and utter contempt for Trump since the 1980's at a time I had no thoughts whatsoever about politics or which party I should vote for. He is the 7 deadly sins and none of the 4 virtues. I don't get it either. My bus driver that takes me to work each day (before the pandemic) is far more deserving and capable of the presidency than Trump.

 

[fishbob]

Mental illness and simple despicableness (despicability?) aside, I still think Putin has some kind of Russian Pee Hooker video. Anything Trump can say to make Putin think he is weakening the United States is what comes out of his deranged mouth.

 

[Ladewig]

Mental illness and simple despicableness (despicability?) aside, I still think Putin has some kind of Russian Pee Hooker video. Anything Trump can say to make Putin think he is weakening the United States is what comes out of his deranged mouth.

My fear is that the truth of the matter is much worse than a video with hookers. After all, President Trump could discount any video by saying “hookers? Really? Who is going to believe someone as handsome, charming, and sophisticated as myself would ever pay for it.” And his followers would lap it up.

I fear that Putin simply told him. After you leave office I am going to give you 3 square miles in downtown Moscow and I’m going to rename that area “Donald Trump City.” This POTUS is so easily played, so vain, and so greedy that blackmail isn’t necessary.

 

[Ladewig]

As for the thread’s topic, I posit that technically, he isn’t lying at all.

Lying requires someone knowing the truth and then attempting to deceive others by describing something other than the truth. Pres. Trump doesn’t care what the truth is. That makes him a BSer.

Almost all of his behavior can be explained by assuming that he walks into a room and says to himself, “what specific words must I say to make these people right here give me applause.” That’s how he can unashamedly contradict himself. Tha’s why he gets so upset when someone points out what he just said is the opposite of what he said yesterday. The foundation of his message is “pay attention to what I am saying now! Ignore everything else I have ever said. Only right now matters.”

He doesn’t read briefing folders because the facts don’t matter to a BSer. He just slings the bull as he sees fit.

 

[Stacyhs]

People seem to forget that Trump was elected!!

Why did America elect a known liar?

It would be expected that by now his approval rating would be near zero but it is not. His approval rating is almost the same since before he was elected President which means America is satisfied with the known liar?

Why does a known liar appeal to America?

Who has really gone mad- Trump or America??

He was elected for many reasons. People who have a one or two subject agenda such as getting rid of Roe v Wade, fear of having their guns taken away, racism, bigotry, immigration, religion...the list is endless. As long as the candidate opposes whatever they oppose, they ignore everything else.

Attraction to authoritarianism is another one. Conservatives, especially the far right, tend toward this much more than Democrats. Trump is definitely an authoritarian figure. The mind that is attracted to authoritarianism also tends to accept whatever the authority figure tells them. You can see this in cults where whatever the cult leaders says, no matter how extreme, is just accepted. Even to the point of committing suicide if told to or giving up one's children or spouse to the cult leader. Think of Jim Jones and Jonestown, Mormon fundamentalist Warren Jeffries or the Heaven's Gate mass suicide.

 

[alfaniner]

Mental illness and simple despicableness (despicability?) aside, I still think Putin has some kind of Russian Pee Hooker video. Anything Trump can say to make Putin think he is weakening the United States is what comes out of his deranged mouth.

At this point I don't think he would even be upset by the release of a pee tape, nor would his supporters be affected, nor would anyone else be shocked, and there would be no repercussions at all.

 

[Trebuchet]

As for the thread’s topic, I posit that technically, he isn’t lying at all.

Lying requires someone knowing the truth and then attempting to deceive others by describing something other than the truth. Pres. Trump doesn’t care what the truth is. That makes him a BSer.

Almost all of his behavior can be explained by assuming that he walks into a room and says to himself, “what specific words must I say to make these people right here give me applause.” That’s how he can unashamedly contradict himself. Tha’s why he gets so upset when someone points out what he just said is the opposite of what he said yesterday. The foundation of his message is “pay attention to what I am saying now! Ignore everything else I have ever said. Only right now matters.”

He doesn’t read briefing folders because the facts don’t matter to a BSer. He just slings the bull as he sees fit.

I'd say often it's just a stream of consciousness thing. Where it goes into active lying is when he defends what just tumbled out of his mouth previously.

 

[Ladewig]

Attraction to authoritarianism is another one. Conservatives, especially the far right, tend toward this much more than Democrats. Trump is definitely an authoritarian figure. The mind that is attracted to authoritarianism also tends to accept whatever the authority figure tells them. You can see this in cults where whatever the cult leaders says, no matter how extreme, is just accepted. Even to the point of committing suicide if told to or giving up one's children or spouse to the cult leader. Think of Jim Jones and Jonestown, Mormon fundamentalist Warren Jeffries or the Heaven's Gate mass suicide.

Yep.
Our younger members may not know the etymology of “drink the Kool-Aid.” That was Jim Jones.

Sadly, I’ve come to conclude that one can never undrink the Kool-Aid. The majority of Trump followers can never be talked out of their belief in the greatness of President Trump. That’s why some of them talk of taking up arms if Trump isn’t re-elected. In their minds, the only possible reason the greatest president in history doesn’t win in 2020 is voter fraud.

 

[C_Felix]

Certainly possible.

Also possible is it’s learned behavior. Hardfast rules first gleaned from Roy Cohn, and later refined by Roger Stone. Never admit you’re wrong. Take credit for everything good, blame others for everything bad. Praise those who are useful to you. Belittle and mock and caricature anyone who dare oppose you.

I think a sane person could just make a conscious effort to follow those rules. Which, we have to admit, got a very small man all the way to the White House. But I suspect over the years these rules have been internalized to the extent they are indistinguishable from a mental disorder. And as such, may have actually become a mental disorder.

I think it is more likely that he knows absolutely nothing at all about anything, and will simply make **** up that he thinks sounds good.

His head is basically empty, but for the basic reptilian instincts. If it wasn't for his thick skull, the vacuum would drag his ears in. And he has been determined to be profoundly ignorant since childhood. Nobody has ever said NO to him, or forced him to actually pay attention and learn, or made him own up to his mistakes. His narcissism has been fed juicy red meat for all his life.

So his ability to reason out problems and avoid pitfalls based on prior knowledge is zero because he doesn't retain any prior knowledge. Having never experienced negative feedback means he believes anything he says is gospel and profound. So any resistance, any kickback, any questioning is an assault on his narcissistic castle, leading to towering anger and bitter denial.

So it is not so much that he lies all the time so much as he lives in a fairy tale land in his head. He thinks he is all-knowing and thus his truths are the only ones he accepts. When reality bites and shows him he is profoundly wrong, he continues to insist he is right because he has never learned to learn otherwise.

To me, the highlighted portions are key (which is why I highlighted them.)

I believe he's been able to surround himself with sycophantic "yes" men during his whole adult life. If he said something dumb, illogical, something others new would lose money, I have a feeling those in the room would just nod and say, "yes."

He's never been called out on his exaggerations or lies or whatever the correct terms might be; and that's carried over into his presidency.

 

[Ladewig]

I'd say often it's just a stream of consciousness thing. Where it goes into active lying is when he defends what just tumbled out of his mouth previously.

Well, yes. Once someone says “what you just said is wrong,” or worse, “the facts indicate that what you just said is indefensibly wrong.” He goes into defense mode. Just before he starts yelling, “you’re a poopy-head and nobody likes you,” he’ll say things like “academics have been calling me to tell me how right I am on this subject.” There are a lot of lies that pop out of his mouth once he has been triggered.

 

[slyjoe]

...snip

Think of Jim Jones and Jonestown, Mormon fundamentalist Warren Jeffries or the Heaven's Gate mass suicide.

You mean Warren Jeffs, right?

Or Robert Jeffress, the sycophant evangelical who is a big Trump supporter.

 

[Garrison]

People seem to forget that Trump was elected!!

Why did America elect a known liar?

It would be expected that by now his approval rating would be near zero but it is not. His approval rating is almost the same since before he was elected President which means America is satisfied with the known liar?

Why does a known liar appeal to America?

Who has really gone mad- Trump or America??

Trump got elected because his lies told a relatively small group of voters what they needed to hear, that the clock could be turned back, that the well paying jobs they used to have could come back, regardless of the fact that many of those jobs have simply ceased to exist due to automation or were dying industries. What he did to the voters was no different to what he did to the people who signed up for courses at Trump University.

 

[carrps]

To me, the highlighted portions are key (which is why I highlighted them.)

I believe he's been able to surround himself with sycophantic "yes" men during his whole adult life. If he said something dumb, illogical, something others new would lose money, I have a feeling those in the room would just nod and say, "yes."

He's never been called out on his exaggerations or lies or whatever the correct terms might be; and that's carried over into his presidency.

Yes. He's always run a family business. He was always the boss. He's never had to work with people, so he doesn't know how to do it. He just expects anything he says goes.

 

[theprestige]

My question is this. Why does Trump feel the need to lie about everything and why do some people ignore this?

Trump is so used to exaggerating, it has become his standard approach to anything. Most people lie from time to time, but they aren't compelled to make things up when there is little reason to.

Any theories?

My only theory is that he doesn't lie about everything, that you don't believe he lies about everything, and that the only real question is when do you find it expedient to say he lies about everything even though you don't believe it.

 

[Trebuchet]

Trump got elected because his lies told a relatively small group of voters what they needed to hear, that the clock could be turned back, that the well paying jobs they used to have could come back, regardless of the fact that many of those jobs have simply ceased to exist due to automation or were dying industries. What he did to the voters was no different to what he did to the people who signed up for courses at Trump University.

And not just that the jobs could come back, but that certain "others" -- Mexicans, China, etc -- were responsible for them going away in the first place.

 

[phiwum]

My only theory is that he doesn't lie about everything, that you don't believe he lies about everything, and that the only real question is when do you find it expedient to say he lies about everything even though you don't believe it.

Ooh! Burn!

A non-literal us of the word "everything" is just the same as Trump's many lies. Libs are no better than Trump!

Well, that's it then. Thread over.

 

[wasapi]

I don't believe Trump could stop lying if he wanted to. It is as if was born with it and could no more change it then he could change his DNA or blood type. It is his nature. If his environment growing up contributed to his ability to lie, I don't know. But it seems like second-nature for him.

 

[Resume]

He's a narcissist; it's part of the pathology.