When strongman Philip of Hesse asked Luther for permission to divorce his wife and marry his mistress, Luther counselled polygamy instead. If rumor gets out, Luther said, "just tell the big one." Archbishop Kramer was Henry VIII's pastor, secret police, and political fixer. When Henry needed to change wives it was Kramer's task to find adultery. Preacher's daughter, Frau Merkel, learned to ply those dark arts more subtly, by casting her remarks in the broadest possibly terms. As a scientist, she knows precisely the terms the situation calls for, but proffers bland categories instead. We call this political speech, the expedient of latitude granted the diplomat. After all, a carefully placed lie to the American people days before D Day is worth ten divisions. Then there's equivocation: speech with mental reservation. None can outdo the present day Pope here. Which of his utterances is not subject to two interpretations? Like every other politician, he has to trade personal conviction for political convenience, while pretending otherwise. This is arguably double-speak, but as we learn from Machiavelli, the politician's greatest asset. The US spends billions each year refining the art of deceit: the CIA. But if a good lie is worth ten divisions, is political lying not a virtue? When you play with fire on this level, are you not cultivating arsonists? A lie here is only a lie when put under oath by the truth determiner: the government.
3
A fun thought:
With every untruth Trump utters, he reverses the process. Little boy to wooden dummy.
32
In order to maintain the highest level of journalistic integrity The New York Times has a special place where it openly corrects its errors.
https://www.nytimes.com/section/corrections
Shouldn't Trump attempt to correct even one of his?
20
First, Mr. Cohen, 1 does not "pose a question:" Bad word usage. 1 formulates a question, but POSES a problem!This lesson in word usage was first indicated to me by Anne Wilson, late editor at Carnegie Foundation, which contracted me and a colleague, Bernard Phillips, author of "Easy Terms,"a good read, to translate from the French "Le Conflit Franco-Marocain,"by Stephane Bernard. U can look it up! Second, "secret de Polichinelle " that real estate dealers r deceitful, will do or say anything to make a deal, Breslin wrote about "hovels" DT marketed back in the day for hundreds of thousands. Also, see my video,"Alexander Harrison lectures a realtor on ethical conduct or lack thereof,"Youtube.com.Finally,recall also Saint Juste's words that no one can rule guiltlessly! Was De Gaulle not indulging in mendacity when he told pieds noirs @ Mostaganem in 1958 , "Je vous ai comrpis,"and promised to keep Algeria French, then gave it away to FLN @ EVIAN 4 years later! Wake up and smell the coffee, "s'il vous plait!"
2
While being very pleased with the work Mr. Kessler is doing, I am sick and tired of “political correctness”. Because Democrats love PC so, it’s part of the reason we have a psychotic narcissist in the WH!
And so, why oh why can’t Mr. Kessler, and all PC “police” start calling someone who lies about a FACT a LIAR, and why oh why can’t we start calling that persons deranged comments about facts for what they really are: LIES?
“Pinocchio’s”? Give me a break...
72
I believe the Canadian songwriter Bruce Cockburn may have been expanding on Czeslaw Milosz's words about the indispensability of the poet in a totalitarian world when he wrote "Maybe the Poet":
Maybe the poet is gay
But he'll be heard anyway
Maybe the poet is drugged
But he won't stay under the rug
Maybe the voice of the spirit
In which case you'd better hear it
Maybe he's a woman
Who can touch you where you're human
Male female slave or free
Peaceful or disorderly
Maybe you and he will not agree
But you need him to show you new ways to see
Don't let the system fool you
All it wants to do is rule you
Pay attention to the poet
You need him and you know it
Put him up against the wall
Shoot him up with pentothal
Shoot him up with lead
You won't call back what's been said
Put him in the ground
But one day you'll look around
There'll be a face you don't know
Voicing thoughts you've heard before
Male female slave or free
Peaceful or disorderly
Maybe you and he will not agree
But you need him to show you new ways to see
Don't let the system fool you
All it wants to do is rule you
Pay attention to the poet
You need him and you know it
33
A striking question: "Is journalism remotely adequate to describe the moral decay and mind bending corruption, material and spiritual" of this presidency? Not on its own. So I'm pleased its counterpart and sometimes rival, poetry, appeared in the form of Milosz's verses. Washington may never have been a "faithful" city but Isaiah idealized what a capital city should be by leveling this material-spiritual poetic protest against Trump's corrupt precursor:
Alas, she has become a harlot,
The faithful city
That was filled with justice,
Where righteousness dwelt—
But now murderers.
Your silver has turned to dross;
Your wine is cut with water.
Your rulers are rogues
And cronies of thieves,
Every one avid for presents
And greedy for gifts;
They do not judge the case of the orphan,
And the widow’s cause never reaches them. Isaiah 1.16-17, .21-23 (Jewish Study Bible)
19
Glenn Kessler keeping a database of "every presidential untruth president Trump utters"?
I would say he does more harm than service to society, Kessler I mean, not Trump. This act by Kessler gives the illusion that truth is rather easily discovered, that in fact all it takes is one person compiling a database, that American society is a system in which there is a not difficult to discover truth foundation to be had beneath a layer of falsity which changes depending on, for example, what president is in office, and all it takes is a single reporter compiling a database, and meanwhile the rest of the citizenry can just go on with their lives and reference the database now and then, or even rather easily compile one themselves, because after all, how difficult is it really to arrive at the truth if Glen Kessler at the Wash. Post can arrive at The Truth and a Database of Truth and Lies?
Call it the Eyeglass Theory of the Truth: The American citizens go on with their lives and if the lens of truth becomes a little smeared with untruth we have good reporters at the national newspapers wiping off the lens and voila! there is truth again in all her glory! No need really for a profound scientific/humanistic enlightening of society in all its processes, just have science in certain areas, continued development of technology/technocratic bureaucracy, continued decline of the humanities, and Databases of Truth easily compiled while we sip our morning coffee. Now that's reality!
1
Trump is our P. T. Barnum, without Barnum’s class. He is our Pandora who didn’t save Hope. Barnum, who ran unsuccessfully for president, understood human nature. He knew human weakness was a business opportunity, asserting, “Nobody ever lost a dollar by underestimating the taste of the American public.”. Trump has made a living creating a false notion of class for people to purchase in a culture where class matters more than race. By discrediting the truth and raising the value of lies he has sold his supporters on his alternative reality where daily he sells new falsehoods. Through lying frequently and boldly, he has opened th box of evils, forever freeing the demon that “all politicians lie”; Hope has escaped. That is Trump’s legacy.
29
Help from the north! Daniel Dale of the Toronto Star also documents Trump's lies: https://www.thestar.com/news/donald-trump-fact-check.html
43
It is time to give Pinnochio a break and to re-label the lies as “Trumps.” He is a bigger liar than Pinnochio ever was.
80
History will record Trump for what he is, a liar and an incompetent. History will not be kind to the American public in general for having elected him as president.
128
That the Trump base celebrates this lying snake only further proves the depths of the massive problem Trump is for America.
90
Trump has never served in the military but has humiliated a gold star family and denigrated John McCain for being captured in battle; he has a history of overt misogyny; he has condoned racial violence in Charlottesville, locked children in cages, derided LeBron James for helping children, aided and abetted Vladimir Putin’s Russia, weakened our position on the Korean peninsula for personal gain, embraced dictators worldwide, sparked trade wars, consistently taken all that he can get for himself, lied about such things as Mexico paying for his Wall and creating better and cheaper health care for his fellow citizens, installed the most vapid and feckless cronies as Cabinet members, has promoted evisceration of public education and has done nothing to refurbish crumbling domestic infrastructure; he has withdrawn from the Paris Accord, ripped up the Iran deal, and worked to destabilize our NATO allies. Trump has pivoted from “fake news” to calling the free press the “enemy of the American people,” potentially placing the lives of journalists at risk.
These are no lies. They are the most damning truths of all.
160
I really, really wish we would stop using poor Pinocchio as the whipping boy for lying. First of all he's a cartoon figure and second of all his head is made of wood. If we have a wooden headed, lying cartoon president wouldn't he make a better representative for the sin of lying than the colorful, but unreal, Pinocchio?
26
Of course truth or untruth is irrelevant to Trump. What matters is applause, what sells, what gets attention, what flatters. This road was paved by Fox & the right wing media. It's only a few degrees more dishonest than the Clintons' "triangulation." Don't be surprised if, in another 20 years, no one, Republican or Democrat, understands the point of saying what is true vs. saying what people want to hear.
21
“You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Versus “You can’t handle the truth.” In many ways, both of these statements are true.
Metaphorically, truth is in the eyes of the beholder. It’s like the movie “Snowden” by Oliver Stone that was just released. I watched it last night and was very confused, because I saw a reflection from the other side of the mirror. Have I been wrong all along about Snowden? Is he a patriot instead of a trader? Who can tell me the real truth? In order to find that truth, I need to question everything including Oliver Stone who has been know to stretch the truth. Talk about a Pinocchio. This is the way I see the electorate that currently supports Trump. They’re not willing to look at the other side of the mirror of Truth. Half Truth’s can be more dangerous than an outright lie.
5
Why does Trump lie? Let me count the ways.
He lies to self-aggrandize.
He lies to make money.
He lies to deny reality.
He lies to entertain “his” gallery.
He lies to demean others.
He lies to hide his ignorance.
He lies to manipulate.
He lies to cheat (women, contractors, golf)
He lies to defraud.
But worst of all, despite the efforts of Mr. Kessler and others-
He lies because he can.
91
Talk about 'Pinocchios'. A 'run in' with a wine glass? Someone's been listening to Trump for too long.
Thank you, Mr. Kessler. Thank you, free press. And please, Mr. Editor, consider calling a Pinocchio a lie. State the facts.
39
"Banks tended not to trumpet ["covfefe"]’s falsehoods; they just declined further loans."
Beautifully and concisely stated. Perhaps those at The Media can learn from said banks and deny both his empty podiums and his empty self further tweetblabtime[1], and keep reporting on his (and, let's remember, his party-cult's) vile, vile policies.
But do keep taking those lovely photos, with names and employers, of the thoroughly fireable racists who attend his rallies. I agree with him that The Media doesn't do that nearly enough.
Kessler (and others like Politifact) are heroes. I agree with herzliebster that Baron—and here, Baquet—need to let the truth about his "lie"s be said. It's a powerful word, all the more appropriate for powerful fiends.
[1] Instead of denying it to full rallies of those Scary Socialists like Bernie and AOC.
3
Pathological liars lie pathologically. They are the subject of psychological study. Their lying is a product of a personality disorder. And counting their lies is like counting the number of times someone with OCD washes his hands. It is a meaningless exercise, fun for the feeble-minded. Anyone with an abacus counting Trump's lies is not firing on all cylinders. I don't know this fellow Kessler, but if he goes down in history, it will be alongside Falstaff and Homer Simpson.
I haven't believed anything Trump says since Day 1. And I know he is lying whenever he opens his mouth. I assume anybody with sense is with me and they've learned not to believe the guy. That's the common sense reaction. Counting Trump's lies is like counting the truths told by Obama. Mr. Cohen should be recommending a psychiatrist to Mr. Kessler. Encouraging him to keep counting is harmful to his mental health.
6
As one who suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder, it is clear that Trump believes his own untruths. But it is quite shocking, sad, and scary that millions of Americans also have come to believe in his untruths. Is it possible that that many Americans are also narcissists? Or are they ignorant and gullible? You decide.
8
His followers love his lies, not because they believe them, but for the same reason they love his adulterated finances and his adulterated marriage --> that he always gets away with it signifies power, which they admire and envy.
67
Copy and Paste this article then use it to riposte those who defend Trump's madness.
6
Please, someone, explain again why the Washington Post will not refer to lies as lies?
17
Glenn Kessler is an modern day American Hero chronicling an American embarrassment and disgrace.
18
4229 lies is only the tip of the melting iceberg. Imagine the lies he tells his wife, children, friends(make that lawyers, he has no friends), mistresses and himself. The Liar In Chief lives by the lie and he will surely die by the lie.
I don't envy Glenn Kessler his job, but we should all applaud him.
59
I keep coming back to this single and very scary thought, while Trump in and of himself is a truly incompetent fool of a human, the fact that he has somewhere around a 40 percent approval rating of my fellow citizens is the really scary thought. In a word how low would they possibly go?
39
First, thank you Mr. Kessler and keep up this fine and important work.
Many comments here ask the same question; "how can Trump supporters swallow his lies and ignore his moral depravity." In my experience, the answer lies simply in our starkly divergent sources of media and information. The ~40% of our populace who support Trump receive information from one and only one source, FOX. Until FOX says the words "Trump is a pathological liar", they will never hear that message. It's just that simple. When I (gently) ask a Trump supporter how they can ignore his lies, I get a blank look and a "what do you mean?". Rupert Murdoch has created a monolithic voting block whose key characteristics are intellectual laziness and racism. This block doesn't read, ever. They don't read the NYT or WP, or books of any kind, and they don't watch CNN, MSNBC, or any mainstream media. They simply live in an alternative FOX universe, and always will, period. As others state here, I do think all media outlets are doing the country a disservice by reporting Trump's lies and depravity in language reserved for a normal president. "TRUMP LIES AGAIN" should be the headlines! Always ask a Trump supporter if they can cite 3 corroborating sources for their information, and offer an alternative. Our future comes down to a simple problem; the 30% of our population that are public policy idiots are dictating terms to the informed 60% who did not vote. Only voting in Nov will fix it.
76
While it is encouraging that someone is keeping a record of the staggering number of lies uttered by our president, I can't help wishing that Mr. Kessler's methods had been used to keep track of the children so cavalierly separated from their parents at our southern border.
Priorities!
5
Support in Israel for Trump is even higher than in the US. Are they more gullible than the Americans? Well, he kept his promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
If Trump keeps his promise to impose a 20% tariff on Mercedes Benz none of his untruths matter to the American automobile workers. - And this is true for his overall economic nationalism.
Somehow counting his lies misses the point.
5
Untruths, lies, prevarications, obfuscating are the enemy of democracy. Politicians stretch the truth but lying should have some consequences. Make it a crime?
3
Does any of this matter? If Editors decree that the word "lie" or "lying" can NOT be used, what's the point? When even papers are normalizing and therefore overlooking Trump lies, the truth is not being valued. It took the NYT over a year to use the word 'lie'.
For where I sit or read if you will, Trump's assault on the Truth is winning. Everyone HAS to kowtow to the Office Trump holds. He knows that and wields a huge hammer smashing as he goes. He LIES but Macron or PM May still have to talk to him.
Here at home Trump LIES and the MSM covers every one of them at his LIE rallies with no real time fact checking so he gets away once again.
This is the only thing that Trump excels at. He is a master manipulator of social media and the press and he has the winning hand right now.
I wish Mr. Kessler well. Someday Congress and half of America may join the rest of us and actually care about Trump's LIES.
Until then .......
4
The poet, Kessler, remembers.
3
Trump is a classic bully and con man. New Yorkers, everyone in real estate, and bankers already knew that, but people, say, in South Dakota did not. Why would they?
So Trump's president...but it's just a matter of time.
You can only run a con so many times on the same people before eventually they catch on...
19
Thanks for this, and for recognizing Glenn Kessler of the "fake news" Washington Post. Yes, those lies matter a lot, even as the tally takes on truly stupendous heights. Keep it up for all of us in order for all to endure and importantly, too, in order to avoid ennui. These be interesting times! Folly and infamy rain/reign on us and must be challenged and defeated.
6
“Oh, we have to make sure you’re able to type!”
And type fast. Keeping up with Trump’s lies demands much more than hunt and peck.
6
I'm astonished, reading these many comments, that not one person mentions racism as an explanation for Trump's rabid followers' eager willingness to swallow every falsehood he utters. The brand Trump is championing with his ceaseless torrent of bald-faced lies is white supremacy, and it is a brand that millions of Americans have apparently been craving for the past eight years.
28
Trump's supporters know he lies. They don't care. It's just part of his act. He's funny. He's entertaining. Like no politician past or present. His performances are mesmerizing. He has "sold-out" audiences. And the rich and richer love his tax cuts. Not so much his tariffs, but they're a good excuse to raise consumer prices.
11
Yes only a Trump voter doesn't know Trump lies. More importantly, however, is the treason that has occurred and is occurring every day. Roger should write about the treason not the lies.
PROSECUTE RUSSIAGATE!
3
Trumpian's indefinite somnambulism may be frayed to the point of have to wake and see the tragedy - a president who is not only using them in a vile parody of power, but malforms the very meaning of service into a salacious mockery of truth.
5
The right thinks there's method in the madness. The left thinks there's just madness.
16
Kessler's work will be invaluable when it comes time to retire 45's jersey. He will be henceforth known as GLOAT, greatest liar of all time, and he will have earned the title, perhaps the only thing in his life he really did earn by himself.
14
Only the new lies are entertaining. There have been so few. It is as if Trumpy's imagination is decaying. There seems to be at least as much disintegration in the name- calling too, sticking to the ones already used too often. Apparently the man-child is growing world-weary or needs a lot more naps now.
6
Recording the seemingly endless stream of lies that come from Mr. Trump's mouth is yeoman's work. I doubt that Mr. Kessler and his colleagues work will lead the way to his fall, but when it comes, the complete list of his lies will form a remarkable historical record that will be mulled over for decades to come as we dig out from this landslide of corruption and crimes.
496
As head of the Republican Party, when Trump lies the Party lies. Lying is what the Party does which is why they thrive on falsehoods. Twenty plus years of Fox News has an effect. Birtherism was a lie. Benghazi was a lie. Clinton’s emails were a lie. Bush’s WMD were a lie. The list could go on and on. Trump is the heart and soul of the Republican Party.
788
Yes. Trump is not an aberration.
6
@BillC
*The 'swift-boating' of John Kerry was a lie.
*The Willie Horton ad campaign was a lie.
*John McCain's illegitimate black child was a lie.
*The Republican position on global warming is a lie.
*The (rather mainstream southern) notion that the Civil War was not fought over slavery is a lie.
Lies. Lies! ALL LIES!!!
6
Yes, the poet remembers. That's the role of poetry, of art, and, of course, of newspapers. But our problem is that they don't read poetry, they don't need art, and they have no use for newspapers. What good will those memories be when they're trampled under jack boots
In Gore Vidal's memorable phrase, we live in the United States of Amnesia.
I don't want memories, no matter how poetic. I have plenty of those of my dead ancestors, also crushed under jack boots. I want life.
We live in the United States of Vericide, the assassination of truth. I wish that every reporter and correspondent at every press conference would simply stand up and say: "Mr. President! What you just said is a lie!" And as the reporters were thrown out one by one we could at least feel that we weren't in collusion.
907
@SeraThank you for this, I would hope more of us will be able to restore what we are losing as a society.
30
@Sera I agree, and in Australia with a trump-like government run by one M Turnbull, we see the same. But we have to cling not only to the Fourth Estate, but also the Judiciary. Gates and Mannafort must answer the questions under oath. It's also heartening in Australia to be witnessing a "Royal Commission" into financial services. Top bank managers have never, it seems, been asked before to tell the truth under oath. A pretty staid former judge, Commissioner Hayne, has asked very telling questions of top bankers about whether they considered they were committing a crime/ or quite a few crimes. The arrogance and cover-ups over what is clearly a business model in banking that does nothing socially/economically useful but lives on a bursting housing bubble is the underlying problem.
34
Sera, I am grateful, and feel just a bit more bolstered this morning, by your strikingly simple and urgent proposal: whenever untruth has been/can be verified (Kessler scale: a three or a four), EVERY such utterance of the Person Posing as President, in EVERY setting, EVERY day ought to be publicly, firmly, unequivocally and unapologetically named a lie. I'd even add 'damnable,' though I'm sure that would sound antique to some, and too inflammatory to others. But, what if...it's true (aha!), in real senses, and not merely the PPP but our democracy itself is barreling down that very road?
1
Through Roger Cohen, Glenn Kessler performs the essential duty of chronicling "the moral decay and mind-bending corruption, material and spiritual, of the Trump administration."
The danger to the Republic is that the body politic becomes so wearily worn-down that it ceases caring. We have a country to save here; ennui is no excuse for failing to do our individual parts.
27
Trump makes it possible for his vaunted base to navigate the world without thinking, reading, judging or learning. It codifies all of their prejudices and reaffirms their simplistic world view. I understand the attraction to such a leader.
But if what they really want are decent jobs and health care that actually covers real maladies, they need to get off the trump train and attend to reality. Only then will their lives begin to improve.
26
I know this will sound rude, but, my strategy for getting through a social gathering with Trump followers present, is googling on my phone the false facts that I am told during the evening. I don't keep count, I am more entertained by who at the end of the evening has uttered the biggest lie---declaring a winner makes for a pleasant drive home.
11
@ACJ
You still go to those? I've gone into hiding. I know that's probably how they'll win, but I'm just too old for this, and arguing with them has zero effect. They keep yelling 'fake news.'
6
Maybe Mr. Kessler can start awarding Pinocchio's to Huckabee Sanders, Kelly, and all the rest of Trump's enablers. I do grant that this would a humungous task, but exposure to all of the lies by Trump's appointed officials and the Congressional Republicans, not to mention his family, would really point out how deep this corruption goes.
Putin is actually the tip of the iceberg. A chilling thought.
23
@Jean
Sanders and Conway are supposed to be God-fearing Christians and mothers. Sanders’ father is/was a minister. Isn’t lying a sin? What are they teaching their children? What is the point of going to Church on Sunday when you lie and cheat on the other 6 days?
18
When politicians lie it is much more serious than simple deception. Political lies are propaganda that harm our democracy and our union. Politicians who lie should be punished severely for undermining our electoral process, political lies, propaganda, should be considered the most heinous crime in a democracy because propaganda takes away the ability of the people to give "informed consent" to those who govern us.
20
"Is journalism remotely adequate to describe the moral decay and mind-bending corruption, material and spiritual, of the Trump administration?" The answer is probably no. While Trump's lies have created "a realm of his own," Kessler himself is bound by some weird Washpo rule that you can't call a lie a lie -- even as Trump averages 7.5 a day.
9
Assuming Trump makes it to 2020 as a candidate, I recommend (and have recommended to Perez) Michael Avenatti as the candidate for the Democratic party. We need a fighter, not a malleable Pelosi or Schumer, if our party is to be seen as something other than Republican-lite. A recent example of this is Perez's backtracking on accepting donations from fossil fuel companies. Avenatti is what we need in this age of the monumental con-man and liar. As he said, "When they go low, I fight back harder." He is exactly what Trump and the Republicans need: telegenic, fearless, and articulate. We don't need another professional politician.
19
@Ralph. No thanks. We already have a clown in the White House. We don't need another claiming to be the "anti-Trump".
6
@Ralph
In case you haven't noticed, we have a non-politician in the White House. How is that working out? And Pelosi and Schumer are not candidates for President.
10
How does a competent rational person give answer to a reporters questioning an attendee at donald's recent rally in Florida when asked about why she believes and supports him;
answer, "I believe everything the president says, everything".
4229 false or misleading statements collected by Glenn Kessler during the time donald took office and yet the rafters shake from the cheering mob of believers in their living messiah.
19
It is now very clear Trump often distorts, miss-states... on and on. I can make no rhyme or reason for this behavior. Thank you to those in the 4th Estate who make it their mission state the facts as we best know them.
Sencondly, we should ask why he has so many devoted followers given his behavior. I would offer his supporters want so desperately a person “who shakes things up”, “tells it like it is”, an outsider... that they overlook his obvious shortcomings. The party that nominates an honest, real, outsider... “Trump” has the potential to change the system that we all know is desperately in need of it.
4
John 8:32 "And the truth shall set you free". For what it's worth truth does free us from the misery, ignorance and fear. It's a sad sad shame that our president and his cohorts and supporters have strayed so far from truth and the freedom it offers. One only has to look at the faces of Trump, his family, his colleagues and his supporters to see the anger and contempt and fear and loathing to see their misery. Stay with the truth. Keep recording it. It is up to the rest of us to stay focused and mindful and free.
6
Does Glenn Kessler draw a salary or is he a wage earner. I fear it's the former because the Post probably couldn't afford to pay him the overtime it takes to keep up with, not to mention catalog, the torrent of Trumpian prevarications gushing from the White House.
One could almost make an iron-clad case that to tell a truth causes Trump excruciating, exquisite pain. Why else would he invariably go out of his way to avoid speaking fact.
7
@Glen. There are probably few if any facts that would advance his agenda or protect his interests.
2
Historians will examine how an American presidency parted company with facts, and will assess the toll.
I pray that it will not be too late when they do, that our entire Democracy will not have already collapsed.
18
We think it's bad now. Think of the poison that's being infused into the minds of children of his supporters. The hatred, the lying, the belief in fantastical conspiracy theories, etc. will be just part of who they are, what they believe, and what will guide their voice and actions. It feels nearly unbearable now but in a couple decades or more, imagine how this tyranny, embedded in the very fabric of our people and society, will play itself out.
Why do you think the Taliban and other terrorist groups build schools? To brainwash the children into believing this IS the way in which the world works (their view of it of course). We have this unscrupulous man spewing hatred, lies, and animosity toward virtually the entire world. What do you think those children - our sons and daughters of this nation - are starting to 'learn' from their parents and others in their circles of influence?
I fear for our children, our children's children, our country, and the world.
54
Glenn Kessler's columns and his Pinocchios point to the underbelly of American society and culture – that Americans are a terribly uneducated, gullible lot, eager to believe total nonsense and and look down on the poor, minorities, the "other." Our task is to educate, converse, and connect with these people to bring them back into the fold of rationality. Possible? Not before the midterms.
8
Calling people out for their lies implies that they are consciously evading the truth and intentionally misleading. In Trump's case, it's more likely that he doesn't care. There is no truth and no untruth.
There are only the words he wants to say at the moment to advance his cause - which in Trump's case, of course, is to: 1) Glorify himself; 2) Bully others; 3) Make himself the center of attention; 4) Evade responsibility for his actions; and 5) Avoid going to jail.
46
This is the greatest column ever written. And Roger Cohen is the greatest columnist in the world. Some one told me this. Well I heard it somewhere. I think Trump said it. Anyway we all know it is true. Or else I would not have said it.
5
Unfortunately, for all his lies (Oops! False statements) Trump still remains a teflon-president. What is much more important would be another rating, let's call it the Benedict Arnold scale for the actions that were false promises or treason (Oops! Betrayals). So, four Benedict Arnolds for providing the best, affordable health care ever instead of multiple failed attempts to repeal Obamacare that threw 13 million off the rolls and the rest with a 20 percent increase in their health care premiums. And, of course, four Benedict Arnolds for "No, no collusion!" when he openly admits, to the consternation of his "wonderful son." that the purpose of the infamous Trump Tower meeting was to collude with Russians for "dirt" on Sec. Clinton that they soon released. We need to move away from falsehoods to false acts. When you're dealing with a sociopath, and we are, the only way to judge him is by his actions. Benedict Arnold Trump has, and is, undermining our democracy at home and the very safety of the world as well. It's imperative that we separate the words from his destructive deeds.
19
Focus on his enablers and bring them down: his staff, the Supreme Court, the GOP.
Ask who do the republicans really serve, beside themselves? Certainly it's not the Base. They're just a coalition of resentment and they didn’t just happen to get together; they're a project, like Brexit, but whose project?
For the answer, just look at what the GOP and Trump are are doing: attempting to turn government into a funnel to move wealth offshore, away from taxes, away from the people, meanwhile creating a blizzard of distraction to cover it up. They are weakening Western alliances and friendships.
Look at fearless Leader, who represents money without national affiliation or loyalty; yes big MAGA man. The Russians found him offshore in the same laundry they use. The Russians and the Base made this floundering con President, propelled by the vacuum of an empty mind, some low rodent cunning, a foul mouth and a terror of the truth, which chases him constantly like Capn. Hook’s croc.
Meanwhile Putin plays his hand coolly, with a laser focus on the GOP because it America’s chief point of vulnerability. He's turned it into the realization of Joe McCarthy’s paranoid vision, a body infested, a cosmic joke. Hello Maria Butina.
There is a job to be done and it's more than Trump: it’s time to break the Republican Party with the weight of a massive majority. It can be done. The numbers are there.
31
His believers don't even believe him, and that of course is the bigger problem. Decades of Republican cynicism got them where they are.
22
I see a lighted billboard sign with the number of Pinocchios increasing each time Trump prevaricates, complete with golden arches...like a modern-day McDonald's sign proclaiming "Over 1 Billion Sold!"
28
Oh Richard The ends justify the means. Slippery slope there. I would prefer Bald eagles in the skies, manatees in the waters,sea turtles nesting on the beaches, clean air to breathe . lying is lying and remember the economic rise is due to Obama. If we survive as a country due to the machinations of this man and his cohorts that will be what history celebrates.
12
Keep the record, keep the facts, keep the evidence.
11
And yet Trump’s supporters, his “base” are so angry, hurt and disillusioned, they ignore his manipulations and lies. Journalism must move beyond chronicling the car wreck and start examining the source of the conditions thst allow people to support this horribly flawed man. Education, job training, health care. We live amid riches the world has never known, yet we have not developed a system that educates and cares for all. Let’em eat cake.
7
@Chris
Some of them may be as you depict. Most of them are doing “pretty well to well”. And what they are mostly angry about and afraid of is losing ‘White American’. They don’t want immigrants not so much because they take their jobs (most don’t want, won’t do the jobs immigrants do). They don’t want them simply because most of the immigrants aren’t white Christians. It’s racism!
16
Trump is not the phenomenon. The phenomenon is that a good deal of the public doesn’t mind, and even wants to be lied to. Over the course of the last 60 years, with the proliferation of mass media and advertising, the public has become used to being mis- led. In many circles it is not even considered wrong.
Instead of words being measured by what they mean, they are now measured by the reaction they cause. This is a result of advertising. When you are attempting to sell something, being bound to the truth is a disadvantage. The free-market of communication rejects the truth tellers, because they don’t capture the audience.
It has been foolish for the American public to think that it can allow advertising to exist unchecked, and it will not have any long-term consequences. A good part of our population craves someone telling them what they want to hear.
389
An adult not telling the truth and acting as if he does not care offers a window into his character, or lack thereof. Presidential lying is more consequential, however, because his falsehoods strike at the character of our nation.
The cumulative corrosion of lies not only erodes the faith in the words of public officials, it becomes dangerous as supporters accept lies as truth. Trump’s lies feed his GOP base like a steady diet of fast food—filling but ultimately harmful. His falsehoods reinforce their gut feelings and replace reality with a harmful fantasy.
Thomas Wood, Ethan Porter, and others have studied the effects of correcting public falsehoods. The facts may sink in, but they don’t matter. Trumpanistas remain firmly within the fold of fibs.
The broken pipe of lies spewing from the mouth of Trump spreads faster than the fact checkers can clean them up. Their mops and pails are too small and too far removed from the GOP base to re-assert a fact-based reality. Their motivated reasoning filters out the corrections, no matter how may Pinocchios are listed.
There is only one way to treat these maladies—removing Trump and his GOP enablers from power. Capping the pipe of lies may give the rest of us in the fact-based world a chance to clean up the mess.
In the meantime, the torrent of toxic tales will continue to poison the Republic.
391
A central takeaway from this piece is the sheer volume of lies trafficked by Trump. This is by design. All definitions of the term “brainwashing” include references to persistent and ongoing pressure to inculcate people to a different way of thinking, which is precisely why Trump does what he does. The genius of Trump is his ability to intuitively sense the reasons for anger among his base and exploit it for his own personal and political gain. The human mind is highly pliable, and those who are receptive to Trump’s hate and anger are easily manipulated through the use of his persistent and ongoing lying. Trump’s lies are no character flaw; they are a precise and carefully administered tool to achieve psychological dominance over a gullible group of people. I don’t think this group even suspects they are being brainwashed.
356
@RHD
Fully agree...Trump's middle wife, I believe, said he kept Hitler's speeches by his bedside. If you do not mind the nausea and read Hitler, you will quickly realize, what trump, and most wannabe dictators, have in common.
Lie to the people and give them a common enemy. Rouse fear and hatred. Frightened sheep will jump off the nearest cliff.
6
Mr. Cohen states that Trump's, how should I say this? untruths have increased. I would like to see if this or any change in the number and severity of the, ummm, untruths correlate to the threats coming from Mr. Mueller's efforts. The tighter the vise, the increase in untruths. One could also study this by Trump's behavior. Create some categories and standard measurements and see if he becomes more frantic more angry, etc. Perhaps it is just the choice of video that tv news reports, but from what is televised, he seems more erratic, more untruthful, more free associating, more uncontrolled at his rallies. If my premise obtains, watch out; when Meuller releases information on the smoking gun.
3
Reporters and editors of the Press, thank you for your integrity. Many major countries have fallen into authoritarian rule over the past couple decades: Russia, China, Turkey, Hungary, just to name a few. While the United States was a champion of liberty, we are now teetering under the current President. With Congress controlled by the administration's collaborators and the Court increasing staffed by its sympathizers, the free Press is the last barrier against this assault on liberal democracy. As long as the Press is still free to report, there is still hope that the checks and balances of our Constitutional government will right itself.
18
"Kessler is doing the poet’s work. Honor him. The database he compiles with his colleagues Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly, listing every one of Trump’s untruths, will become a reference, a talisman."
Could be. But it will also be -- and surely already is -- Holy Scripture for his worshipful supporters.
1
Thank you to the press for being heros. I hope in the weeks ahead we can be sure that truth gets as much coverage as lies. Then we go into the Nov. Elections with objective knowledge of what the effects of actions of the administration are in the U.S. and around the world.
25
Lets compare Trump supporters to those bankers, shall we? The bankers would listen to the pitch, recognize they were being played, and offer no critique, just the REJECTED stamp on the loan application. Then exclaim "Next Applicant, please". The Trump voter has the same type of meeting. They listen to the pitch, don't really care if it all adds up, and they get all giddy about the sales pitch: He's gonna make us great again. But the results will be the same. The "product" will be all shiny and new and perform as advertised at first. Then, when the mechanics start to fail, the question all Trump supporters will have to ask themselves is "Should I have given my support to this guy?" Many will go down with him, no matter what. But there will also be a large number who cut their losses and move on. You don't want to be a human Atlantic City after all. When Trump couldn't get loans from US banks because of his business reputation, he stayed in business by going to places like Russia for loans. It's a good thing Russians can't vote here. But, like Atlantic City, we will all be left to try and figure out what to do with the mess he will leave behind. One thing is certain. He didn't care what happened to Atlantic City. And he won't care what happens to the voters who supported him.
138
Speaking truth to power, fact to fiction, accountability to irresponsibility demands courage, conscience and perseverance.
Your antidotes have become the gold standard for mitigating and reversing this pernicious strain of relativism before it's too late.
Keep up the good work.
56
Someday in the not-too-far future Pinocchios will be replaced with Trumps. Specifically, one T will equal four Ps.
182
@Applarch
Yes - look up the definition of "trump"
The President holds all trump cards and trumps all other cards regardless of what was led.
1
@Applarch
Five pinocchios makes a Trump.
1
Absolutely! Pinocchio was a sweet wooden puppet, young and without malice loved by millions of children.... stop insulting his “memory” mentioning him in the same sentence with trump.....
Our own Maureen Dowd once noted on Bill Maher’s show that the world is divided into two parts: those who divide the world into two parts and those who don’t.
Yet, at the risk of offending Maureen, the world is divided into two parts: those who do or attempt great things (a smallish minority) and those who merely talk about the great things that a few others do or attempt (everyone else). I don’t doubt for a moment that if Trump fails at all the things he’s attempting to do while the rest of us merely talk about his efforts, then his loud exaggerations somehow will be linked to his failures. However, if he succeeds at a large percentage of them, then Kessler’s database either won’t amount to a hill of beans or will be pointed to as an entertaining party-joke or as motivation for the question “How could such a loudmouth turn into such an historically important figure?”
Reducing unnecessary regulation, participating in the adjustment of tax policies and re-balancing bilateral trade agreements to better support American risk-taking, economic growth and self-sufficiency; guiding Americans to return to a more self-reliant and less dependent life form; returning our federal bench to a more consistent appreciation for their legitimate role as umpires and not as legislators of last resort; actually addressing pressing international issues instead of eternally kicking cans down roads, as with South Korea, Iran, ISIS and redefining a newly effective …
… Western Alliance for the 21st century, while focusing on the legitimate challenges that China present to the West and merely seeking to neutralize a Russia that presents no such challenges; forging of a global climate change mitigation approach that is fair and balanced among all nations that relies on actions and not on mere promises; nudging Americans to be less intensely consumed by issues of identity other than as “American”; creating less tolerance of rabid political correctness that threatens to muzzle our discourse and normalize a determined Islamist threat to our most basic convictions; and reawaken an appreciation for the value of American culture and the threats to it and to our law of the open-borders dreams of some. And this is only a partial list of what he seeks to accomplish.
If he makes serious headway in all these efforts, then people will be asking of Kessler’s database “Gee, what’s the connection between exaggerations and narcissism … and great deeds?”
2
@Richard Luettgeno
Nonsense. Even if your list policy goals amounted to an unassailable collection of right moves for the country- debatable; and were actually the president’s articulated and prioritized set of policy aims; his egotistical incompetence, vindictiveness, and betrayal of behavioral norms is doing what could be irreparable damage to our civic discourse and the body politic for years to come.
@Richard Luettgen. Reducing unnecessary regulation like allowing the carcinogen asbestos to be used in construction...rebalancing trade agreements by using unwarranted tariffs and then having to pay unfunded billions to farmers hurt by the tariffs.....also cutting social welfare except for said farmers and large rich corporations....changing international alliances that have kept the peace and led to prosperity and instead supporting brutal dictators....addressing Intl issues instead of kicking the can down the road such as cancelling a nuclear treaty w Iran that was working and replacing it w the North Korea nuclear treaty that doesn’t exist...........oh, I forgot what the lie was..........
41
Mr. Kessler, you are my hero. Thank you for your diligence and truth. Please, a book when this nightmare is over. It will be front and center on my book shelf. Meanwhile, I’ll await your next Trumpian Pinocchio along with his Putinian Geppeto!
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@Kathy Lollock
Let's add thanks, also, to Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly.
1
The fact that so many of Trump's supporters still believe that he "tells it like it is" completely confounds me.
What caused this willful blindness; this desperate embrace of fantasy and simple mindedness?
The answer to that is one for the ages.
78
@Alan R Brock
The answer is that "it is" means ignorant, hate-filled, loud, vile and intellectually under-endowed.
Trump is with them.
3
Roger doesn't ask the question: 'Why is Trump getting away with it among his base?'
Do they believe what he says? Or do they know he isn't telling the truth but don't care because he DOES the right thing? Make America great again by keeping immigrants out of the US and jobs in the US.
2
The only argument people used to have about Glenn Kessler was whether he was too tough on Politician A or too lenient on Politician B. Everyone agreed that Kessler performs an important service by chronicling departures by public figures from the truth.
Now, as Roger Cohen points out, Donald Trump has taken mendacity to stratospheric heights, and Glenn Kessler’s work is becoming a national treasure.
It is time for Kessler to license his Pinocchios. Imagine watching Donald Trump delivering one of his televised soliloquies and having your frustration replaced by delight. With each lie, Trump’s televised nose would grow before the viewers’ eyes.
114
On a purely human level, there is profound sadness in this story. A human being so weak, so crippled with fear, so estranged from himself that he can't help but lie and embellish in order to clothe himself.
That's one thing; the fact there's so many willing to share and validate his shame-laced inferiority complex is the REAL story. The MILLIONS that ignore facts to appease their own feelings of inadequacy is the astounding part of this. Under-achievers who never got it right with themselves have a temporary vice in the fluke that is Trump.
Hang on, folks...because while this culture's children watch and learn, you can bet this ride gets a whole lot bumpier before it gets better. This has been happening for a while, the crumbling. And the societal sickness has finally made it's way to the top.
105
@kstew
Climate is destroying our world. Society is crumbling. There surely is a connection.
Where do we begin to turn back?
2
Why can’t the Press come out and state the unadorned truth - that the President is a pathological liar ?
Why can’t the word “lie “ be used in the Post or in any other newspaper ?
If euphemism is the gateway to lies and untruths maybe we should be a little more direct about Donald Trump’s behavior , especially for those who don’t have the ability to understand the nuance and finesse that journalists practice daily in their writings .
90
@RD
If readers don't understand the nuance and finesse of journalists' efforts, it's a sure thing that they're Trump followers. And read at the same level.
8
Trump fans are thrilled by Trump's constant lies and incompetent bumbling abroad. You cannot argue with Trump fans. Trump openly expresses their anger and hatred and they worship him for it. Trump has the instincts, if not the intelligence, of history's worst dictators.
Untethered and unglued. Trump is who he is - an extreme narcissist, but the Republican Party allows Trump to disgrace the United States around the globe while remaining totally silent. They serve only their billionaire mega-donors. The little guy that backs Trump and the GOP has been totally conned.
Americans who have any respect for our country cannot support Trump nor can they support the Republican Party - a party that has lost is way in its efforts to take complete power with a minority of voters. Get out the vote to throw Trump and the Republicans out of our government and reclaim our democracy.
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@jefflz
You nailed it.
Trump is just the massive pox the GOP foisted on us.
The GOP has morphed into a real and present danger to our highest ideals and modernity.
They are not what true liberal democracies need:
another side of the same coin,
an intellectually honest and ethical provider of alternatives and peer reviewer.
No the GOP has no objectives save their own and those don't align with anything I recognize as what my military service was supposedly defending.
Their bottom line is a version of fascist-like Plutocracy that because of their base will be tinged with social theocratic demagoguery - plain and simple and obvious.
Trump is just the charismatic actor they needed to pull it off. And they will if we let them.
What we honest players - we seekers of the ideals our founding could only hazily envision but had in mind - we patriots Progressive and Conservative - must do is stop the GOP.
Remember 42% support the GOP - but they win elections when we 58% don't vote or waste our vote.
VOTE with your heart and mind patriots - save us from the GOP - VOTE and vote Democratic.
Sort out our differences honestly, thoughtfully, and patriotically later.
We need two real American opposing Parties that commonly hold our highest ideals of liberty, equality, fairness, and fraternity. We'll never have that if the current GOP continues in power.
And to Trump supporters I say remember the blankets given to the Indians.
15
@jefflz
Let's hope that Space Force is quickly put into place. Then the Commander in Chief gets sent out there to take charge or whatever.
2
Trump will pass away, as all leaders do. But Kessler's data and facts will live on forever in history, and provide the proof to the logic that our current leader is a pathological, congenital, liar. One which our society, for a time and for whatever reason, suffered to lead. But history will note him for what he is; a mendacious fool. A man who succeeded at ascending to the highest point of political power yet proved himself woefully inadequate for the job.
So it goes.
John~
American Net'Zen
48
@John
Good example of the Peter Principle.
Thank you, Mr. Kessler. You are both poet and patriot.
121
Time for Marty Baron to acknowledge the obvious: the President of the United States is a pathological liar. What comes out of his mouth is a stream of *lies;* that's the only honest word for them.
151
Trump is an addict - and his pathology gets worse with time, make no mistake. Trump may once have gotten a buzz out of money, then out of cheating others of their money, then out of power. Now: telling lies is the most fun trump has - and the biggest buzz yet! The ugly snicker and the lie: his electrical juice and the drink for a psychopath.
He does not read, does not take advice, and he does not learn. He loves, loves to lie! To lie, you need no info, no history, no briefings, not one fact. It is kindergarten in the W.H. playhouse every day. And he feeds on it more and more, like the addicts who fall to ruin.
This stupid, nasty man, frowning man gets to write his own despicable, lying, destructive and sinister history. What a buzz this accelerating psychopath must enjoy. The addiction is like heroin - he cannot stop and he cannot live without his lies and his buzz. BUT WE CAN!
369
“He tells it like it is.”
His believers believe. His Fifth Avenue Faithful remain devout. He knows he is lying and he knows his lies work. Yes
50
If there is any possibility that a future generation will learn from our generations' mistakes, please keep this tally of "presidential" mendacity. At this time I am so pessimistic that I expect that any and all records of our time will be expunged, either through a right-wing purge, a nuclear holocaust, or a series of natural disasters wrought by our obliviousness to the biosphere.
Trump is the worst of our era, and is supported by the most ignorant of our kind.
469
@Kenneth Brady We should set up a depository of some kind, keeping multiple (thousands) of copies, in various formats, in safe places in multiple locations as backups. I, too, worry that people will forget, lose the documentation, or be brainwashed into thinking these lies were never real.
3
The winners write the history - Trump's version of the truth may end up in the history books as the truth - at least in the Texas history books.
All this ridiculous nonsense has been going on for a long time:
“If our house be in fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
“When they call the roll in the senate, the senators do not know whether to answer ‘present’ or ‘guilty’.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
“The best way to combat criminals is by not voting for them.” ~ Dayton Allen
210
@Elizabeth "Never tell the truth when a lie will do."
Elim Garak
As Steve Schmidt on Real Time and even Joe Scarborough on MSNBC pointed out this past week, belief in false fear is as old as the US. Never any shortage of snake oil salesman and fools that actually believe in magic panaceas.
The older immigrants hate the newer ones, only they are the "true" Americans. So far we've survived liars like the slave masters, the Know Nothing Party, Father Conklin, Joe McCarthy, Nixon, Cheney, Agnew, George Lincoln Maxwell, the KKK, Robert Welch. The most consistent theme where a "Big Lie" is used is that one group is superior to all other humans and deserves to dominate a society. Endless lies are concocted to justify what amounts to cruelty and obsession with self.
You and your "tribe", the little tin gods.
Anyone who values reason and good character, and takes the golden rule seriously could never be taken in by obvious lying con men. Trump is the champ of narcissism and lying, but the GOP, ever since the Civil Rights legislation was passed by LBJ, has been conning Americans with racism, anti-golden rule selfishness, and deliberately, contemptuously ignoring the lives of non wealthy voters. By design using malice and division to drum up hate against the dreaded "liberals", who dare say what every single biblical prophet says about treating others well. The anti-Jesus party, but they will swear they are "good" and pious" Christians-e.g. Sessions et al
It's not true there's one born every minute, there are millions!
That's the real problem.
170
The only hazard is, that he makes it almost fun.
9
Among the most long term destructive of Trump's cynical ploys is normalizing incessant lying. It's pathological with him, and has become a societal pathology that now different people operate in different realities.
Kessler is doing our nation a tremendous favor by putting into writing, unequivocally, what is false and what is real. It seems so simple, yet Trump has undone the fabric on which our shared existence is based.
119
I really think the Trump phenomenon is some sort of epidemic psychosis, a break with reality on the level of believng that one's relatives are imposters. Once somebody becomes convinced of some irrational fiction, they grow deeply invested in it; those who challenge or dispute them becomes an enemy and is automatically shut out.
I don't see an end to this phenomenon anytime soon. Trumpers become very hostile and defensive when we imply that their brains are not working right. I understand that they're insulted; I try to keep the bridge open, though. At some point the consequences of Trump's incompetence and falseness will manifest, and they will scramble for a scapegoat.
56
Kessler says "most politicians. . . . don't want to mislead people." Apparently he didn't see the Ken Burns series on Vietnam or review the history of the outrageous and lethal ( to millions of people) lies told by Dick Cheney and the Bush administration.
The sad fact is MOST politicians lie and obfuscate to cover up an agenda they don't want citizens to know about. The few who don't will not last long, especially in an administration and congress as corrupt as the present one.
50
Understood, and agree.
But, I would trade a CNN for a Fox, just to be rid of the screaming diversions.
He changes the focus whimsically, with every tweet, and is in control.
2
@Robert really? Control by Tweet?
Only if you let him.
1
We've arrived, with or without Alice on the other side of the looking glass. If Mr. Kessler says, "everything Trump says is a lie," then Trump replies, "I'm lying," does the double negative create a truth? It all gets more and more absurd by the day.
17
Trump will indeed have a legacy:
"Trump and untruth are synonymous."
It will be an enduring legacy. The question asked repeatedly will be, "Why did a democratic public elect someone like that?"
89
@Liam Jumper Well you did not elect him, Trump and Russia defraud the USA of a "Presidential election".
35
@Liam Jumper
Maybe you didn't, but Wyoming (and its precious three Electoral College votes) did.
23
@Liam Jumper
Roger Cohen doesn't understand either why Trump was elected. He thinks of the American public (at least half of it) as suffering from a social pathology: Xenophobia, scapegoating etc. - He has said so repeatedly.
The Fact checkers are why I no longer trust anything I read in the Post. A close reading of their work allows one to see the tools deemed permisable for a journalist to obfuscate without technically lying. I appreciate this and use it as a guide, anything short of a direct contradiction of observable fact is allowed.
@Brian Are you suggesting that President Donald J. Trump tells the truth?
3
Reading this article makes me breath easier. (Ah, these people know that down is not up.) I appreciate the solidity of the Kessler Chronicles of Trump's lies. I especially like being reminded that historians will examine this dark period of lies and distortions, to form a history not to be repeated.
38
It's bad enough if trump actually believes his lies.
What I suspect, though, is that he fakes that he believes them, which makes him more calculating and therefore more dangerous.
The great manipulator.
64
@mancuroc
You can't go wrong if you presume that everything he says is a lie.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
6
@NM
But the sword can inflict far more danger in a shorter time.
11
Trump and lies are like salad and dressing. They go hand in hand. Trump does not say something knowing that it is a lie. To say that would be akin to admitting that he can distinguish facts from lies and would be "untruthfully" flattering to him. Instead what he says comes across as a lie, as it always is, because he has no patience for facts, no head for numbers, and no humility, period. So he drums. And drums. And drums. Until the membrane gets ruptured. And then he will blame the stick.
41
It’s true that Kessler’s work will be a valuable archive in the future. Too bad that there is a huge swath of the population that sees it simply as fake news. Trump’s idea of real news is the checkout counter scandal sheet The National Enquirer (J-Lo Gives Birth to TwoHeaded Baby, etc). Or the fawning propaganda of Fox. This, at least, is what Trump says in public. I suspect that this desperately insecure man wants nothing more than the approval of the quality press. But, like the clubs that will never have him as a member, the working press is going to stand in the way of his endless need for adulation, And so, Trump doubles down, using the language of Lenin and Stalin by calling the press the enemy of the people. And now, 43 percent of Republicans think the President should be able to shut down media outlets for their bad behavior, I can only hope that this dangerous form of incitation does not end up in tragedy.
82
As I read Mr. Cohen's essay about Mr. Kessler's effort I wonder how to get this news to my own Evangelical family; I mean the ninth commandment "Thou shalt not bear false witness" really is saying that lying or any other form of dishonesty is not of God. Honesty is one of the highest virtues but our President knows nothing about it.
Then there is stealing, coveting and adultery. Something more to pray about; it is as if a segment of our voting population has surrendered their ability to think, sublimated it to the easier path of praying for the President's salvation. When will this huge voting block of Evangelicals come to grips with the concept that they are supporting a serial liar? Pinocchios?This description is too bland, too Walt-Disney-like
Where I grew up on Long Island we had some choice expressions for people like Trump. He would be called a lying ______________. No way the NY Times would print it here. So Pinocchios it is. But you know what I mean... And the Evangelicals probably know as well...
218
@Bill Cullen, Author I would take evangelical support of Trump as irrefutable evidence of the shallowness of their "deeply held beliefs". Supporting a leader who personally breaks every one of their beliefs in exchange for political power says quite enough about the real nature of their "beliefs" without the need for much further examination. All religious views are absolutely arbitrary opinion on the level of, "I like red".
96
@Trebor
It is, no doubt, covenient and confirming for you to take such a view of evangelical support for President Trump. However, in actuality, evangelicals are making an intelligent "deal with the Devil." President Trump offers an opportunity for the evangelical movement to obtain many of their goals. They would be fools to not avail themselves of this chance to achieve their desired ends.
The situation is similar to that of the ancient Jews who were restored to their land by the Persian despot, King Cyrus. Cyrus was no worshipper of the Hebrew God, but he was used by their God to achieve the prophesied restoration. So it is with President Trump. This is why evangelicals pray for him. They recognize both his value to their cause and his lost standing before their God.
You decry their hypocrisy (the great sin of the modern Left) while I admire their wisdom.
Assuming that Mr. Kessler's documentation of Trumps lies and misrepresentations will stand the test of time and scrutiny of his peers, Kessler's opus will become the stuff for reflection by many generations to come of graduate students in government.
21
Keeping track of Trump's lies.
What a trivial pursuit!
6
That Trump lies frequently was apparent as soon as he threw his hat in the ring. That he is a serial liar took a few more weeks to confirm. I, for one. am not interested in keeping track. 4229 or 4329, who cares.? What matters is that we can't trust Trump. And that the Republicans make it up as they go along. T
The best response to pathological lying is fealty to the truth. We are much better than them on that. But I wouldn't grade us above B-. Too many Democrats care most about vilifying the other side. At this website, zingers thrown at Trump are more popular than thoughtful analysis. Positive messages generally win elections. Zingers are generally for losers. The Democrats will hurt only themselves if they fight fire with fire. And counting lies is not particularly.
8
@michjas
I don't find the news articles to be full of 'zingers.' Op-eds, sure. But op-eds aren't news, and I've pretty much given up on any editorial content in any news outlet actually analyzing anything. I'm finding that more and more I have to read the links that contain the analysis that the zingers are based on and make my own assessment. This is true for both the liberal and conservative op-ed staff at the Times.
And, frankly, we have this liar-in-chief specifically because too many idiots lapped up plenty of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity zingers. Then, Trump presents a whole lot of lies to them, and they are thrilled to abandon what little critical thinking skills they still had left. So, zingers actually do work, sadly, in America.
1
Thank God for the Washington Post for counting the lies of Donald Trump. What is going on in America right now blows my mind and it is engineered to blow my mind. Credit to the psych warriors of the Trump administration, taking disruption to whole other levels. Unfortunately for you, for experimenting on us like this, you will pay in ways you have never imagined you would pay. Deep, deep banishment is what is in store for you. Deep regret.
50
Long may Kessler succeed. Trump's faithful might balk at a murder on Fifth Avenue, but there is, as yet, no limit to their capacity to tolerate Trump's lies. The role of Fox Cable in this was shown clearly recently. As the Mueller inquiry proceeds, one tactic Trump's lawyers hone is muddying the waters of public opinion. Not just any public opinion, but that in districts held by the GOP. If a large enough number of voters pester their Congressmen, Rudy thinks, then those Congressmen will be reluctant to do anything if the Mueller report is negative on Trump. So, enter ringmaster Sean Hannity, decent man of faith. He donates one of his shows to Trump lawyers Giuliani and Sekulow, who proceed to hold a dialogue as if they are genuine interviewers. And the Hannity viewers are precisely the public opinion the grungy lawyers want to shape. It might be cheaper if they just asked Putin to turn his gang of trolls and bots loose on those viewers.
39
On this anniversary of the American Nazis blood and soil torch light march in Charlottesville, praised by the most dangerous man to be elected by the ignorant American underclass is what we understand in Canada is the real America,the boycott of the US is underway in Canada and we are like most of the remaining democracies in this world looking to contain this failed state.
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@Craig
Your neighbors on the Salish Sea agree with you. Look who they voted for in 2016.
Sadly, gerrymandering has wrecked havoc on voting districts in much of the US.
23
Above all else, know, without a doubt, that dtrump don't care.
16
There are many words and phrases that describe a person with Trump's relationship to the truth:
Pathalogical liar, con artist, fabulist, mythomaniac, malignant narcissist, etc.
But what do you call a country with tens of millions of adults who not only accept being constantly lied to by their President , they heartedly approve of it, cheering when they are lied to, with the biggest cheers reserved for the biggest lies?
What words describe such a country?
"North Korea" comes to mind, but at least they have the excuse of coercion.
Profoundly ignorant? Suicidally foolish?
I just don't know. But I know one word that doesn't describe a country with over 40% of the adult population is happy to be lied to 7.5 times a day and will eagerly sign up for another 4 years of lies:
Succeeding.
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@LT
The latest Gallup poll on the theory ironically named 'intelligent design' found that close to 40% of adults in the United States hold the view that "God created humans in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years" .
Coincidence?
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@LT
Or great.
2
Trump's occasionally truthful statements are analogous to the useless paper towels he tossed in Puerto Rico. Too little, too late. Unfortunately the majority of his comments wouldn't pass the Bounty quicker-picker-upper test.
41
Mr. Kessler should expand his attention to determine just how many times Mr. Trump tells the truth - could it be he lies more than he tells the truth?
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@robert spitzfaden
Yes.
Assume that anything he says is either a lie or simply an unfiltered expression of his narcissism -- a fantasy, a wish, a random invention, an empty boast, an empty threat, a superlative (about himself and those he believes admire him or are doing his bidding) an insult (towards those he suspects don't stand in awe of him).
If he should happen to say something that is more or less true, that is almost certainly a random coincidence. As the saying goes, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
31
@robert spitzfaden
Mistake: I meant the previous reply (to Mancuroc) to be here.
Which is, "You can't go wrong if you presume that everything he says is a lie."
Lies, damn Lies, and Trump LIES. Forget the “ policy “. When will people have the courage and fortitude to use the real, actual word ??? LIES, LIES, LIES. Period.
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John Barron and David Dennison and dotard, a boastful buffoon indeed.
14
Back in the bad old party days, the question was, "how do you know if a coke head is lying? The answer, of course, was " when his lips are moving." How do we know when Trump is lying? When his finger are moving.
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@runaway: for Trump, lying is a brain-stem function. It’s as natural as breathing, as automatic as digestion. But not as pretty.p
1
@runaway
Most apt is what Mary McCarthy said about Lillian Hellman.
“Every word out of her mouth is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the’. ”
That works even moreto describe trump.
2
This article exposes a disturbing truth about Trump supporters. They claim he is totally honest because he tells it like it is. What they confuse is perceived sincerity with the truth. Trump believes his own lies. That is the mark of a narcissist. The world revolves around him so whatever he says is the world. He spews his constant lies with the utmost of conviction and they buy it.
Another revelation is that Trump supporters confuse elegance with dishonesty. When they hear well constructed, sophisticated speech, they reject it as false because they don't be talkin like they be doin. Trump rambles on and on in barely intelligible crude disconnected phrases andy they love it because that's how real people talk. All that fancy pants speech from those uppity liberal types is just them tryin to fool us.
The pursuit of culture, wisdom, and worldly understanding is off the table. Liberal academics do stuff like that.
The standard reaction when they are confronted with these words is that people like me look down upon them. Well, I've spent my entire life trying to be the opposite of people like the Trump they admire. Why would I admire everything I've worked my tail off to run away from? I admire excellence. Try it sometime. It's a lot harder to achieve excellence in anything than watch reality TV, or be reality TV.
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@Bruce Rozenblit
A commenter on this forum recently posted they did like reading the NYT because there were too many unfamiliar
words.
Others will see that as an opportunity to expand and learn something new.
There have been studies showing differences in the brains function between openness and its opposite.
See Psychology Today .
12
@Bruce Rozenblit
Another reason Trump supporters believe "he is totally honest because he tells it like it is" is that almost all the rest of the GOPers either repeat the lies or keep silent, thus seeming to agree. So that leaves the Liberal Elites alone in defending the truth which then becomes just another opinion if not an outright lie only.
23
@Bruce Rozenblit...There are two important strains or separations in the mindset of the capitalistic system in which we live. One says: "Anything goes. All that matters is success. Success proves value and worth." Another says: "Mostly through hard work, learning on the job, working to have high moral standards, and striving toward excellence do we really achieve success." Most experience success the hard way - through earning it with many ups and downs.
I find myself wondering, first, how many of these Trump supporters are excellent at deception or "bottom-line thinking" themselves, the first approach, or whether they are of the hard-working ilk. I wonder how many of them have been conned themselves. Haven't they ever had to deal with the slippery used car salesman and walked away disgusted? Apparently not, or they are willing to overlook it in their president,
9
The autocrat knows that truth has enduring power but can be held temporarily in abeyance when enough people fear him enough to deny it. So he creates a climate of fear, then promotes doubt and uncertainty, so that people seek the comfort of absolutes. And in that climate of fear he becomes absolute in his conviction, obdurate in his lie. Only the brave endure and rise above him, and the brave carve the final monuments to history. Speaking truth to power remains the duty of good citizens and there may be only a few, and at times not enough. But it takes only a very few to mark the record, and in a free world, those few can bring down even the most powerful tyrant. Our duty now is to the free world.
131
Has Kessler gone back and re-categorized as lies Trump's claims that the Russia meeting was about adoption?
16