There must be some test to figure out if we are dealing with psychological problems related to conspiract theories. The sun rises in the ____, the sky is ____, cats are not ____, radio waves send music and ____. I may say that Mr. Smith was born in Kansas, but others declare that Mr. Smith was born in X. Mr. Smith shows birth certificate, passport...but others see fakery and altered documents - Mr. Smith can never gain ground, because the line of conspiracy keeps moving ahead - a school room class photos becomes "retouched", graduation or military service is questioned. It becomes a never ending "paper-chase".
If Trump claimed your father had been a Nazi general or a cold war Russian spy - how would you discredit him and really make it stick?
1
When will the GOP cowards stand up to this charlatan? When will the American people stop acting like disinterested adolescents and start getting involved in politics? When will our so-called religious leaders take a stand against this president's hateful policies? When, when, when...
It is too late.
6
Why again do we have to take this "birther" conspiracy theorist seriously? Because his conspiracy theories made him president.
1
To stop conspiracy theories, the Democrats must accept the fact that Donald Trump won the 2016 election fair and square instead of embracing these wild and demonstrably false conspiracy theories about Russian collusion
5
THe biggest conspiracy theory around is the collusion delusion. It was known to be false on day 1 of Mueller’s coup attempt, yet the Democrats continue to push this demonstrably false lie
6
All governments lie. It's not illegal to lie -- unless you are in court and have sworn to tell the truth. The FBI / NSA are spying on everyone's email, cell phone calls and internet sites visited.
But the issue is not whether Trump or anyone else in government is lying (because we know they are), but about which public policy issues Trump and the government feel most motivated to lie. And in general, the lies that the public needs to care most about aren't the small ones, but the big ones, which end up costing lives, money and the cohesiveness of culture at large.
Into that bucket of lies would be the Gulf of Tonkin lie in 1964 which was used to plunge the U.S. fully into the worthless invasion of Vietnam (1955-1975), as well as the George W. Bush lie using fabricated intelligence about non-existent Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (2002-2003) which was a lie used to plunge America into a war which has not yet ended (2003 -- 2018).
These two two giant lies cost the nation its cultural infrastructure and wasted, year-after-year, a substantial majority of Federal tax money, and prevented the United states from building a more "Perfect Union" -- as President Lincoln would have put it.
I already know that Trump and some Republicans and Democrats are liars, schemers and manipulators who are in government for their own pleasure and profit. I care what they are lying about, not the known fact that they are liars.
6
Mr. Meacham is ill informed to compare Nixon with Trump. Nixon may have been a self-made man with deep insecurities, but Trump is just a man with deep insecurities. No ‘self-made’ about him at all.
3
It seems to me that as the Mueller investigation gets closer and closer to actually revealing the Truth of what has been discovered in case of collusion, obstruction of justice, and other immoral activities that might have been uncovered; the more desperate, paranoid, and dangerous Trump becomes. One only has to study how Nixon was becoming unglued as Watergate came crashing down around him; to realize how Trump will continue to lash out at his "enemies" if he realizes the corner he has painted himself into offers no explanation or escape. Scary.
6
It’s time to dust off S I Hayakawa’s Language in Thought and Action to spur critical thinking about myth makers like Trump. Read it and you’ll be amazed that a work, originally written in the 1940s to lay bare Nazi lies, is still astonishingly relevant.
3
When you attempt to undermine our legal system and the constitutional system of checks and balances, is that not "high treason"?
4
If I don't believe that an "official story" is plausible, does that mean I'm a "conspiracy theorist"? I can say that I don't know and could never know what happened. Am I nuts?
3
Has anyone read Peter Dale Scott? The author who essentially coined the term "Deep State?"
"The American Deep State: Wall Street, Big Oil and the Attack on US Democracy."
Some interesting analysis of America and American politics over the last 60 years.
David Talbot's recent book, "Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA & the Rise of America's Secret Government" also worth a look.
1
One more instance in a chilling escalation of similarities between Trump and the Nazi state and rise to power of Hitler.
4
Trump tells stories. His attitude is that if people believe them and disbelieve the truth, he wins. If he wins, it’s all good. Anything that serves his interests is the right thing to do in his eyes. Anything that does not is not good. There is no greater good than what works for him and no justification for anything that does not. There seem to be a lot of people who are starting to think that this kind of attitude is going to serve their interests better than notions like the golden rule or fair dealings.
3
I am amused by how often I have heard in the last week that media coverage of Trump isn't "fair" because it's 90% negative. It's similar to Mr. King's assertion that members of the so-called "Deep State" like Clapper and Comey - are working against Trump because they "believed the worst" - the implication being that we can't believe the media's account of things Trump actually did/said. All of this is meant to push people toward believing Trump's version of things instead of objective reality.
I'm sorry, but in this case, I have to say I love the "mainstream media" and long live the "Deep State". I don't want to be forced to take Trump's word for granted, and I believe that for some news phenomena 90% negative coverage is warranted.
2
Actually I think there is a kernel of truth in the idea of the "deep state". Every great lie has such a kernel. Unfortunately the Trumpistas are brilliantly deflecting it's actual cause, namely that both major parties fundamentally represent a capitalism that rapaciously redistributes wealth to an increasingly smaller segment of society at the expense of the vast and growing "underclass" which sees its economic position and therefore its social position, being steadily eroded, but without visible cause.
Compounding this is that since the Vietnam war, evidence presented by the media has shown that both Democratic and Republican administrations alike, lies to them.
While the Democrats represent a faction of the ruling class that attempts to somewhat ameliorate the effects of the growing economic inequality, neither party has taken any significant actions to actually do anything about it.
Although there is no secret "deep state" the combination of the knowledge of official lying and the implicit economic interests of that top 1%, it can look a lot like one. The invisibility to a significant portion of the electorate, of the actual cause for their increasing economic marginalization, combined with their real knowledge of official duplicity, it makes the "deep state" lie resonate well. The ultimate irony is of course that those actively pushing the lie are the most extreme members of the "ruling class" whose voraciousness morphs into criminality.
3
Ms. Davis and Ms. Haberman, please find new material. Report something we don't know. For example, stop focusing on Trump and focus your attention on and listen to the people who are supporting him without question. Talk to them. Listen to them. They have the real story. Trump wouldn't be where he's at if 63 million people hadn't voted for him. Find out why. That's your story. Stop hanging out in Washington writing the easy stories about Trump and go out and ask the Trump base to justify their actions and vote. Listen to their answers and I suspect you'll come to see a pattern.
A bunch of people who trust too much and too easily in charlatans, hunger too much for an elevated status in life and now they have it. Knowing they voted for Trump and he won gives them a sense of elevated status that they won't give up easily, if ever.
That's the story here. What is it about American culture that is so corrosive and disheartening that people want to live in a fantasy land of Donald Trump's making in order to escape the drudgery of real life in America?
4
Class dunces have the American educated elite by their tails.
1
Questions: Why do so many people (still) support Trump? Did they have a reasonably good education? Did their parents and teachers help them grow up responsibly and understand the real world? Have decades of GOP policy, especially on education and spending, had anything to do with our present-day political woes? Is the Democratic party truly capable of presenting a "united front" in the mid-terms? I'm troubled on all counts. We need a true leader with the kind of intelligence, maturity, personal appeal, and common sense that will persuade a majority of voters to reject the current situation. If we fail to fix things soon, I fear, the nation is destined for a more dangerous and precipitous decline than most of us seem to expect.
6
Trump would be nothing but a laughing stock without Fox News and a GOP Congress that works exclusively for a few extremely rich political donors.
5
There are no people who wanted to know the truth about Trump before voting for him. Anyone who did so without seeing his tax returns has fully explained why they have reason to see themselves as failures. They have no judgment.
2
Detour often from the much advertised global issues and an attempt to redesign the in-house schemes implemented by his predecessor,Mr.Obama and again switch to another global issue and the series of termination & promotion of his aides are the obvious KPI of Mr.Trump. Mr.Trump's enigmatic style always puzzle the republicans and defeat the democrats but gives enough TRP to the media.
From what little I can tolerate watching Trump on TV or in photos, I see a totally malevolent and domineering persona.
Everything about Trump screams DICTATOR. Not only his hostile, aggressive, irrational statements, but his physical gestures, compulsively waving his arms and using chopping motions with each point. And his belligerent, arrogant expression.
Can you imagine Obama or Bush doing that? Such blatant, obvious manipulations, lies, cons, paranoia and victim hood.
When have we ever had a president that acts out an authoritarian persona like this?
He’s a Reality TV tyrant, playing his role.
5
The first paragraph repeats, once again for the thousandth time, Trump's assertions on Obama's citizenship, Scalias death, and etc. Second paragraph is "None of that was true." For the life of me, I don't understand why it's so hard for old media to start with the truth, to Whit: here are some of the lies Trump has told.
Second paragraph: Mr Trump is a liar.
Period.
8
I'm a well-educated, politically-moderate, practical Hispanic man. Trump has never been the reason why my trust in the media and government institutions have eroded. I base my opinions on what people/organizations say and do. In an endless 24-hour news cycle, the media is compelled to fill every moment of the day with something. They make a choice about their audience and essentially pick a side based on what they fell will generate the best viewership/readership. Most newspapers make at least some effort to be objective in their news reporting but many clearly skew one way or the other. I have to read/watch various outlets in an attempt to get some sense of unbiased perspective. It's exhausting. I often find that outlets like the BBC and newspapers from outside the US provide better objective reporting.
If those US organizations want trust, they need to earn. It has nothing to do with Trump unless your the 25% or so that already think like him.
NYTimes and others need to take responsibility for what THEY have caused (WaPo is certainly not the worst offender though).
5
Very well said. It is necessary to read multiple sources across a broad ideological spectrum to get a glimmer of the truth. Glenn Greenwald's The Intercept and Democracy Now on the left; NY Times, WaPO or NPR for Establishment/Center-Left; Wall Street Journal for Establishment Right; and I guess Breitbart now for Populist Right.
3
He started on his conspiracies way before the election in 2016,
It's hardly a new m.o., he revels in it, it keeps the spotlight on him and hides dark dealings in the shadows – remember the one where he said if he lost he might not accept the results of the elections if he felt it was rigged against him and then proceeded to double down on rigging and fraudulent votes and cause doubts and chaos, even wasting tax payer money on an effort to prove that he lost the popular vote because of fraud.
How about printing a list of trump conspiracies, it may well take many pages.
3
It's an awe-inspiring leap from reason and logic into a chasm of hypocrisy to suggest that President Trump "erodes public trust" by relentlessly ferreting out the HRC DNC and MSM to expose how his 2016 campaign was infiltrated in order to set up the Mueller inquisition. Among broad-minded readers of a multitude of news sources, it's considered very likely that there were confidants, spies or informants (call 'em what you want) planted in our President's run-up to the White House. And these objective voters aren't conspiracy bone-heads or hysterically hallucinating leftists. They're just hoping President Trump will keep the pressure on well into his second term in order to bring those to justice who set out to jimmy the 2016 election, and his Presidency since.
3
Over Memorial Day Weekend I re-watched the first six episodes of the HBO TV Series Bank of Brothers. The most conspicuous personal characteristic of the soldiers (after their awe-inspiring personal courage) was their ingenuousness and their respect for the truth.
Contrast this with the gush of deliberate lies that Trump disseminates as liberally as water from a fire hydrant -- lies given credence and purchase because uttered by an American President.
This is what our World War Two soliders laid down their lives for.
Gotta be proud, Trump voters.
3
Was a phony dossier about Trump bought, paid for and distributed by the HRC campaign and the DNC? Yes.
Was said dossier used by the FBI, seemingly to some great degree, to obtain FISA warrants to eavesdrop on people associated with the Trump campaign? Yes.
Was it revealed to a FISA judge or judges that some of the information the FBI was using (said dossier) was known to contain false information and was paid for by Trump's political opponents? No.
Did DNI's James Clapper act as an unnamed source to CNN to provide it with a news peg to run with the Trump dossier allegations? Yes.
Did James Comey leak information to a private friend in order to prompt the appointment of a Special Investigator to look into the Trump campaign's alleged links to Russia? Yes.
Did the FBI and/or other agencies direct that someone infiltrate the Trump campaign clandestinely to gather information about its alleged ties to Russia? Yes.
This and actually much more we all know to be real, verifiable facts. Do these things all together suggest at least the right to feel that there was a conspiracy?
Do we as Americans, not as Democrats and Republicans, have a right to know precisely what credible, verifiable evidence or information was used to prompt this investigation and take it so far against a presidential candidate? So far we have heard a lot of huffing and puffing about Trump and Russia with no hard evidence that his campaign EVER collaborated with Russia on anything.
6
There is neither the time nor the space to detail all of it but, Allen, not a single word that you wrote has a scintilla of truth or a grain of fact to it. Just to name a few, nothing in the Steele dossier has been proven false or completely true; unless you have seen the FISA warrants applications, you have no idea what the bases for the issuance of the warrants were.
And, no one has ever shown any facts that prove improper actions by Comey, Clapper or any of the other people you attack with a virulent certainty. I fail to understand why persons of your political persuasion cannot just wait to let Mueller finish his investigation and reveal his findings.
If Trump is completely innocent, surely that will be revealed to Trump's joyous satisfaction. Trump would be unbeatable in the 2020 election if this were to be shown to be true.
3
So I decree!!, "there is no scintilla of truth". What hubris.
2
Let's all start referring to this as "Lie-gate". Take the foul wind out of Trump's sails. Stop giving him the platform and narrative he wants.
2
If you get into contact with Russian spies as Trump's people did, you can best believe that you will get a visit from the FBI, and deservedly so. Maybe agents in suits or perhaps an "informant" will be by to check you out, count on it. That's what they do as part of their job protecting the country. For Trump to whine about a spy planted in his campaign by the so-called deep state reveals his profound dishonesty as well as hostility to honest policing. When can we expect this disgrace of a president to speak against Russian interference in our elections? Can we ever expect him to place the good of the country ahead of what's good for Trump?
7
Unfortunately, he's right about one thing, the world IS laughing at us, mostly because America actually elected that fool. I'm ashamed that the America I've lived >70 years in, served in Vietnam for, proudly voted in every local, state and federal election for, is going the Trump. It feels like the world just prior to WW2.
I'm ashamed by all of the above, and by the fact that the world laughs at us. I wish I, too, could laugh, but it's not only shameful, it's frightening. I'm becoming grateful that I'm old, and shouldn't have to see the America, and the world, too far into the future. It scares my wife and I badly, what Trump and his minions are doing to our America.
2
Trump has always used conspiracy theories to deflect scrutiny from his bad behavior. If he is doing something wrong he just talks about a scandal that doesn't exist and his voters eat it up. He went on Alex Jones show before the election to say how wonderful he thought the great hoaxer was. Even though Trump was one of the originators of the birther theories, when he was finally forced to admit it was a hoax, he said Hillary made it up to begin with. Now he is complaining that Mueller is interfering in the midterm elections, but doesn't complain that Comey threw the election his way when he talked about Weiner's emails. Comey was worried about a fake president. That is what we have now. Trump, the laughingstock of the whole world.
4
Trump's conspiracy theories are so bizarrely surreal. It's seems extremely odd to me that some people actually believe his over the top bizarre claims. And it is incredibly concerning that he is spouting these weird "theories" while serving as President of the USA. It feels as if we are living in the "Twilight Zone" at the moment. Hurry up Mueller! Please vote for "normal people" - or at least politicians that respect and support the truth in November 2018
3
I think Congress should give Mueller's counter-intelligence investigation another month to wrap things up and bring what crimes he has to the appropriate authorities.
1
Ken Starr took 6 years, what's your hurry?
1
There isn't anything the Democrats can do. Unless some ultra right wingers like Ted Cruz go on Fox News and tell people the president is lying, the whole thing will be a vast deep conspiracy to bring down the thoughtful, honest and decent gentleman in the oval office.
It does no good for Republicans who are retiring to speak the truth. This just targets them for childish attacks aimed at childish audiences.
Not to spike the football, but it is quite possible that Trump never colluded or conspired with the Russians, the Mueller investigation ends in Trump being exonerated, and that Obama and his inner circle conspired to spy on Trump, sway the election to Clinton, and after that failed, to use what they had concocted to damage his presidency. There are certainly clues and signs of this and we are not far away from getting the IG report, which we already know at minimum recommends prosecuting several of the people in the FBI for criminal deceit and leaking information to the press.
Buying into the notion that Trump colluded with the Russians is far more of a lunatic conspiracy than Trump and others pointing to actual wrong-doing by the FBI, CIA, and others, even though the scale and scope of that is not yet known. Liberals need to ask themselves whether they will be comfortable being wrong and many Obama administration officials going to jail as a result of real, rather than the imaginary Russia collusion dying a quick death. Where do you want to be? Do you, as a liberal, want to feel like a fool for betting it all on one side of the story?
5
I'd like to be in that room with DJT Jr. and the Russian contingent and find out what really was discussed. I don't think the Democrats could arrange that, but perhaps that ultimate evildoer, HR Clinton????
2
Our elected officials have come to realize that Trump's base love him madly and would die for him, and they vote. No one can run against him. He can say and do anything and never lose a single vote. The rest of the country are starting to say it doesn't matter. Whatever Mueller finally says won't make any difference. No! It does matter. His base is not a majority. Will no one rid us of this man?
2
Our worst fears -- that Trump would debase not only the presidency but the institutions our country was founded on -- have been realized. Worse still, the Republican leadership, whose JOB is to protect those very institutions, have shown NOTHING but cowardice. That the majority leadership of an entire branch of our government is willing to stand back and say NOTHING while a president (elected without the popular vote!) and his hand-selected and corrupt Yes-Men try to destroy our faith in the FBI and DOJ, normalize racist beliefs, damage international alliances, dissemble environmental protections, and give credence to fringe conspiracy theories IS APPALLING to anyone with a conscience and a moral compass. If the current Republican leadership won't speak out, where are the Republicans who will? Retired Republican senators and congressmen...STEP UP TO THE PLATE.
3
It’s very simple: when one lies all the time, he/she believes others are doing the same.
As the Washington Post has objectively demonstrated: Trump lies all the time.
3
There is no deep state, just the anti-bodies of a compromised organism trying to fight off a horrible infection.
2
I don't come online anymore or go out anymore because my landlord has RF / ELF Hacking Technology in my apartment and never told me. I and all of my device have been rf hacked, tagged, and are monitored, I have no privacy or security. I am made to hear sounds, feel pain, and unwilling releases intellectual property. Because, I am rf hacked/rfid tagged I am repeatedly followed, without reason or legitimate interest, to my home, workplace, and other places I frequent. If anything ever happens to me or family I want the world to know that this place is to blame 2719 Lincoln street Hollywood, Landlord Wendy Cole. I am filling a lawsuit in the morning and heading to the ER. If anyone knows a good Attorney let me know. The picture is my Apartment complex with the RF Hacking Technology and the house three streets over that is shares a data stream with. Never move here ever!
Just like in the past if you can get a fanatical following of approx. 35% you can control a country politically. It has happened to the peril of the world in the past and is playing out in realtime now
1
People lie even under oath if they think they can get away with it. Lies worked for Trump all his life so he continues to lie with impunity. In another era, fear of God or the Church or of being beheaded or burned alive at the stake might have made him think twice before he lied.
The framers of the Constitution did not anticipate a character like Trump running for the highest office of the land. Therefore, they did not prescribe any moral or intellectual qualifications or the lack of some. One need only be at least thirty five years of age and be native born. Trump fulfills those requirements. The rest is left up to the discretion of the electorate.
If a lier does manage to occupy the White House, only the Congress can dislodge him from there. However, Congress prefers to look the other way. Four years is not too long a time to suffer the rule of a monster.
2
How about news outlets start making fun of Trump's conspiracy theories? Point out the blatant truth and then point out the ludicrous nature of Trump's conspiracy theory. Call it a conspiracy theory! Don't back down from the Truth. Trump hates being mocked and called out, but if enough people do it we may get him to stop.
1
Perhaps trump simply needs to apologize for his own behaviours and failures to those who were looking to him for a source of integrity, honesty, and guidance...
That being said it is my belief that the perceptions of his behaviours as being malicious are not accurate to his true motivations...
It would seem that it is more appropriate to consider that the context had in some way called for trump to express this perceived silliness as a misinformed means to accomplish some good end...
I simply do not agree with any conclusions being made regarding a form of evil or malicious intent on behalf of trump.
When Trump started up with his Birther baloney and continued it through his candidacy I thought that someone who told and was caught in such blatant lie was does as a presidential candidate. In my long life much less serious gaffes have knocked out more than a dozen candidates. frpm running. Boy, was I wrong! With a nod to B.T. Barnum - no one ever went broke underestimating the gullibility of the American public.
2
We need a Joseph Welch. But Trump does not have a sense of decency.
3
He could not get away with it without being aided and abetted by congressmen like Jim Jordan. They are afraid of a very base base but perhaps they should be afraid of ending up in prison when this nightmare ends. Its weird. As an Aussie liberal I am way more patriotic to the United States than the craven Republicans who are undermining the republic. USA! USA! USA!
Good luck saving yourself.
3
Vladimir Lenin observed that “A lie becomes truth if repeated often enough.”
Honesty and balance in reporting does not require that every utterance of the president be awarded admission to our consciousness. Not every deception needs to be quoted repeatedly.
The president is emotionally dependent upon attention. The NYTimes would be well served to examine its role as enabler of that obsession and, in this regard, the inadvertent impact of its reportage on the consciousness of some.
2
Donald Trump has created an alternate reality that the GOP/FOX then promotes to Trump's "fine people." These white supremest, science hating, fact hating democracy hating people, are clearly very happy to give authoritarianism "a go." The question is if the rest of America is willing to throw away 200 plus years of democracy and go down this dark path with them. We will see in the next elections if the American public has been hoodwinked by these grifters or not.
1
Oh, the nutty Rep Peter King thinks Clapper and Comey were ‘biased’ against Trump so they believed the worst? But the worst was true, and they perceived reality.
Those who are themselves very biased to the point of distortion, see every retort to their fantasies as 'bias.’ Paranoia is raised to a norm.
What King calls an ‘echo chamber’ is the shared realization, by those still reality-oriented, of harm to the country being done by the lies and aggressiveness of Trump and his people.
Then GOP Fox State Media--- allowed to grow into a dominant monopoly financed by rw extremists---fulfills its purpose. To spread the virulent virus of lies, paranoia and suspicion across the land in order to increase power and wealth of the few.
Fox/Trump/Gop fans accept the lies and thus cooperate in the harm being inflicted on them. They demonize those who would protect them from exploitation. The triumph of propaganda in America is there for all who have clear eyes to see.
1
ABC cancelled the Rosanne show because of her racial tweets, pity we can't cancel that person in the White House for doing the same thing. Now he's using conspiracy theories as a distraction from his ineptness to handle his job. Is there no end to his paranoia.
His Memorial Day tweet was disgusting ( no surprise here ) while the past Presidents wrote beautiful and meaningful messages.
3
If tRump’s presidently campaign couldn’t sniff out an informant, how are we supposed to believe that his administration can vet out terrorist? How are we supposed to feel confident that he can make a nuclear deal that keeps America safe? Sorry but tRump has been a liar since he learned to talk, and his game of lies is destroying this country!
1
The Fate of nation is at stake in November. If the Democrats do not take back at least one of the houses of congress. It is over for America. Time to head for the exits while you still can.
2
There is a conspiracy theory, alright.
It's on the left -- that Trump colluded with Russia.
5
It's called conspiracy, not collusion. We shall see.
Trump makes his lies 'become truth' ; because the repetition
of just saying ....a lie...or a phrase...becomes ingrained in the
public conscious...
For instance; Trump says a lie; over and over and over again.
and then adds...'believe me'....and this redundancy is rather like
Archie Bunker...just saying the same thing which is irrational
over and over again...until....it is burned into one's memory
So...journalists here in The New York Times...DO NOT REPEAT anthing that Trump utters...please ...you all know
how to paraphrase...to synopsize ....to make a deductions...
So...do not repeat the obvious catch phrases uttered by Trump....such as 'SpyGate'....because...why....because ..
Hint Hint Hint...there IS NO SPYGATE..!!!!...
Editors/Journalists...where did you go to school...Please...
write your best...and do not repeat Trump's lying catch phrases....ASAP
1
I don't think he could use conspiracy theories to erode public institutions unless there was a fair number of (gullible, stupid, prone to extreme cognitive dissonance...pick you pleasure) people out there to believe his nonsense. If that sounds elitist, it's because what used to be normal has now been redefined.
1
can t help but think how the NYTimes would address this issue if it were a Republican lead White House behind an investigation into the front running Democratic candidate. What if this were George W 's FBI with "informants" in Barack Obama's campaign? Would the NYTimes be defending George W?
This is the type of bias that allows Trump to succeed, he can always point to this type of bias to discredit any sort of reporting against him because he has an absolutely valid point: you are bias against him. And with all of this considered it makes anyone wonder if this is actually a terrible thing that Trump is in the White House and the only way you're going to get rid of him is with unbiased, fact-based reporting, the kind the Times was once known for and pretends to be today.
4
Jon Meachem calls this endless string of fabrications from Trump 'diabolical brilliance'. I call it utter LIES and PROPAGANDA a la Joseph Goebbels, the evil Nazi head of propaganda in the Third Reich. It is just 'corrosive', Jon, it is utterly destructive to a functional democracy, whether the dunce/orange head of civics knows it or not.
3
Folks need to come to grips with the facts. The Republican Party in not a party of small government conservatives. It's a party of low IQ conspiracy nuts, racists, misogynists, vigilante militia members, and Christians who have given up all personal responsibility to follow the teachings of Christ.
You "conservatives" who think this is some kind of phase you just need to wait out are the cowards who will usher in a truly fascist American state.
If conservatives want to be true to their ideals and philosophy, the only place they can be effective is by joining the Democratic Party, where they will be welcomed. They will have the ability to challenge the excess of the farthest left, keeping America a place where liberals and moderates can work together to bring back the America that was the beacon of freedom lovers everywhere.
Resist.
Organize.
Vote!
3
And to think that a third of Trump voters voted for Obama! Those racists bigots Christians!
2
Why? Why is he getting away? Getting away breaking laws, protocols, diplomacy, totally unscrupulous, lies, sexual assaults, stupidity who derides his own intelligence agencies and institutions,blatantly enriching himself while colluding and committing likely treason. A Democratic country with a Constitution, laws, checks and balances and 320 million citizens are unable to restrain one man? And he is doing the same with the rest of the world? Really unbelievable!
3
You can't erode trust if you aren't trustworthy. Trumps word means dog doo-doo.
2
trump is a pathological liar. I don't believe that he is in control of what he says or tweets. It's a natural function of his personality. It is like breathing or sweating. It is just him. It's not a moral or ethical issue. He can't stop it any more than he can stop his heart.
He has no plan. The lies have no goal.They simply are what they are- exhaled air causing his vocal folds to vibrate,and his tongue and lips to enunciate meaningless sounds-sort of like breaking wind. There is no meaning.
Reptilian trump is an absurd cartoon of a human being.
3
As far as I know, President Pathological lies only when his lips move. I may amend my understanding if I learn he ever studied ventriloquism.
Putin's Puppet. lol.
2
I'm starting to think that "Spy Gate" is just the marketing term. The product itself should be called "Lie Gate."
6
"[...] Mr. Trump pushed the notion that President Barack Obama had been born in Kenya rather than Honolulu, making him ineligible for the presidency."
The funny thing is that one presidential candidate, John McCain was actually born outside of the USA - yet no one ever bothered to point that out.
(OK, it was an American military base in Panama, and yes, that sure counts as well, but still, actually, physically, not US soil...still definitely more outside of the USA than Obama)
4
Trump is allowed to peddle his garbage conspiracy theories for two reasons that are relatively new in American political discourse: 1) The President's lies and conspiracies are given legitimacy by a major network, Fox; and, 2) the majority party in Congress has completely abdicated its constitutional duty to act as check on the Executive branch because it is completely controlled by a small group of wealthy donors that dictate political and policy actions.
11
A forceful counter argument by an elected official is necessary now. Hearing Steve Schmidt & other brilliant MSNBC commentators are in a bubble. NyTimes critiques are simply insufficient.
The country needs a Welch on McCarthy public moment- as strong in tone as the nutty failings of Trump’s spindoctors. With down to earth confidence (no moralist rant), false claims must be taken down. When KellyeAnne or Rudy sports irrational blather, have Smallwell on the news, punching back.
4
All one has to ask regarding anything Trump says is 10 words..
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
2
Signs for the president's desk:
"The Fake News Starts Here."
"Tweet it Again, Harder"
"No Lie is Big Enough"
3
Or even O.O.O.
„Oval Office Occupant“
which has a very appropriate temporary feeling about it.
As soon as Failing 45 is booted out of office, we're going to us all his tricks against him, every day, for the rest of his life.
1
He's nothing but a malignant narcissist and a habitual liar backed by a party who uses the once great party called: Republicans. But the Republicans are no more, they've been infiltrated so badly that the only comparison one can make is to 1938 Germany and how that party's leader wrecked havoc on the world. In this case the methods are the same and the victims here are the Americans including those who voted for him with the exception of those who are very rich.
3
I see Roseanne bought into his nonsensical conspiracy theories and now she is done. Poof; gone. I'm going to start a conspiracy theory that Trump is an alien and fake human and that should disqualify him from being President. It's almost believable.
4
For Americans not to see - in totality - how malicious and dangerous Trump, his family and cronies are to our fragile democracy, is in fact proof positive of how fragile democracy actually is. We are in profoundly disturbing, deep trouble and somehow, lots of folks have tuned out to it. This way lies chaos and madness.
6
Lies, nonsense and conspiracy theories are all he has. He is too ignorant for anything else, like reading and thinking. He is Fake News in the flesh.
4
Here is an example of how Trump and the right-wing media have taken over the public discourse, right here in your article:
You write: "And for years, Mr. Trump pushed the notion that President Barack Obama had been born in Kenya rather than Honolulu, making him ineligible for the presidency."
This statement is wrong, it is part of Trump's racist campaign against Obama. Because even if Obama had been born in Kenya, even if his mother had really forged his birth certificate and birth announcement, that would have not mattered one little bit! That would not have made him "ineligible for the presidency"! Why? Because his mother was an American citizen -- so he could have been born on the moon and still would be an American citizen!
Both John McCain and Ted Cruz were born abroad (in Panama and Canada) and no one ever questionned their citizenship.
I think this is very sloppy reporting. At the very least, you should have said that being born in Kenya would have "allegedly" made him ineligible for the presidency. This whole Trump disaster shows that language matters. Trump's misuse of language matters, and reporters need to be viligant in not repeating his hideous lies, whether intentionally or not.
5
The only way to finally clear this up is to overcome the republican gerrymandering, (their complete betrayal of democracy.)
Then get decent folk, who care about American constitutional freedoms, into office. Elect those who care about protecting our citizens from psychopaths with war weapons, polluters with toxins, and who have the common sense to know a lie when they hear one, bring it to the forefront, and call the liar out for all to see !
Remember, "We The People" did not elect the imbecile. He lost by nearly 3,000,000 ballots. A single file line of 3,000,000 people would stretch well over a thousand miles.
He is not "Our" president. Pence is not "Our" VP.
Neither represents American values.
5
No question Trump is a narcissist, and narcissists simply do not accept responsibility for their actions. It’s always the fault of someone else.
4
both sides use conspiracy theories, let's be intellectually honest
4
Joe
First, you have to posit the left has an intellect before you can ask them to be intellectually honest.
Since dear leader doesn't read or listen to anything other than faux, he must "create/fabricate" his own reality then attempt to convince us it is truth. Those of us who read and listen to other than faux don't need to listen. We know he lies.
3
Donald Trump is a "moral monster" and he has regurgitated the hateful underbelly in this country. There's always been a disgusting underside to a minority of US citizens but he has mined that lack of character and morality and is waving it proudly in our faces.
3
This ignorant angry man is beyond embarrassing... He is dangerous.
Vote every one of his Republican enablers out this November!
3
Two words: Joseph Goebbels
It actually hurts me, to my stomach, that you freedom-loving, democracy-upholding, highly-educated people in the U.S. can't see the similarities between 1933 and 2017.
Not that I'm afraid of dying.
But I would find it very dissatisfactory to die in a U.S. mass-killing gas-chamber, you know? It's not who you are, or at least were, Second Amendment and all, you know...
1
President Flim-flam has no shame. It is a characteristic of sociopaths to lack the capacity for shame. This perpetual huckster poses a clear and present danger to our nation until we remove him from office constitutionally and nonviolently.
15
I urge everyone with access to Showtime to watch "The Fourth Estate," a serial documentary about the NYT's ongoing effort to keep its eye on dangerous President Trump. If you don't get Showtime, this series alone makes it worth getting.
7
There is a way to deal with Trump's hallucinations and his duplicitous behavior as regards his noteworthy paranoia.
What is needed is a STRONG MESSAGE that enough is enough.
A simple and meaningful solution is for all Republicans of good conscience to change their political registration as Republican to Democrat or Independent.
Independents should consider becoming Democrats.
Perform this simple but meaningful maneuver and do it now before the elections in November of 2018.
Put the threat of your vote where your good sense and your head and heart happen to be.
Patriotism can take many forms and can be effective through simple acts of protest.
Send the Trump Administration a message that even they can understand.
Send a message that possibly even Trump himself can for just once understand..
9
Trump and Stephen Miller must stay up nights creating all these conspiracy theories. Really, it is like 2 middle school students writing fantasy thrillers for those who cannot discern truth from reality fiction. Trump is the star....Miller is producer.
8
This is true but unfortunately predictable result of main-stream media's long-time collaboration with the CIA and federal government to undermine legitimate inquiry in response to prior historical events.
For example, as Church Committee exposed in te 1970's, newspaper and television media cooperated with CIA's "Operation Mockingbird" by allowing CIA installed journalists and assets to promote a narrative desired by government insiders. And as NY Times reported around same time (thanks to Freedom of Information Act disclosures), when Mark Lane raised legitimate questions about the JFK sssassination and Warren Commission in "Rush to Judgment," the CIA chose to weaponize the term "conspiracy theory" via media assets to counter all questions about Warren Commission and evidence that ran contrary to its conclusions.
And, now, more than 50 years later, even former Warren Commission staff members admit the CIA and FBI were, in fact, "lying their eyes out," as stated by former House Majority Leader and Warren Commission member Hale Boggs.
The exploitation and lies surrounding Gulf of Tonkin incident; Watergate; Iran-Contra - these were all real conspiracies that were denied, denied, denied. Obama's own CIA Director John Brennan brazenly lied about spying on Dianne Feinstein and Senate Intelligence Committee.
It doesn't excuse Trump but it helps explain how easily someone like him could exploit what is sometimes legitimate questions about "Deep State" actions.
6
"None of that was true."
I may have missed it in my quick read, but I don't see the words lie, lies or lier used in this article, if they were used, it wasn't often enough. As with so many articles attempting to address the inability of the occupant of the White House to tell the full complete truth on any issue, the blunt words "lie," "lies," and "lier" seem too extreme to be included. They need to be -- upfront, consistent and used every time they are the terms that accurately describe his words.
12
For Gosh sakes, a president's campaign is clandestinely investigated by the FBI and the prexy has no right to inquire about it? That's conspiracy mongering? Progressives live in an alternate universe.
11
Yes indeed, progressives live in a Universe where facts matter, which is obviously a different Universe from where you live in.
3
Trump hired a guy with Russian mob connections TO RUN HIS CAMPAIGN. Wake up.
The FBI has and had a bigger picture than Trump's campaign to look at.
Trump never did care about his having criminals working for him. Somebody has to care.
2
Nobody, whether the capi di tutti capi, Al Capone, or Donald Trump has a right to inquire about an investigation into their activities.
I am amazed how folks like Alex don't understand this basic principle of law enforcement investigations.
3
It is Trump’s critics who peddle conspiracies.
6
"The Birther Lie"
brought to you by Peddler Trump.
For many years.
2
Would you care (or are you able) to elaborate?
2
In some countries n the developed world, it is against the law to call your tv or radio program news if it’s opinion based like FOX News. Not all, but some people would be less inclined to believe these crazy conspiracies.
4
Trump is a true enemy of democracy. And all for his own ego-driven narcissism. When only 34% of the population has a college degree, the majority of Americans are basically easily-led sheep who are emotional, short-sighted, and frightened of everything, lacking the ability to rationalize and critically understand issues. It's all about me, me, me. My fears. My inadequacies. My country is being taken from me. My jobs are being stolen from me. My morals are mocked. My culture and religion are not respected. Aliens are invading earth. The Deep State wants to take my guns. American ignorance is at an all-time high and must be defeated. If Republican-leaning rubes win, the country will become devolve into authoritarianism and democracy will be defeated. Bring 10 people you know with you to the voting booth in November to elect Dems. The message MUST be sent that the lowly-educated will not take over the country.
10
Conspiracy theories don't have code names like "Crossfire Hurricane," which just happens to be something that your publication has reported on. In order for something to have a code name it has to pass beyond the realm of theory in reality.
Which of those divergent "truths" are you trying to promote?
5
Yes, All investigations have code names,
Whether the target is the Archbishop of Canterbury or DJTrump.
2
Stefan Halper is not an 'informant'. Comey was closer to the truth...'human source'. Halper inserted himself into Trump's circle, uninvited. That is not an 'informant'. Halper used subterfuge to do it-
1) Contacted Page and Papadopoulos unsolicited to meet with them in person, someone they had never met before
2) Out of the blue, asked Papadopoulos, someone he did not know previously, to write a paper and come to visit him in London, expenses paid
3) According to Papadopoulos, used leading questions to try and implicate him in knowing about Russian theft of emails
4) Used a woman 'assistant' to pry information out of Papadopoulos
5) Was on the payroll of the US government, for what and for whom we do not know yet
This is all indicative of spy tradecraft...and likely, Stefan Halper was spying for MI6, CIA, FBI or all three organizations.
4
You totally ignore the facts leading to these acts. Cartier Paige previous sought out Russians, was warned that his contacts were Russian spies, and seems to have told the Russian spies what he was told. Papadopoulus told an Australian diplomat about his foreknowledge of information hacked by the Russians. Both of these men were being investigated for prior acts. It is not in the national interest to spread disinformation as you are doing. Mr Trump is a person who plays games, games that can hurt people.
1
What I wrote are undisputed facts, and you did not counter a single one. Ask yourself why have both Page and Papadopoulos have not been arrested for espionage (or anyone else)? They met with Russians? That isn't a crime...this was a pretext to get inside the Trump circle, and soon more will come to light...time is on the side of truth, not the darkness, where Mr. Comey, Mr. Clapper and Mr. Brennan lurk.
For all the anti-Trump virulence -- some facts.
1) no evidence of trump or his team colluding with Russia during 2016 campaign or during transition.
2) no evidence of obstruction of justice (the investigation went on; the head of the FBI, like everyone in the executive branch, serves at the pleasure of the president)
3) And there is no evidence of criminal activity by Trump, money laundering for the mob or Russia, of him being Putin's puppet etc., -- you can regurgitate all the leftist swill you want, make all the ad hominem attacks, but that doesn't make any of them true.
4) While you like to call Trump's supporters dumb and deplorable I bet if you picked a random sample of supporters of Trump versus those from the left you'd find Trumps as bright, as ethical, as possibly more in favor of personal liberty.
However ---- there is evidence of wrong doing by the FBI and perhaps other intel agencies, the Obama admin & DNC during the 2016 campaign and transition. We know DNC threw the nomination to HRC. We know that we don't know why or when the FBI started investigating Trump and Russia. We know about the FICA warrants. We know about the FBI asset that attempted to glean info (he was a spy whatever you want to call him or THEM). We know about Lynch and Billy on the tarmac. We know Obama was briefed on the Steele dossier well before Trump and in more detail. Etc. So, let's investigate. If innocent, FBI, intel community, Obama'as admin shouldn't worry. Right?
8
Never say "no evidence" until the prosecutor folds his cards.
I'm betting that there will b evidence when Mueller puts his cards on the table.
3
You cite no sources, so I have to assume you are just writing what you wish were true.
There have been indictments.
Trump's campaign manager had mob ties.
So, no, it is not ethical to just ignore the facts.
2
None of your four points constitute verifiable "facts."
This is how fascism and Nazism came into power. It's Orwell's 1984 come to truth. Be afraid, I am.
7
Don't be afraid. Do something about it. Write your congressman or woman. Senator etc. Join the ACLU who will challenge the lier in court. Anti-defamation to stop anti semitism. Planned parenthood to protect women. SPLC to irritate and reveal hate groups. Use your power of the purse. Vote in November. Speak with your family and neighbors. Insist on right being done.
1
Yeah, the "Deep State" is so effective at controlling the government that they let Donald Trump become president.
Idiocy.
13
Why let Trump get away with another lie? "Spygate"???
Let's call this latest Trump diversion what it is: "Deceivergate"... "ConMangate"... "Fibbergate"... "Charlatangate"....
8
This country is only as smart as the electorate. I am very worried for the future of this country.
14
So, the FBI shouldn't investigate Russian meddling to help Trump in the election because the investigation itself will constitute meddling in the coming mid-terms.
That perfectly captures the classic definition of chutzpah: A person who murders his parents asks for mercy from the court because he's an orphan.
10
"Criminal Deep State" could be a really good band name.
4
In their continued hate and resistance to Trump, and willingness to protect President Obama and Hillary Clinton at all costs, the NYT will eventually find itself on the wrong side of this issue, once the full facts emerge, Some of that will happen when the Justice Dept. IG releases his report. It is never okay to use the nation's intelligence apparatus to spy on the political opposition. The bar for predicating an investigation to prove espionage or collusion with Russia should be set very high in this country.
Using a 'dossier' for a FISA warrant (produced as a political opposition paper for the Clinton Campaign), based on unnamed sources within the FSB and Kremlin, doesn't cut it.
8
I not sure who to believe. The report in the WP was that the professor was a longtime U.S. intelligence source. And, at some point in 2016, he began working as a secret informant for the FBI. It was he that initiated contact with Carter Page and Papadopoulos. He began pumping Papadopoulos about Russia. He used an offer to pay him for a paper on energy and even fly him to London related to the paper. So what was the purpose of this professor? Who was paying to get involved with the Trump campaign. If they just wanted information, they could have openly gont to the campaign and asked. But this was informant for the justice department. So whose propaganda do we believe? Trump people who were infiltrated or the FBI who answer is, " Not us. We're the FBI."
6
He is also responsible for spreading certain rumors according to the Brits. Overall some seriously questionable behavior for an "investigator."
4
"....they could have openly gont to the campaign and asked..."
Ya. The most honest President in the history of this country....no.....in the history of the world.. would certainly have answered honestly.
Jeeze. Hard to believe your thought process.
2
The whole Trump collusion thing has lost all of its legs. What we do know is that;
Bernie Sanders and his grass roots American supporters got railroaded by the DNC. All their money wasted.
The DNC to this day have not let the FBi see their server that they say was hacked by Russians.
Mrs. Clinton Bleach Bit her E mail server
Mrs. Clinton destroyed evidence.
CNN gave Mrs. Clinton questions in advance.
Mrs. Clinton paid for fake Russian Trump news which was used to obtain a FISA warrant on a Trump campaign person.
The FBI let off a very guilty Mrs. Clinton and Strozk, Paige and Andy discussed an insurance policy to make sure a duly elected president would be dismissed.
Comey leaked classified notes of his conversations with the president to a friend who leaked them to the news.
Bill Clinton met with Jes Lynch on a runway by chance to discuss grandkids and golf.
It seems like all of the cheating is coming from one particular side that thought that they were going to win.
7
"The DNC to this day have not let the FBi see their server that they say was hacked by Russians."
The FBI can see what it wants to see.,
How do you know they haven't seen the DNC server.
2
Sociopaths confabulate. They do it all the time. It's essential for them to spread the con as thick, far, and wide as possible, in order to always remain blameless about everything. Whatever helps them, we all have shoved down our throats. It's an habitual characteristic
of lifelong Antisocial Personality Disorder folks who ordinarily spend most of their lives in and out of jails and prisons. Fortunate sociopaths with wealth (an old term, but still in use for its clarity), squeeze by with armies of legal eagles. In this case -- as with much else we've heard to date -- We the People always pay the price. From "birtherism" to "Spygate": there will be a new outrage that isn't, when the press puts this one to rest. And so it goes ...
5
The "conspiracy theories" about "Russian collusion" with Trump are utter lies and fabrications, rightly called a 'McCarthyite witch hunt". The "consipiracy theories" about collusion between the CIA, FBI, the Clinton campaign and British intelligence are 100% true.
7
The question is when will readers of this and other mainstream news finally understand that they have been conned? Who was it that said it's easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled? The Lincoln moment of being unable to fool all the people all the time has come.
3
He is a traitor to American values. He lies and uses propaganda not to defeat enemies but to defeat America. How long are we going to allow this to continue? Where are the patriots? Where is Joe Biden and Michelle and Barack? This is a war for our nation's very soul Why are they not all speaking out against this evil man?
11
"Spygate", the "worst scandal since Watergate"?
Bet he didn't write that
This is nearer to trumps trumpish twitterings:
Spy gate the biggest scandal ever in the whole universe. Watergate is a loser, not even near. Sad!
2
He has no concern for the productive goals of America. He is cruel and a lier. He wants all for himself and his family. Ivanka's trade marks from China. Kushners loans for his NY property. Xi is a good man!. North Korea is a great country!
Only if they yield dollars for me.
Meanwhile at home, spread propaganda and lies about FBI,CIA, Muller, keep the base happy and Faux News of course. Blame Democrats and anyone else to deflect from the real story.
He is a skilled crook.
Vote him out because the Republicans have joined the gang!
4
I think at first, people probably couldn't tell if he was lying or telling the truth. But I think the American people, including some of his base, probably know by now, the man is a pathological liar. He lies even when he doesn't have to. And he blames the Democrats for things he has done: ex. he just blamed the Dems for the "law" of separating parents from their kids at the border. No Donald, that was your policy, your attorney general read it out loud to anyone who was listening. And he also lied about it being a law, it isn't a law, it's one of his stupid policies.
3
1400 words about Trump's daily peddling of conspiracy theories and his inability to tell the truth and not ONCE do we see the word "lie." Not. Once.
Now, if he were a Clinton...
8
This President must be brilliant - he literally has changed "Truth", "Justice", and the "American Way"!
3
"How Trump Uses Conspiracy Theories to Erode Public Trust"?
Why not call the elephant in the room what it clearly is "How Trump LIES to destroy public trust in democratic institutions"? And steal power, just like most despots.
9
The New York Times has failed its readers and its heritage. By example: when Trump attacked the Times for siting a White House source that did exist, a true mugging, the Times did not effectively respond. The Times did not defend itself, instead it deferred by not revealing the source. When newspapers get mugged and don't fight for their readers we all are lessened. Shame on the NY Times for not standing up to a bully.
4
Now we have a handle on his MO, we need to plan how to respond to this method of propaganda.
4
Peddling falsehoods to shift blame and make the most powerful man in the world out to be the most victimized is one goal of Trump's administration. But the effort to restrict sources of information to a small number of Trump-approved sources is a close second.
Trump, the President, directs the nation to watch Fox News, while calling for boycotts of individual anchors (like Megyn Kelly) for personal reasons. InfoWars (Alex Jones) and Breitbart (Bannon) stories can be found on the president's lips, but the NY Times is the "enemy of the people" and WaPo's association with Jeff Bezos just coincidentally leads to trouble for Amazon. Sinclair Broadcasting forces its anchors to promote Trump's fake news narrative and is able to seek more broadcasting power without particular scrutiny while Trump singles out CNN's parent company (Time Warner) for antitrust review.
Usually, Trump surrogates/supporters can barely even cite actual falsehoods in the supposedly "fake news." Instead they point to mere "negativity." Somehow, a fact becomes "fake" purely on the basis of its negative impact on Trump. This is not unlike Trump's frequent mischaracterization of any inconvenient facts about him (like when Cruz aired his previous statements on abortion) as "slander" regardless of its truth. Meanwhile, he excuses his promotion of a demonstrably false video depiction of Muslims on the grounds that it "could have been" true; nothing slanderous there apparently.
4
If one studies nearly every fascist evolution (devolution) as it transformed countries and societies, first and foremost was the need and strategy to undermine public confidence in news media. There could be no objective truth in circulation save what was presented by them. "Fake News" was the currency of those aspiring to replace Democracy with autocracy and it worked. Beware!
4
Trump's simply employing the old maxim of distraction commonly employed by all comen.
Trump starts a media dogfight and walks away to subvert some more of the US constitution.
2
He's as transparent as glass.
Simple question for the NYT and the rest of the news media:
If Trump's Tweets and statements are demonstrably false, why do you print them?
4
they are printed and usually reported "demonstrably false," or at least, "with no evidence that it's true." i agree with your premise, though, and it all started with his racist meme that obama was not born in the U.S.
1
Because many people do not know they are false.
2
They're not entirely "false". It's one 's opinion that matters and determines their veracity.
1
Indeed, there is a "deep state." It comprises all of us who have ethics, civic responsibility, knowledge of history, respect for fact, and allegiance to the United States of America. I am the deep state, and if you recognize a brood of vipers, so are you.
5
The buck stops 10 ft. outside the White House gates.
Diabolically inventing conspiracy theories, eroding public trust in democratic institutions, undermining the idea of objective truth, and sowing widespread suspicions about the government and news media – OMG how sinister!
1
sounds like an left wing activist
Just repeating the facts of the article - you may want to read it yourself!
You can fool some of the people all of the time.
3
Wake up America. Trump is using tactics straight out of the fascists play book. He is attempting to destroy democracy that our veterans have fought for from the beginning. Trump and his conspirators need to be removed. Vote!!
4
Trump is a con artist. Never, ever believe anything a con artist says. Never.
3
I love the New York Times. I view this paper as a conduit for well reasoned, constructive commentary, and good reporting.
I have a problem with this article. If I wanted click-bait, I would read Buzzfeed. If I wanted easy reading, echo-chamber confirming commentary, I would go to any number of liberal leaning news websites.
This article comes across as too sensationalist, too click-hungry. In my opinion, if the New York Times wants to be the arbiter of real reporting and unbiased commentary, you need to lay off the biased phrasing.
I understand that it's hard. Trump is a joke, and a dangerous one at that. He needs to be taken seriously, and American democracy and pluralism needs to be defended. More than anything, we need the great journalistic institutions of our country to uphold their integrity.
This article annoys me because it clearly communicates an opinion, and it confirms MY opinion too much.
I don't need you to tell me what to think, to influence my opinion. I need you to inform me, and help me reach my own conclusions.
Step it up NYT. I respect this institution, but this is letting me down.
7
I'm hooked on "The Fourth Estate," a serial documentary on Showtime about the New York Times' commitment and ongoing effort to keep tabs on our sociopath-in-chief. Can't stop watching it -- nor should I.
4
Those who believe the unsubstantiated, fantastical conspiracy theories tossed out by 45 do so not because his transparent and clumsy lies are compelling but because they wish to believe. It suits their hopes/narratives/world views and variously quells their anger and fears to do so. If such perversions of reality are left unchecked, one day those believers could very well explain their actions thusly: "I was just following orders."
5
Isn't it ironic that the Trump Campaign illegal election collusion witg h Russia narrative is a conspiracy theory designd to weeken public trust in the current administration.
I say conspiracy theory because after numerous exhaustive attempts to find a crime where a member of the Trump admin conspired with Russia to corrupt the election none has been shown. Efforts apparently included covert surveillance and informants, breaking se as rich and seizure, but the number of proven Trump campaign Russia conspiracy incidences is the same as the number of captured space aliens and big foot creatures.
The space alien crowd has its autopsy video, the big foot crowd has grainy 8mm movie film, and the Russian conspiracy people have their dossier. Perhaps each is as credible as the others.
6
I just do not believe Trump is that sophisticated in his thinking. I think a lot of his behavior is due to a steady diet of Fox News. It’s anecdotal but I know my elderly father did not always sound like a paranoid lunatic (Trump-like?) until he began watching the rightwing cable channel. When I was growing up, dad read the local paper and watched the evening news on one of the three networks (I can’t remember which one). Something really changed with him, however, when he began watching Fox. As I understand it, Trump is also quite fond of watching Fox. I don’t always recall Trump being associated with conspiracies, at least not in his earlier, pre-political career (not that I paid much attention). I suspect that Trump, like my father, started watching Fox. Trump then moved on to harder drugs, such as Breitbart, InfoWars, etc. My father never went down that road as he never learned to use the web. However, the damage was already done.
4
Let us all keep an eye peeled for sometimes unwitting attempts to normalize Trump. He is a complete disaster. Also, let us keep an eye on the progressive thinking that said Clinton was no different than Trump, because of her Wall Street connections. That is right up there with the conservatives who could not win the hearts and minds of GOP voters, because they let liberal propaganda go on unchecked for years.
2
The more he can stir hate and anger between Americans, the more he hopes to divert attention away from himself. Let's not be triggered by his actions. Let's remain focused on the November elections. Everyone reading this should strive to convince at lease two friends who would otherwise not vote, to vote.
4
Donald Trump has always utilized the tabloids to attain notoriety, spread "incredible" rumors, and promote falsehoods. The problem is that about 33% of the U.S. population is actually receptive to "wanting to believe" those rumors and falsehoods. These same people "want" to believe the President is right...even when he contradicts himself, in the same "tweet" or sentence! Trump is skillfully cultivating this "base" to seed discontent with the government... so that they believe only in "him" and his allies.
This works, for some people... but maybe the followers of Trump need to be reminded of a wonderful movie generations of Americans have enjoyed over the years: The Wizard of Oz.
2
“...self-made men who harbored deep insecurities, not unlike the current Oval Office occupant.” Trump is self-made?
2
Nothing really new here: during the 1950s and 1960s, successive presidents warned us about the Communist conspiracy. Some people think it never went away.
2
Interesting how big a fuss Donald J. Trump made about Roseanne Barr's new show where she starred as a brash and outspoken no-holds-barred Trump supporter.
In real life, today, her statements on Twitter were so abhorrently bigoted and racist she just lost her network show.
Trump had gleefully said at a rally--she's just like people like us---as her show kicked off.
I found it ironic and worth a comment. And no where to post it, so I took a chance here.
2
I love Eric Thayer’s photo illustration!
Trump built his "wall"
its right down the middle of America with the"reprehinsables" on one side and decent Americans on the other.
he likes to spend his time lobbing teargas bombs over the wall at decent Americans instead of doing the important work that all other American presidents have done
1
You two may call him an "informant" but others are fine with "spy", and we don't all support the WH occupant.
5
Actually, it seems clear some people were expecting 9/11 before it happened ; from the FBI agents that warned about it along with former Clinton cabinet members like Sandy Berger, to members of the PNAC who were wishing something like 9/11 would occur so that they could launch their neocon agenda.
4
"There's a sucker born every minute"
1
Trump, like P T. Barnum, believes that there's a sucker born every minute. And boy! we have quite a few these days
3
No President is bigger than our democracy. Including, but not limited to Trump who is a very little man, but a very big liar.
It is up to the American people, Congress and the Courts to stand up to him and the truth, and not compromise our democracy.
And anyone who does not to maintain ALL of or liberties, should be appropriately curtailed and sanctioned.
4
Y'all talk about "our democracy" while at the same time making every effort to undermine, or overturn the results of our last democratic presidential election. Are you even aware of the hypocrisy?
7
Jaco, how is anyone trying to "overturn" the results of the election? If the impeachment provisions of the Constitution don't apply to duly-elected Presidents, then why are they there?
3
Trump does think that he can evade legal problems by winning the sympathies of people politically before any findings from Mueller et al are produced. He has no convictions. He will do anything that is possible to convince the gullible that his responses to any facts that emerge will be considered more believable than the facts to the public and to the politicians who think that Trump is going to enable them to have what they want. He has already succeeded very well. The Congress could stop him but the Republicans would have to place the survival of our government of laws above their immediate advantages of having Trump as President. So far only a few are willing to do that.
Trump is not crazy, nor does he want to be dictator, nor is he anything but a selfish individual who will do anything to get what he wants, and he does not want to leave the U.S. a free country where all are equal before the law. He just does not want to be held responsible for anything that makes him look less than fully in control, even if accomplished with all spin and illusion.
1
Trump can only erode those minds that choose to be eroded. Its simple, after last week when the DOJ briefed the Intel Committees of both parties; when they came out nothing was said that backed trumps "spy gate" theory. The fact that Nunes didn't go directly to a microphone and still hasn't, tells the true story, no spies in the trump campaign. Yet trump still tweets about it, and some of his followers continue to hang on his every word. Those supporters make me think of the commercial where the people have there head buried in a hole in the ground, then suddenly pull it out and start running at full speed to a cliff to there sure death. I guess that's what a true supporter of trumps is willing to do. How unfortunate!
1
I'm starting my own conspiracy theory; Donald Trump landed here in a spaceship in area 51, June 14th, 1946.
Preparations for political office begun in earnest in New York City in 1970s, the perfect Petri dish environment.
2
Who believes this man who lies even when there is no reason to? Why would anyone fall for his blather? He is trying to Goebbels-ize the nation with his Big Big Lies--the Biggest, he might crow--and think that the American people as a whole will swallow anything he says.
I keep wondering what the appeal is supposed to be: to those who love men who can apparently lie with impunity--and get away with any crime he chooses to commit?
1
Mrs. Clinton was correct when she said there was a vast, right wing effort to negate the power of her husband. The use of the word conspiracy, however, enflamed the debate. There is a degree of conspiracy against all presidents, Clinton got hit very hard because the Republicans previously thought they would have a 50 yr. rule. Cultural distaste played a role, too.
Some elements of the effort to destroy the Clinton presidency were in public for all to see. Some, like hundreds of millions of dollars poured into demonize the Clintons, were in the background and little reported in the media.
Bill Clinton signed the 1996 communications deregulation act which, in turn, allowed right wing America to take over the entire AM radio band and denounce Clinton to millions every day. This was part of the "conspiracy" that raised its ugly head during those years.
Since many elements of what happened were not widely reported, the assumption now is that it didn't happen.
Impeaching Clinton was DIRECTLY taken from the playbook of Newt Gingrich and reflected the EXACT way he had become Speaker of the House: complain constantly about ethical violations, file whatever charges you can, simmer for awhile, then seize power.
As for Nixon, he was right to believe he was despised. He was the first president from the west, no Ivy League degree, a red baiter using foul tactics to win power. The eastern media was not generally his friend, either. He dove into that maelstrom and caused his own defeat.
8
What you are describing is mental illness.
Having an alcoholic person in the family also "changes the debate", bends discourse, destroys trust, and manipulates. Choosing that kind of leader says something about the state of the everyday values that Americans are endorsing in a leader. Nevertheless, "Is it true?" still stands whether anyone stands with the truth or not.
My own theory is that Mr. Trump is basically using conspiracy theory as a type of religion and he gets something out of it. So Consider the Source is valuable because Mr. Trump is a person who lies. Until that is not true, then he is not a reliable or honest man.
That some Americans, fundamentalist Christians and a major American party, the GOP, have found this an ideal opportunity to advance their own causes is about their own lack of integrity and their willingness to gut traditional values to get what they want. That is on them, not Trump.
As with any lie, addiction, or scam, you sooner or later Pay the Piper.
5
The saddest part of all this is that the Evangelical leadership has sold its soul by not condemning Trump's obvious lies.
7
These people who defend Trump are an absolute disgrace. They chip away at fact and reality and try to make the lies this President tells like he breathes acceptable. They are not. He is a threat to our democracy and our society and needs to go--as quickly as the honest, truth-loving citizens of this country can make it happen.
6
Trump's propensity for gaslighting, reconstituting the news to suit his own warped vision, and outright lying to shift attention from the truth and to protect himself is all so tiresome. But that is the vital part of his devious plan. He is hellbent on wearing down the opposition with mistruth, then sitting back and chortling as they attempt to surface from under a heavy blanket of mendacity. Hitler did it, Franco did it, and psychopaths do it on a regular basis. Trump is in good company, as it turns out. And America suffers for it.
4
Re "to suit his political narrative": I for one will be happy when we lay that word "narrative" to rest for good. That word and more generally, the language we use these days (whatever its intellectual roots) is undermining rational, fact-based discourse. How about "Trump's made-up story"? Because that is what it is.
5
A fair question is, after having the Obama administration insert FBI and CIA 'informants' into the Trump election campaign and using national technical means to conduct electronic surveillance on Page and Papanopolous, why hasn't anyone been arrested for espionage or collusion with the Russian government to influence an American election? Not one single person has been charged with espionage, yet that is what is claimed by FBI and our intelligence agencies to predicate a domestic spying operation, which is exactly what 'Crossfire Hurricane' was.
10
@J House: How many people other than those involved with the Trump campaign do you think have been the subject of electronic surveillance or have had informants assigned to them as part of an FBI investigation without being charged with anything?
Thanks to the security apparatus the GOP itself worked very hard to establish, there's arguably not a person in the U.S. that can credibly claim to KNOW that they have not been scrutinized without notice over some national security matter. Where were conservatives (other than Rand Paul, I must admit) when the average U.S. citizen could have used some protection against the surveillance state the Bush administration was creating? Republicans don't care about the methods the FBI is using, they only care about what it may mean for their grip on the presidency. I would encourage you to review how the GOP has voted on the renewal of the same opaque procedures they now deride (especially Devin Nunes's unwavering support year after year, vote after vote). Then tell me how much conservatives truly care about "transparency" in law enforcement.
3
I'm not arguing the Republicans are any better, or that domestic spying is warranted . I'm sticking to facts, and no one has been charged with any crime that has to do with espionage and Russia...no one. Are we to expect the party in power to investigate the political opposition going forward, and use the national security spying apparatus to do it, all predicated that they may be colluding with a foreign country? We have seen no evidence to date that justifies 'Crossfire Hurricane'...none.
Rand Paul would have been my first choice for President, ahead of even Bernie (given Bernie's strong support for F-35 fighter jet basing in Burlington, in spite of extremely shady politics around that basing decision).
Among Trump's many flaws is that he believes he wields inviolable power through his base. Certainly Trump's base enables him; i.e., stokes his self delusions (and their own). However, what Trump fails to understand is that his base is not substantial enough to save his pathetic presidency. The Trump base consists of, at most, 32% of the American electorate. The other 68% -- those of us who reject Trump's lies, manic behavior, and warped policies -- wield the greater power: that which will remove him from office.
7
He's a con man. This is what con men do. Slight of hand, distraction. The pea is under this shell, no it isn't, now it's underneath that shell, keep your eyes on the moving shells.
4
Perhaps it would help our "progressives" to understand the issue in a little more detail. To assist in that effort please look here:
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/susan-rice-email-president-obama-...
5
The article you cite is so biased, incomplete, filled with opinion, innuendo and spin as to lack all credibility as a source to support an argument, let alone stand as a factual record.
2
Yes, National Review has done a good job of examining the information provided by participants in the "investigation", which now includes the reporting of the NYT.
2
It's how the Nazis did it. The "Juden Presse", the Jewish Press that was spouting all those lies about them. Those who are 'other' and want to destroy our way of life need to be vilified and ostracized and then can be dismissed as not relevant. It's scary beyond words what is going on in this once great country today.
4
Let's see, first he was called an informant, one whose identity, if revealed, could result in his death-uh, no, not so-which by most definitions is a spy in the sense that they are claiming to be someone else or representing something else in order to gain access somewhere clandestinely and report back to someone who has hired or recruited the person work in secret. Ok, so we go with clandestine informant, or is that still too evocative? Has the media rejected Comey's Confidential Human Source, or does that smack too much of the deep state theories also rejected as existing, because it must of course be considered in a literal sense rather than one which suggests a deeply entrenched bureaucracy that unconsciously seeks to impose its will in all domains whenever and wherever possible? While Comey, the NYT and other MSM want to bog all of us down with semantics and use it to badger Trump while making out that he is conjuring up the entire idea of a spy in his campaign, most of us common folk get that a spy was indeed inserted into his campaign with the apparent but unknown intent to identify what they must of supposed was extensive foreign influence and a conspiracy to work with foreign entities by the campaign. The key now, despite all the ink spilled in this fake "analysis" is to know who ordered this operation and on what evidence was it based. We cannot have such things happen in politics without a damn good reason that goes beyond saying "trust us."
5
It's very simple. When our intelligence services were tipped off that Russia may have been meddling in our election, they put several key players under surveillance. And guess who appears on their list of contacts? Carter Page, George Papadapalous, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Donald Trump, Jr., Jared Kushner, Jeff Sessions, and other members of Trump's campaign. They didn't have to try very hard to make a connection between Russian agents and Trump's campaign, whose members certainly behaved like guilty co-conspirators--first lying about meeting any Russians at all, then lying about what was discussed.
This continuing narrative that the entire intelligence community was trying to help Hillary win doesn't really comport with Comey announcing one week before the election that he was re-opening the Clinton email investigation, of the open hatred of Mrs. Clinton that the entire NY office of the FBI shared with Rudy Giuliani or anyone else who would listen.
The current media atmosphere where social media bloggers are given equal weight to trained, fact-driven journalists has created a world where "alternative facts" and outright fiction can determine our nation's policies, and the future of our democracy.
4
Director Comey was required by law to notify Congress if recent developments in the Clinton email case came about, which he did.
What wasn't stated was what the FBI found...thousands of State Dept. emails, some classified, in the possession of a serial pervert with no security clearance, who was under criminal investigation for soliciting a minor over the Internet. Incredibly, no one has been charged or has gone to jail for this national security debacle.
5
Wasn't Anthony Weiner charged?
Pathetically, we can trace all/most of the President's ability to lie recklessly and without a shred of remorse to the deregulation of the Federal Communications Commission by Ronald Reagan and then FCC Chairman Birch in the 80s. The FCC was designed to protect us from propaganda on our airwaves, but that was thrown out the window. Remember Al Gore and the swift boat?
Vice President Chaney was a master at spreading false information. If you can own the media cycle with your lies for 36 hours, countless people won't believe the truth when it comes out. In Trump's case, he never admits to the truth even when he's caught in the lie.
Where is our supposed protectorate, the Republican-led Congress? Missing in In-Action.
We don't need to make America "great again." We need to make it so Americans BELIEVE again.
4
America needs Congress to stand up to the President and all his baloney. Yet the Congress is run by gerrymanderers who have little desire for democracy or the will of the people.
7
Trump is really desperate now, with his son Don Jr. perjuring himself saying there were no other meetings courting foreign countries besides Russia. Mueller is closing in on his inner circle and family. He so desperate he's willing to meet with North Korea again. He knows he will need the Republican leadership to back him in Congress to avoid impeachment and being fired. Most of all, he knows he is guilty. Wake-up Republicans in leadership and do your jobs - protect and uphold our laws and Constitution. Our country cannot handle much more of the bully-in-chief and liar, our 'so-called' president who seeks to divide and conquer us and become the first dictator of our republic. We need heroes to battle this lie spewing hydra with truth, justice and the American way. The day of reckoning is coming. Will you lead the battle for the freedoms we share against this would be tyrant? Justice will be served. "To much is given, much is required"
8
Perhaps the best thing the NYT can do every time such a conspiracy is reported is to headline "Trump's latest Lie - ... ".
8
I believe that Donald Trump's brain oscillates between two states: (1) lying and knowing he is lying and (2) believing his own lies and generally being unable to discern truth from falsehood.
That keeps the rest of us confused and off balance. Sometimes there's a conscious strategy and other times there's a reflexive outburst that bears little correspondence to reality or reason.
It's obvious that he's unstable and lacking the temperament to be President of this country. But those with the power have no inclination to do anything about it. When Donald Trump's political end becomes inevitable, watch all of the chickens jump on board the bandwagon and try to convince us that they were against him all along. Don't let them get away with it.
5
I agree with you. Republican and Democratic Leaders in the Senate and the House.... the majority of them... are failing the American People by sitting on the sidelines with their heads in the sand. It is disgusting. WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR? We have a dishonest, conniving narcissist in the White House. I don't care HOW he got there. He is extremely dangerous. WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR?
3
We have a president that lies, obfuscates, guts the Department of State, erodes public trust in other governmental institutions (e.g., FBI, DOJ) when he should be building them up, enlists cronies in Congress in his efforts to derail an investigation into his very own campaign's alleged malfeasance and possibly treasonous activities, staffs administration positions with incompetents, is beholden to an adversarial head of state (i.e., Putin), was elected due in no small part to the efforts of a foreign adversary's efforts, and that is still not enough to impeach? If we're not already a failed state then we're not far off.
3
Donald Trump's great talent, honed over his lifetime, has always been inventing and promoting new, unconfirmed accusations. Lying is how he operates.
Some may say that Trump is now fighting to keep his job and finish out his term, but 70odd years of this exact same behavior show this behavior is just Trump-as-usual.
While you can't always fool everyone, apparently its quite easy to fool a lot of people a lot of the time - especially when you tell them lies they’d like to believe were the truth.
5
He started off the day with a new one: Mueller is and will continue to deliberately use the Investigation to interfere in the midterms, especially now that republicans are ahead in the polls.
Well, Roseanne's foul and undoubted expression of her soul, has resulted in ABC just announcing that her show "IS CANCELLED".
I'll give Trump 24 hrs max to figure out a way to use this breaking news to his advantage: this is the Dem's fault, the intolerant left's fault, throw in a false equivalency with Wolf/H-Sanders and, if not first, it'll end up being the "Hollywood Elites" direct attack on and disrespect for Trump's base of Real Americans.
5
Expect Trump to claim that the just-announced cancellation of "Roseanne" is part of a conspiracy to silence supporters, like Roseanne Barr, and not because Barr went on a racist Twitter rant. If only voters could cancel the Trump Show based on his twitter rants.
8
Should not be surprised - he's an experienced, con man who achieved the highest scam of his life - the Presidency of the United States. History may not ever peel back all the layers. Difficult to be a proud citizen these days.
7
Too bad we can't cancel the Trump Show as easily as ABC canceled Roseanne! He certainly deserves a swift kick out of our White House for saying much worse and for much longer than Roseanne.
8
I don’t think that the press is doing enough to flesh out the organizational structure behind Trump (Miller, Kushner, Bannon, Kelly, Sanders, Koch’s, Mercer, Adelson, Hannity, Fox, Alex Jones, “Russia” - Putin, oligarchs, intelligence, financial, Republican politicians, others ???) that creates the daily scripts of actions, Tweets, speeches, lies, exec orders, appointments, what is steering the agenda ... please more in-depth reporting ...
2
This administration is not just the coincidental, sudden, perfect storm of stupid. Quite the contrary. Their playbook has been a 20-30 year old, ongoing, evolving, take-over plan financed by ever increasing amounts of dark money. But the spoils, which they have long coveted, are only temporary gains and came at an extremely high price. They’re still in deficit. And a simple, cardboard voting booth can cut short their plan and crush their money. Vote.
2
"This administration is not just the coincidental, sudden, perfect storm of stupid. Quite the contrary. Their playbook has been a 20-30 year old, ongoing, evolving, take-over plan financed by ever increasing amounts of dark money."
Nonsense. Trump just had the terrific luck to run against Hillary Clinton and her flaming dud of a campaign. The definition of luck.
4
sorry, it's not hyperbole - it's lies. no euphemisms here; just plain unadulterated lies. from the president of the united states. all day, every day.
as my dad would say "how do like them apples?"
9
While we moan and groan on the pages of the NYT comments section, the walls close in on our democracy.
This duplicity, about the multiple conspiracies, is not merely the shredding of presidential "norms", or even just a political maneuver.
The King has instructed his Praetorian guard to close ranks and defend him, even at the cost of the kingdom.
We have to do everything we can to prevent that, even if it means taking to the streets (if, for instance, he tries to fire Mueller or Rosenstein!)
4
Although this is a reasonably hard-hitting piece by the Times, and fairly unambiguous in its criticism of Trump's falsehoods, I continue to marvel at the reluctance to call this fully what it is. The headline should read "FALSE conspiracy theories", for those readers who do not bother to study the full article. And this sentence also struck a poor chord with me: "Both presidents, Mr. Meacham noted, were self-made men who harbored deep insecurities, not unlike the current Oval Office occupant." My dear friends, there is nothing self-made about Trump. He inherited wealth from his father that - if properly invested - would probably make him even richer than he is today. Trump certainly is insecure and even paranoid, but let's not justify it by some hardscrabble background similar to those of Andrew Johnson or Richard Nixon.
Please stop normalizing this so-called President.
10
“The diabolical brilliance of the Trump strategy of disinformation is that many people are simply going to hear the charges and countercharges, and decide that there must be something to them because the president of the United States is saying them.”
This is the reason you don't elect an Alex Jones wannabe as the US President.
Unfortunately, the "brilliance" in his supporters is not to be found.
9
Trump likes to play “let’s pretend this is true”. Seems to be working.
4
Welcome to the idiocracy. It's all downhill from here.
9
Well, we gave democracy a shot...
3
Why are we even talking about this? Keep the focus on the real scandal: RUSSIAGATE!
5
I’m not going to defend Trump. Nobody needs to. Yet by the end of the Mueller probe we’ll know how preposterous each side of this political battle has been. I’m reminded of the New York Times’ pedigree in misplaced humor when in early 1880, a comical article appeared denigrating Henry George’s thesis in his recently release book, Progress and Poverty, a book that sparked a progressive era that lasted up to WWII, including policies of his contemporary T. Roosevelt. The Times used the word “trousers” as a substitute for “ground rent” in a comical rant about the economy. George’s thesis was about how socially generated wealth in progressive cities (i.e., land values) should go to fund that which creates those values in the first place (services, what we call today infrastructure). Things haven’t changed much; Times is still a mouthpiece for land monopolists. Today our institutions struggle to find ways to provide critical services, although long ago a validated concept was ridiculed. George was prescient; the Times wasn’t and isn’t.
4
Could we call "conspiracy theories" what they really are? They're lies. Extravagant lies.
9
Interesting socio-cultural point of "logic": "conspiracy theories" are "lies". So, Obama working for Hillary and her DNC Politburo's benefit through Comey-Lynch, Rice-NSA-FBI and FISA Court is a "lie"?
4
Trump is winning the Media-Wars - and every legitimate News source is helping him !
Anything he does not like and he decries: "Witch-Hunt - Fake News" over and over and over again -
The press and cable news outlets all put these lies up-front -
It it the banner headline in every Newspaper and Cable TV Banner.
His tactics, albeit sleazy, is working - !
Please; All hard working legitimate journalists and especially their editors and production directors:
All headlines regarding Trump -
All TV Cable News Banners -
Must read:
"Trump lies again" - Story to follow.
Within the body of the article or report, of course contain the actual blurted Tweet and the corresponding real facts.
One of our problems is that far too many people just read the headlines and flip through cable channels and see the banner at the bottom -
It's time to turn the tables on Trump and get to:
You should lead with:
Trump Lies -
Trump is falsely attacking the DOJ -
Trump is falsely attacking the FBI -
Trump is falsely attacking Obama -
Trump is falsely attacking "anyone who disagrees with him"
Please, it's time facts rule the news cycle again.
3
"Trump is winning the Media-Wars - and every legitimate News source is helping him !"
Yes, Fox is in the Trump camp; but CNN and MSNBC clearly have an anti-Trump slant to their news programs.
Furthermore, your comment is tainted with the same bombast and rhetoric as the news media outlets that you condemn.
2
Projecting stories and ideas not based on facts are better called lies then conspiracies.
6
For many years, we have witnessed the dumbing down of America. People want easy explanations from brief soundbites.Nobody wants to read - and if you do, you are labeled an "elitist". Soundbites used to be crazy 30 second messages - hardly capable of explaining anything. Now it's all done in 140 characters or less. To think that any of these complex issues in our world can be understood by following the tweets of the orange man and his posse is scary. Painfully so, we are living out the dumb and dumber scenario.
7
We are reminded to add “un-original” to the nit-wit-in-chiefs’s extremely long list of dysfunctional life-skills.
6
Erick Erickson is right this time. Our federal government is currently run by idiots and too many citizens in our country are dim-witted enough to believe the far-fetched claims of our Idiot-in-Chief. I fear for the future of America like I never have before in my 6 decades here on earth.
4
I've come to appreciate that it is not so much that his supporters believe what he says. It is that they don't believe anything negative about him. The result is that they simply believe that they have to defend him from attacks that are designed to take him down, no matter what. And they never question themselves about the underlying truth because that serves no purpose.
So they see their cause as noble. And this means that they do not believe that their unwavering support is harmful to our democracy. They see such fear as an over-response.
I have noticed though, that Trump supporters are not as comfortable defending his increasingly visible self-interested financial dealings. One Trump supporter proudly visited his hotel in Washington, stating that spending her money there was one way to show her support. However, she doesn't have much to say when I express discomfort with the ZTE deal.
2
I usually recoil at statements like,"this election is the most important in history," but I truly believe the 2918 midterms and 2020 national election are critical to the future. Trump and more importantly those Republicans like Peter King who enabled this disaster of a presidency to occur need to be sent a clear message from the (if polls are accurate) 68% of us who still value the ideals that made country great.
3
I believe we are living in dangerous time as you can't use facts or reality to reason with people who have conditioned to believe that the lie is the truth and the truth is the lie.
I foresee very dark times for our nation.
5
It's time for the mainstream media to up the ante and start calling a spade a spade. It is increasingly obvious that the existing, already disclosed evidence of Russian election interference on behalf of Trump, Russian money supporting Trump's businesses and Russian/Trump campaign contacts during the election is overwhelming and growing. It is also obvious that Trump's repeated denials of Russian interference in the election ("No Russians") is a series of lies by a serial liar. So why doesn't the mainstream media focus on the point that the biggest, most documented conspiracy out there is the one being investigated by Mueller. And that all of Trump's evasive and undermining tactics are nothing more than a continued effort to impede a national security investigation of vital importance to American citizens.
3
I have never been able to comprehend American's gullibility when it comes to conspiracy theories, better put, acceptance of absurd propositions rather than the truth. A significant portion of the nation not only believes that the government knew about the World Trade disaster before it happened. Over past decades they believed:
Men never walked on the moon- it was all filmed in Hollywood.
Fluoridation of water was part of a large communist plot as was the polio vaccine;
Engineers have designed a cost efficient electric car but Ford, GM and the oil industry prevent its use;
Taking massive quantities of vitamins will prevent cancer and other diseases;
JFK was killed by the Mafia;
The government pushes drugs in inner cities in order to control residents and arrest more blacks;
The earth is but a few thousand years old;
If large portions of the populace believe these absurdities, why would any one be surprised by claims of death panels, or that Obama is a Muslim or not born in America, or that there is a deep state conspiracy? Trump is simply the first President to be willing to humiliate himself in order to gain and hold power by pandering to the least intelligent and most gullible Americans.
1
The "deep state" most of us are concerned about includes Koch brothers, Mercers, Adelson, Cheney, Rove, et al as well as the giant corporations who put the money up to buy elections and lobby those elected.
4
Giuliani was classified 1a and the Judge he clerked for wrote a letter to his draft board asking them to reclassify him as 2a, an essential employee. He was a temporary law clerk one of many replaced almost yearly. He built his political career when he was appointed to the criminal division of the Justice department under President Reagan and tried and convicted lots of high profile mafia classes.
Trump is trying to destroy the credibility of our Justice department based solely on the fact that he is personally under investigation. Giuliani knows better. If he had any personal integrity he would have resigned rather than carry the water for this attack.
Since he is carrying the attack he should be asked if all current and passed federal convictions be vacated? Was his draft status changed because of political connections. Where his convictions based on political favors? Should the Patriot act by scaled back until reforms are put in place to protect the average citizen from the deep State? Should a blue ribbon panel be appointed to make recommendations to Congress in order to reform our FBI and federal criminal justice system to protect US citizens from the same kind of deep state abuse?
1
This is a great analysis, but I fear now the New York Times is now just "preaching to the choir".
Those of the electorate who NEED to know this, and have had plenty of opportunity to do so, I fear just don't subscribe to the NYT, nor any other strong news source which would cover the same subject.
It's too bad, because it's so easy. It's all presented for all to see, there's no need to dig and trawl through long articles. It's right THERE.
But they won't hear it.
I'm starting to fear that these thoughtful analyses and commentaries are becoming messages-in-a-bottle that will be uncovered by historians in the future, who hopefully will sound a warning alarm before something like this happens again.
We'll see...or we won't, as we'll be long-gone...
One thing is certain: the Republicans in Congress, if not Republicans writ large, will do absolutely nothing.
The impacts of these assaults upon our own institutions are don't even rise to the level of a passing after-thought to them.
2
Mr. Obama allowed specious, unverified political information to be used to conduct domestic surveillance on his political enemies. This involved the FISA judge being lied to four times.
This is FAR worse than anything Richard Nixon's guys ever tried.
This followed years of Obama having the IRS and other agencies target the political Right simply to keep their impact on elections to a minimum.
He will end up having done more to harm his name than all the changes Pres. Trump has carried out by popular demand.
8
The accusations you're making here are simply lies, unsupported by any facts..
5
These are all verified facts as seen in major news organizations, just likr this bit -
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-administration-spent-36m-on-records-l...
The CBS story to which you have linked does not support any part of your argument. It is about the Obama Administration's performance under the Freedom of Information Act. Perhaps you are confusing FOIA and FISA? They are entirely different acts.
2
This is why we (Republicans and Democrats and Independents and etc) need to make sure Trump doesn't get re-elected. Its not a question of whether or not one likes Trump as a person or a politician, its a question of whether we condone this sort of behavior at the very top of our country. If we re-elect him we send the message that this is acceptable behavior.
1
So in August or September, Muller comes out with evidence that the Trumps were engaged with foreign officials, in an attempt to ensure a win in November 2016.
Actual phone calls with peoples voices on them, including Trumps, coordinating with Russians may be released.
What does he do then.
Confronted with facts and truth, Trump cannot win. He knows that and is EXACTLY why he is engaging in this utterly false narrative.
He is also leveraging the lack of thinking ability of his followers to discern between fact or fiction. Math is not on his side and he knows this. Trump is promoting a disinformation campaign that will destroy democracy in this country as we know it for generations to come, if we let him.
Its time to stand up for American and bring it back from the brink of disaster. Make America great again, get rid of Trump.
1
The problem seems to be Trump and many others feel a poll is the same as a courtroom. The court of public opinion remains speculation while the actual courtroom is well equipped with facts and rules to guide their decisions. Polls should have nothing to do with Mueller's work.
1
Day after day I read the uniformly intelligent and occasionally brilliant rebuttals of the current administration and despair. Alas, your commentaries are "preaching to the choir" and do little to influence the moderate and conservative voters with whom we will need to join to drive this scourge from power.
I am deeply troubled by the behavior of his enablers, many of whom know better. They are willing to play ball with this charlatan and overlook his dangerous behavior to further their political agendas.
I am horrified by the complicity of his supporters, for whom there seems no "last straw." People who are are unable, or unwilling, to see this would-be dictator for the threat to democracy he is. People whose deep layer of denial shields them from the realization that everything the President has done in his first year is out of the Erdogan playbook.
Worst of all I am disgusted by my deep hatred of our President and his enablers. It poisons my soul and robs me of my peace of mind. It casts a dark shadow on my well-being and affects my health. And yet I cannot allow myself to become numb and tune out the dire damage he inflicting on the People and the Republic. We must now allow Donald Trump to turn our country into his own personal kleptocracy. RESIST!!
2
Sure, if you accept that the FBI placed a confidential informant within an active political campaign to "protect" the candidate, whom they did not inform of their actions, as part of a counterintelligence investigation that was first denied by the DOJ, then later to be revealed as having started before warrants were sought, to ask questions of campaign associates and report back, and that you further believe that isn't technically "spying."
2
If you're prepared to lie about the facts like that, then I guess anything goes.
1
Why would the FBI inform the candidate that his campaign officials were suspected Russian agents? For all we know, that's what made them attractive to Trump in the first place. After all, Trump didn't appoint General Flynn to the post of National Security Adviser until after he'd been warned by the President that Flynn was compromised. No one can fault the FBI for doing its job here, and no one can expect the FBI to do Trump's due diligence for him.
This has to stop. He is destroying this country. Republicans, do something!
10
Oh, please. Get a grip on your self. With ridiculous comments like "he is destroying the country," you sound a little like chicken little. And a lot like all the birthers who said that Obama was destroying the country.
Has martial law been imposed? Has the opposition party been jailed? Has the Bill of Rights been suspended? Has Trump taken over the internet & airwaves?
Look, I hate the guy, and wish HRC had won too. But I am not so self-centered, and naive, as to believe that the country is being "destroyed" because the Dems lost the most winnable election in history, and Trump won.
3
President Trump is saving the country! Creating millions of jobs and growing the economy TWICE as fast as the socialist the media chose for us last time.
America's standing in the eorld is restored, our allies are smiling and our enemies seem much quieter - for a good reason. Give me a rude & crude truth-teller over a polished, well-dressed liar every time.
1
The fact that you believe our President is a "truth teller" says it all.
Seems to me that there is more evidence that this FBI informant was a Spy than any evidence that’s Carter Page is a Russian spy....
8
I suppose you could define spy in anyway that it pleases you. But more to the point, what was the motive and what was the result? Unless you ask and answer those questions, what you say has no meaning.
No, there is no evidence whatsoever that the informant is a "spy." And, plenty that Carter Page's conduct was treasonous. You are simply wrong.
2
What "evidence" are you talking about?
1
It is sad commentary on the state of the Nation that a sleazy individual was elected President. It is even sadder that we have a Republican Party so amoral they blindly support a sleazy President and sleazy administration. What is truly sad is we have an electorate that is either so ignorant or racist they supported a candidate that, throughout his public life, has clearly demonstrated he is a sleazy individual completely unqualified for any high office.
10
If we all start calling it what it is--Daffy Donald's Desperate Delusions--we'll blunt conspiracy campaign by our Conspirator-in-Chief.
6
if the Dems spent half as much time getting out the vote, as they do making up ridiculous nicknames for Trump, Hillary would have won
3
Media: do not publish Trumps tweets, they are not news. We all know Trump is a manipulator and a Liar-in-Chief. Confront Sarah Sanders in the White House Press room. If you are banned, big deal. If all the press did their job of "pressing" for the truth, the White House press corps wouldn't exist as they all would be kicked out. Call a lie a lie, NOW! Where is the story about ZTE connection with Chinas ponying up $500M for a resort in Indonesia to include Trump hotel/golf course? Where is the outrage! Where is the shame? Where are the spineless GOP(h)ers? Let's make 2018 a Democratic sweep to take our country back.
4
It's too easy to dismiss the president's plan as "paranoia predisposed him to believe in nefarious, hidden forces." That reading makes him less guilty.
I don't believe Donald is stupid or incompetent or otherwise unable to comprehend what he is doing. It is unfair to blame his publicity stunts on mental illness.
Donald uses hype -- hyperbole -- to promote his coming attractions. He's like the old-style film trailers that told viewers to "tune in next week" to see what happens next.
We should stop the artifice that mental illness is uncontrollable.
6
NOT fit to remain our president.
Where on earth have the Republicans in Congress left their souls?
VOTE November 2018.
11
Our government IS run by idiots.
“A lot of people really want to believe a conspiracy because it’s a lot easier to think a malevolent force is in charge than that our government is run by idiots,” Mr. Erickson said in an interview.
8
Huh? according to front page NYT news the FBI was running Crossfire Hurricane which targeted the Trump campaign. Now its been reduced to something in Trump's head? I didnt vote for Trump but he seems top have more credibility that the NYT on this one. (let's see what the NYT thinks if Trump's CIA and FBI send "informants' after candidate Liz Warren in 2020...)
7
Haven't you read Trump's tweets? He thinks the FBI source was (a) "inserted" into his campaign by (b) his imaginary "deep state conspiracy" to (c) "spy" on the campaign for (d) political purposes. What part of that is true? None of it.
Trump easily could have avoided counterintelligence scrutiny by not bringing suspected Russian agents into the campaign, it's as simple as that.
2
And if there’s Russians trying to infiltrate her campaign, you’re darn right we want the FBI to investigate.
And if they had not done do w dt’s campaign you’d be sure that he would be saying he was set up. He wants it both ways, always and the deplorables are fine with it while he destroys our democracy.
Enough already. He’s a liar and has has obstructed the Mueller investigation. If this were hrc the “party of values” would be pitching an apoplectic fit. And rightly so!
2
Propaganda is a term used by winners.
After their propaganda has won.
1
This is simply no different than the media's approach to covering President Trump since before his election. Everything is taken with skepticism, and doubt in the follow through. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard Rep Adam Schiff on ABC's Sunday news program laying out the same gameplan that the Democrat's and Trump's detractors have used themselves, laying out what it's and innuendo and continuing with massive amounts of repetition of accusations without much evidence. Even Comey on 60 minutes, would provide definitive answers on many points, but intentionally left over the often rumored peeing incident in a Moscow hotel as inferring he might be guilty.
Schiff called it propaganda methods, and I say the same he deploys vs the President
7
Ray,
If you support Trump, that's up to you.
But the mainstream media simply covered Trump during the campaign, like they did Clinton.
If you thought the coverage was negative, it's probably because Trump is a compulsive liar and calls it "fake news" when he gets busted with his lies.
3
I'd say, we all agree what Trump is, what he is about and what he is doing. Now perhaps the more important question: why hasn't the Republican congress taken steps? Supporting Trump, without question makes them equally culpable and complicit.
Thus, the problem is a lot more involved than just Trump, and that scares me more than our narcissistic child president.
7
Don't understand how come "progressives" are so easily deceived. My guess is that they limit their information sources to only other "progressive" media. They can't distinguish between real news and propaganda.
4
"They can't distinguish between real news and propaganda. "....There is none so blind as those who will not see.
3
In my view, the authors of this article (and others at the NY Times) are every bit as guilty as the President in their mischaracterizations and blatant propaganda efforts. This article is yet another in the endless string of attack pieces, part of a clear agenda to take down the President. Minimizing the significance of surveillance on American citizens and on a political campaign as a ridiculous "conspiracy theory" is a disservice to a very real issue (state surveillance) that Americans are increasingly confronted with, and glorifying an internal security organization like the FBI, with its long history of abuses, betrays a shocking lack of historical awareness or a cynical disregard of that history in the service of a political objective. Either way, that heavy-handed campaign is not responsible journalism, and it undermines the credibility of this newspaper. Headlines in the NY Times declaring that an FBI informant setting up meetings with Trump associates under false pretenses is "not spying," is a case in point.
7
I didn't think educated, literate people generally fell prey to Trump's active measures campaign, but it looks like you've bought into it hook, line, and sinker.
1
It bears repeating. If hrc had done ANYTHING like what dt is saying and doing she would be impeached already by the republicans. And rightly so.
At minimum he has obstructed the investigation. And he should be held to account.
2
Trump's popularity is irrefutable proof that we are living in an age of mass delusion. And the real horror is not knowing if it will end or where it will take us.
14
The reason Donald loves Twitter is because he can spew nonsense without ever having to explain himself. By the time someone does get a chance to ask him to explain something, he's already tweeted a dozen more equally nonsensical things. It's impossible to keep up and he knows that. It's also impossible to know what he may or may not believe, and I don't think he cares because that really isn't the point. He mainly just wants to distract and keep his base fired up.
9
It is said that trump is now beginning to whip himself up into a fury and is willing to destroy all America's institutions, everything that has built your country, held it together, made it great ,in order to save his own sorry skin.
It is also said that that will not be allowed to happen, that he will be brought down violently before he is allowed to destroy the United States of America.
Perhaps this comment will not be printed. So be it.
Yet I think it can be guaranteed that millions worldwide have the same thought ....every single day that this evil goes on unchecked .
8
I am so tired of Trump's, "Danger, Danger Will Robinson", mantra. Will it ever occur to him that he was elected to "help" our nation and not tear it down with his constant lies and paranoia because it's all about him? Sad.
10
If a real education was on offer, and by that I don't mean what passes for one today: learning by rote and memorization – I mean learning how to think critically, listen, comprehend, analyze and research, people would have to be actively and consciously dishonest with themselves to deceive themselves, not an easy or appealing way to live for most people. Although not everyone is put off, it's going great guns these days in some circles what with a mulligan a minute.
Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves. Eric Hoffer
3
goodness gracious
the president of United States is trying to destroy the confidence of the American people in their government. I have a hard time understanding why the public tolerates such an effort by the president of the United States.
14
Like many commentors I am numb at this point. No lie is too big, no corruption is beyond the pale, no deal is to shady, no appointee too corrupt or inept. And yet it continues unabated, facilitated by a compliant and complicit Republican Party, phony "news" outlets like Fox and Breitbart and a toxic mix of tens of millions including evangelical enablers, Tea Party extremists, the N.R.A. and its agents, and just plain good ol' folks who think government is always the enemy of the governed (unless there's a natural disaster when they come screaming for help).
I'm resigned to hunker down, circle my emotional wagons and wait for November when I hope and pray enough of us can begin an electoral draining of the Trump Swamp.
14
Bingo. What he said!
COMEY: “Our country is paying a high price.
This president is unethical, and untethered to the truth and institutional values.”
Apr 17, 2018: James Comey, former FBI director, author of “A Higher Loyalty”. Comey sees Trump untethered to institutional values like spying on an Intelligence meeting by his personal lawyer Flood.
2
i remember what trump said during the campaign: "i can shoot someone right now and i will get away with it." with the help of the right-wing control house, senate and his base, it's become apparently true he wants more than two terms. i'm a vietnam vet and this is not the america i fought for...
5
It's working, I don't trust one thing that comes from the Trump administration. Everything is a lie.
11
No matter what party anyone may belong to there must be a point to draw a line. This is something that all of our politicians both within congress and the senate should seriously consider the next time it comes to supporting this man and his flawed administration. And if they cant, then the power lies in our hands to remember in the coming election days and place people who will.
7
Trump is just being Trump. LBJ was also famously paranoid but he kept his paranoia within his administration. The scary thing about Trump is that there are a lot of people who believe his fantasies and he seems to have the ability to get his crazy base all fired up over some of his wild accusations. I really wonder what would happen if he were to be impeached. I do not think it would be a pretty situation.
3
At first, I simply thought that president trump was simply a "Manchurian candidate" who got into office by fooling people into voting for him... now I know he is a true Enemy of the State. I don't think the Republican party will ever fully recover from this, and frankly, I'm not sure they should.
12
We need to stop calling his lies "baseless" and call them MORE LIES, in bold, top of the fold headlines. The gentile approach might be more professional but it's part of the problem with this crew. We cannot get worn down by the lies. We need to keep our outrage, make fun of Trump for his non-existent grasp of the facts, and keep the count of lies and corrections coming.
8
I agree, in the interest of trying to be evenhanded, the media that Trump demeans has a way of legitimizing his lies that ends up giving credibility to his fantasies.
I think the Unites States is fast approaching a day of reckoning.
Will we reset our compass and right our ship, or will we continue our current trajectory and follow Trump, Fox News and the GOP further and further down the rabbit hole?
It seems to me that Trump either represents an end of America's embrace of self-serving liars, or, he represents the beginning of a whole new era of corruption and propaganda so pervasive that he will probably be viewed, by that future, as some kind of fledgling amateur.
I thought that this country had reached the apex of corruption and lies with George W. Bush and his Administration. But now, I am viscerally terrified of the very real prospect that Trump is "just the beginning".
4
The propensity to believe in conspiracy and distrust government is part of our revolutionary heritage. Indeed, we were "born" because of it. We revolted from Britain based on the false belief in a concerted effort by King and Parliament to destroy our liberties. Almost 250 year later, we know no such conspiracy actually existed. It was the original fake news. Let's also remember the more recent lies of establishment politicians on both sides providing strong justification for an underlying distrust: Vietnam, Watergate, Clinton Impeachment & the Gulf War, etc. We have to look more deeply into ourselves to understand why Trump has a receptive audience.
4
Most importantly, we need to understand how it is possible that 38% of the American people still buy into his nonsense.
10
Trump's expertise is in branding. His constant use of "Spygate" is a branding exercise just like "Low Energy Jeb" or "Crooked Hillary." It does not have to have any basis in fact, it usually doesn't. The media is totally complicit in this branding by always, always repeating it. We have a despicable human being as President. The framers of the Constitution never envisioned what that happened, the Congress would be compliant with it.
3
Even Glenn Greenwald, hardly a conservative muckraker, recognizes what was happening during the 2016 Presidential campaign, and has written about it at The Intercept. Whether a 'spy' or an an 'informant', clearly members and former members of the Trump campaign were targeted for surveillance by the FBI , CIA and MI6. Ostensibly, the FBI and US intelligence community was concerned about Russian penetration of the Trump campaign, and possible collusion with the Russian government.
But, why hasn't anyone been arrested for espionage? If Carter Page is a Russian agent, why hasn't he been arrested and charged with spying? Where is the evidence that proves Russian collusion?
If no one is charged with espionage, then what was the effort for to begin with? If the FBI and CIA are going to use subterfuge to 'inform' on members of a Presidential campaign, it better result in the arrest of spies...otherwise, the American people have a right to be skeptical of 'Crossfire Hurricane'.
8
Typically you don't get to see the evidence collected by an investigation until that evidence is used. If the SC is trying to prove that the Trump campaign knowingly coordinated their efforts and/or worked with Russian operatives, it would likely be at the very end of the investigation; it would be the final piece. Why would you expect to have seen that evidence at this point in the investigation?
Oh, and we do have an email from Trump, Jr. saying how he would love to have damaging info about Clinton, obtained by Russian operatives illegally, released in the later parts of the election.
Is that not evidence that the Trump team was, at a minimum, aware of the Russian government involvement, and at least considering the idea of coordinating efforts? Can you honestly read that email and tell me that Trump Jr had no idea the info was from Russia and showed no interest at all in working with the Russians? C'mon now.
Really, is it Trump who has damaged trust in our institutions?
Here's what happened, at a minimum. Hillary was supposed to win the election; she failed. Trump won instead.
As he assumed office, a special probe was launched essentially to challenge the legitimacy of his election.
To a lot of people, at least half the country, it looks as though the Establishment and the Democrats and the big Media were sore losers who refused to accept the legitimacy of a constitutional process, on the pretext of Russian meddling.
By all means, investigate Russian meddling and protect us from it. But don't use this as an open-ended invitation to subvert a constitutional election because you don't like the outcome.
9
The special probe was launched because Russian agents were buzzing all around the Trump honey pot.
Did the Russian agents come on their own? or by invitation from those in the Trump honey pot?
That is the question being investigated by Mueller.
Nothing to do with "legitimacy"
1
You are what concerns me, Mr Spokesman for "half the country." Trump didn't even get the majority of the votes, let alone half the country. The US intelligence services determined that Russia meddled in the election in an attempt to sway the results. These are settled facts--obviously would not affect your foregone conclusions. How about you speak for you, as lonely an endeavor that may be.
1
Problem is, your missing the point about how the trump campaign worked with Russia, or at the least, attempted to . That is treason.
1
"Spygate", the "worst scandal since Watergate"? Trump thinks making this kind of stuff up makes him look good? Really? It doesn't, it just reinforces the notion that he's a delusional buffoon -- or liar, take your pick! I'll gladly debate any delusional individuals who actually believe this FBI investigation was a scandal.
Use of informants or "spies" if you want to call them that is something the FBI does routinely as part of its counter-intelligence operations. In this case, the FBI's informant was Stefan Halper, a GOP operative who worked in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations and on the George HW Bush campaign.
If it was Hillary's campaign that was behind the informant, then THAT would be a scandal. But it wasn't, and by all indications President Obama wasn't aware of it either. This was purely the FBI's own doing, it was fully legitimate, and it was to gather intelligence about Russian criminal activity rather than about the Bush campaign.
3
Rational people clearly understand he lies and invents conspiracy theories. Rational people do not believe a word he utters. His base on the other hand laps it up and treats his fantastic pronouncements as gospel. The Republican Congress, who fully understand he lies, continues it’s cynical support of a sleazy President who is doing great harm to the nation.
7
spies and informants are entirely different things.
3
Is that right? Please expand on what the differences are, and provide your sources (makebelieveopedia?)
Recently I saw an article on CBS News which headlined the term "scandal" to describe this latest, baseless allegation from Trump. I wondered how far down we have sunk, how 1984-ish we have become. It is not a scandal. It is a wild, paranoid accusation with no basis in fact from a known pathological liar with a history of promoting conspiracy theories. Why are we taking his claims so seriously? Why do Republicans seem more and more inclined to believe his outbursts, indeed as they become ever more ridiculous? Why has it become our job to disprove them, rather than the responsibility of his fan-base mob to prove them? After all, it's pretty hard to demonstrate that the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist. I fear that the tide is turning, that Trump is winning, that our long national nightmare is just beginning.
6
What I can't understand is the very fact that what this man occupying the Presidency is doing is in itself impeachable. And no one says anything.
The 'Emperor has No Clothes' syndrome prevails--in everything. We hardly hear from anyone who says this simple truth--Trump is violating the very oath of office in eroding and degrading our pillars of government to meet his own immature, egotistical needs. The 'Deep State' the GOP seems to support is Trump. No GOP senator except maybe McCain and Flake says a word--if the shoe were other foot--the GOP would be rabid will calls for Impeachment. From day one. What the GOP is doing in its uniform silence is a kind of mutiny--but it all starts at the top, correct?
7
Essentially, the United States' decline is worth it to our president as long as he looks good while it collapses, and we all know it was Hillary's and Obama's fault.
5
The danger is that Trump’s supporters are thrilled with anyone they perceive as conning “the big system” where they have never had a voice. Trump figured out that brainwashing the blindly vulnerable was perfect fodder for his gain, at any cost.
And don’t forget there are Republicans out there just like him.
But our own brand of grassroots is to VOTE for Democrats. Vote to save democracy from lying, cheating demagoguery.
6
I think Congress should vote to fund a one-man trip to Mars for President Trump so that he can personally investigate the source of the invisible beams emanating from Martian soil that caused many otherwise mentally competent American voters to temporarily lose their reason and cast their votes for Trump in 2016. And Trump can tweet from space, if he likes. Just get him far, far away...
3
What we have here is a people problem. Trump is a con artist.....a highly practiced con artist. If people are going to believe everything they see him tweet or are too lazy to fact check the lies he spews forth on a daily basis, then this problem is going to end badly for all of us. In the old days they would just tar & feather him and run him out of town on a rail.....but we're stuck with this selfish lout. Don't wait until we barely have our lips above the waterline, call him out NOW! Wise up people!
9
It's almost as if Trump, occasionally, has sometimes been slightly less than forthcoming in his expression of the truth.
(i.e. Trump is a big, fat, non-stop liar)
5
Look, instead of this regurgitation, why not dig into the exact circumstances of the Papadopoulos/Mifsud/Downer events? Easy for the Times to say Trump erodes trust, but that is coming from a news organization that reported as reliable that this started with Page's trip to Moscow, oh wait, we mean that Australian report about Papadopoulos and still later that, well, there was a informer targeting Page before even that. The Times should stop worrying over much about Trump and attend to its own house here. Your sources are using you and right now you seem pleased to be used.
5
Riddle me this. The Times correctly describes Trump's lies, but describes them as "prevarications", "unsubstantiated", "conspiracy theories", and so forth. So here's the question. Why are you all so afraid to call them "lies"? They are lies. They don't deserve euphemisms. Please stop dancing around the truth. NY Times: please stop softening the truth. Trump lies. Lies is the correct word. Please use it from now on.
7
And on what evidence should the NY Times call Trump's accusations "lies"? The outing of Stefan A. Halper as an FBI informant inserted into Trump's inner circles has happened only recently. The people at the FBI involved in "Crossfire Hurricane" such as Andrew McCabe, James Comey, Peter Strozk, etc, all deserve to be investigated for their motivations. McCabe has already been reprimanded by internal investigators at the FBI for his dishonest testimony and media leaks, and fired without pension for it. You're willing to blindly trust people like this? The old cliche "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is a foolish ethos to live by.
1
When reporters for the New York Times, who have for years countenanced the idea that all truth is relative, begin to perspire and grow dizzy over the notion that "objective truth" has been traduced, then I know Trump is winning.
5
It's not Spygate - It's 'Lie'gate!! Lies, lies and more lies from Trump.
8
I think the headline is correct, and it is damning. Trump uses conspiracy theories (i.e., falsehoods) to erode trust. This is in the vicinity of treason---subversion or sabotage, at best. His goal is a destructive one, and it is an abuse of the power of his office. Impeachment would not be too harsh a response, but the Republicans, in their silence, share responsibility for the harm being done and won't go down that road. Still, the utter disregard for truth needs to be confronted. If impeachment is a bridge too far, something like censure should be available to make Trump pay a price and, we can only hope, slow the erosion, maybe pull him in line a bit.
10
The whole "Trump colluded with Russians" story is a conspiracy theory to begin with. Or do you have explicit evidence to the contrary? If all you require is suspicious looking circumstantial evidence, then Comey, McCabe, Strzok, and company all deserve a Kenneth Starr/Robert Mueller level investigation by the DOJ.
2
The Mueller investigation is quietly separating facts from circumstance, and so far has impressive results. The conclusion may in fact determine there was no collusion. Fine. But it will be done with substance, through due process and institutional integrity. Trump's method is smear and tear down without substance. The election's rigged! "Obama's a foreign born Muslim! The DOJ planed a spy in my campaign! The FBI's in tatters!" A world of difference.
I still can't believe anyone rational is giving credit to some "diabolical brilliance of the Trump strategy of disinformation." When a husband cheats on his wife (or vice versa), he will lie and gaslight her even in the face of hard evidence. A two-bit gangster will lie his way into prison rather than give up his stature in his "family." Trump is no more intelligent than this. He is predictably primitive, and he will get what he deserves in the end. We should focus our attention on the people who fell for his lies. They are not merely stupid. They have ulterior motives that need to be exposed. We need to hold them accountable, and vote, so we can recover the principles of the United States that we all deserve.
6
The media needs to stop giving Trump his "platform" to disseminate these constant lies and claims! Only report what is absolutely 100% true and verifiable. Not what "sells" more subscriptions!
7
Irony that some of the most outlandish and far-fetched sounding conspiracy theories about trump himself are mostly real and true.
“The diabolical brilliance of the Trump strategy of disinformation is ..." really the diabolical credulity given to him by his pathetically ignorant base. Yes, we laugh at them in horror.
This is no longer a massive con. It's a massive self-delusional self-destructive cult of kooks.
Those not under his Manchurian spell are rightfully offended and outraged.
“A lot of people really want to believe a conspiracy because it’s a lot easier to think a malevolent ..." or godlike force is in charge, so they really want to believe in religion because it gives them easy answers too - they don't have to think at all - hence the success of evangelical expansion into politics and trump's leverage of them.
2
He understands that nuanced articles like this one and others from the mainstream media can be usurped by hyperbole!
As a business man, it appears he did use the very same practices to destroy his enemies. What is interesting here, Trump has been able to build a large following based on lies and deception.
3
It is up to the MEDIA to call out his LIES and call him a LIAR every time. naturally, that ain't gonna happen.
3
Actually the serious media call out his lies everyday.
It is the lazy Americans who do not heed the serious media that allow Trump's lies to thrive.
3
Shame on Congress for allowing Trump to denigrate our democracy.
If 3,000 lies aren't enough to get him impeached, what will be enough?
6
Why not just stop quoting Trump anywhere in the press? You give meaning to what he says by printing it. Report on things he does, things his administration is doing--and keep out the clap-trap.
3
Trump mimics the strategy of his pals in the Kremlin: repeat the Big Lie often and boldly and people will believe you. It worked for Stalin, Khrushchev, Kosygin, Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko and Putin, why not also for Trump?
2
Imagine how much energy is spent forming and spreading these crackpot theories. It's hard to believe that even Trump thinks that this is a productive use of his time. Does he ever do any real work in the Oval Office? On the other hand, maybe that would be even worse. It's all pretty demoralizing.
2
Honest media needs to stop giving Trump credit for being “crafty” and “in to something” and having things partially right, etc. and simply call attention to every single lie, half truth, missing information, racist opinion, ignorant belief, silence on important events, and lack of competent advisers when he does these things. Hold this dangerously unqualified incompetent man accountable for all his actions. Despite Americans wearying from the constant onslaught of lies and attacks on democracy we still expect the real news reporters and opinion columnists to not add to the problem.
2
Those that buy the Trump trash will never be swayed by truth and common sense and as such, why spend so much time paying attention to them. It's better to continue highlighting the facts and not give so much air to Trump's ignominious blathering.
The TrumpTrash among us don't read the NYT and don't want to know the truth. They're happy in their own bubble.
3
And many people who read the NYT are happy in their own bubble and don't want to know the truth.
Your opinion is just the other side of the same coin.
Meanwhile, most of America ignores the noise and goes to work and recognizes the same old political posturing at work.
3
Yes, Brian. Americans who rely upon the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal are forming one sets of opinions about Donald Trump.
And other Americans who watch Fox news are forming a different set of opinions about Donald Trump.
Galileo was in his "bubble" and the Vatican was in theirs.
What solved the division was that Gallileo had truth on his side. Facts!
John B uses the false assumption that either NY Times or Fox News is the "Galileo" in reporting facts. They might very well both be dogmatic Vaticans whose primary interest is skewing the truth and reporting only that which furthers their political interests and pursuit of power and money.
Like Madoff, Trump is a thief. First, they steal the truth, then they steal your money. Madoff did it one way; Trump just does it another. Bloomberg had it right when at the Democratic convention he called Trump a "con man". Let's remember that moniker comes from "confidence man", who is someone that uses a confidence trick (synonyms include con, confidence game, confidence scheme,ripoff, scam and stratagem). This is simply an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their confidence, used in the classical sense of trust. Confidence tricks exploit characteristics of the human psyche, such as credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, and greed. Fits Trump to a "T".
3
It is irrefutable that the FBI and US intelligence agencies used human sources to gather intelligence on members of the Trump campaign, during and after the Presidential election. Whatever their motivation, it is clear they used subterfuge to gather intelligence on Page and Papanopolous, which in any parlance is called 'spying'. That they used Stephen Halper, someone that has close ties to the US and British intelligence establishment, and also has a history of involvement in a spy ring during the Carter administration, is more evidence of their efforts to infiltrate Trump's circle. That the NYT doesn't recognize these facts is more than odd, considering this newspaper has a long history of skepticism towards the FBI and CIA, given their past abuses.
5
You miss the critical point. Intelligence was extremely worried that Russia was infiltrating the Trump campaign and it used lawful means to investigate the truth of more than one red flag indicating Russian interference. You omit the lawfulness of using an informant when there is a national security concern as is done when suspected terrorist cells come to attention of law enforcement.
3
'Lawful means' is under question right now, given the lack of DOJ's transparency. They used a phony 'dossier' to help get a FISA warrant, which was produced using information from former FSB officers and Kremlin officials (see page 1 of the document)...otherwise known as Russian disinformation.
Then, they made sure it had circulation among journalists and others in the US intelligence community and FBI. I am not missing the point...for over a year now, no one has been detained or arrested for espionage or collusion with Russia to undermine a Presidential election...ask yourself, 'why'?
A) what Halper did is not called "spying" He was an informant.
B) There were official Russians and oligarch Russians swarming around the Trump family and their campaign.
It is the job of the FBI to know what Russian agents in the US are up to.
2
I might take this more seriously if so many ridiculous theories have not proven to be true. And usually the truth of the allegations have been worse than expected.
Unfortunately, the tweets from PDT have been much more factual than the authoritative sources of the fourth estate. So here we are.
5
Oh my gosh, Cluebat.
Trump has lied more than 3,000 documented times since becoming president.
I can't believe you read the New York Times and would make such a statement.
7
Trump is using false conspiracy theories to attack government institutions that are the foundation of our democracy. He has been using this method from far before he began his campaign for president, even attacking Republicans (such as his statement that Bush knew the 9/11 attack was coming; Obama was not a natural born citizen, etc.)
Now it's FBI spying on his campaign at the request of President Obama aimed at his election to fail. His conspiracy theories apparently emanate from a confused mind that is not mentally capable of being president of the United States.
Republicans usually back him in these specious attacks on our government. It appears from his year as president that he has been a shill of the GOP, promoting false populism to gain decisive votes from middle class factory workers who lost their jobs caused by corporate CEOs and wealthy individuals, who backed a jump into a global unregulated economy for their own enrichment.
There is no doubt that the Republican tax cuts and deregulation and union bashing were not Trump policies but age old Republican policies. Now that it is getting dicey to stick with Trump on his conspiracy theories, they are bailing out of so-called government service. Case in point: 44 Republicans have announced retirement from Congress. Are their retirements due to family values or fear of being caught up in obstruction of justice, which is becoming obvious from their support of this unhinged president?
5
Trump is playing a game but it’s no benign sporting contest, it’s a blood sport, if lives are lost and people are left without the means to survive, it will not cause him to constrain himself. If America becomes a country with a third world economy and no liberal democracy, Trump will not care. I don’t think that people can imagine that Trump sees all of us as expendable in the service of he own gain but they better. If people do not save themselves from his acts, he considers them to be losers and deserving of their misfortunes. The mass media is unwise to fail to understand that Trump is playing games and does not care whether it causes the rest of us lives or fortunes.
1
"Former aides to the president, speaking privately because they did not want to embarrass him..."
Apparently they have no problem with the daily embarrassments Trump inflicts on this country.
6
This is what you get when the DNC refuses to allow Bernie Sanders a fair chance of garnering the party's nomination (as Wikileaks documents show irrefutably), though poll after poll showed he could handily defeat Trump. And this is what you get when the Republican Party gives the paranoid sociopathic snake-oil salesman Trump a consummately fair chance among the roster of its party's boring and boorish and abhorrent choices vying for the highest office in the land, because it will sell its soul to regain the presidency under its banner. Don't blame Trump, in other words, for the crumbling of those vital institutions that make our democracy what it is -- blame all those powers that be who made it possible for Trump to become president and then work his demagogic house of horrors to erode all remaining public trust .
2
Sadly, Trump actually won the Republican primary.
And equally sadly, if Bernie rather than Hillary had run against Trump, DJT would still have won
We are in strange times when the Deplorables swing the outcomes.
I wish it were otherwise, but Bernie would not have saved us from Donald in 2016
3
We'll never know, alas, if Trump would have won over Bernie (though your attitude may well have proven to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, I don't know). The DNC made sure we did not have that opportunity to decide.
I agree that a Hillary-dominated DNC took away the choice.
Sadly Bernie would also have lost.
It is obvious to most observers that the president combines paranoia with hyperbole to produce self-serving conspiracy theories for his base. But why do Mr. Trump's paranoid takes on American politics find fertile ground in American public discourse? Because the public is hungry for explanations that make sense of why they feel powerless in a democracy.
When Trump tweets about government elites trying to strip him of power to pursue "their" agenda, Trump voters can relate. Many feel disempowered by forces beyond their control. For good reason.
1. Wages for average workers have been stagnant since the 1970s and job security is only a golden past.
2. Many CEOs, profiting from the cheap labor markets in globalization, earn 1000x than their employees.
3. Government healthcare improvements forced citizens to buy services from private, wealthy insurance companies; failed to institute programs to help those who could not afford healthcare.
4. The healthcare many Trump voters do get has led to opioid addiction which has contributed to a decline in life expectancy for the white working class.
It is a class issue and these voters blame the elites. Depressed standards of living, inadequate healthcare reform, complicated free trade deals that disproportionately enrich the wealthy . . . Frankly, it's quite easy to embrace Trump's conspiratorial explanations.
This guy needs to go, pronto. His enablers in Congress should follow suit.
3
Trump is hiding something. He is a master at changing the subject when the spotlight is on him and diverting the public's attention to absurdities. And by the way, speaking of insecurities, when was the last time Trump had a press conference. He's so insecure when the pressure is on it's obvious.
2
We are inside the belly of the beast... Trumpism / false rhetoric in the US, encouraging populism evolving to a return of fascistic politics in Europe: it seems impossible to believe we could have forgotten the lessons we should have learned almost a century ago. These incidents portend the decline of western civilization as we know it
In the US, the worst of it is this: TRUMP himself, however repugnant, is temporary. The REAL harm is just down the road, and likely will last for generations.. the stacking of extreme conservative federal judges and SCOTUS -- lifetime appointments-- propagating narrow, conservative interpretations of the law that will irreversibly harm the long term good of the people.
Perhaps Trump's reprehensible practices & values will be rejected and he will be impeached or step down, but both these actions would leave us with Pence, and the opportunity to create sustained damage via the courts.
As ridiculous as this sounds to myself, it seems that we need Congress to create a law that protects the American people from lies and deception from any branch of government. How that would work legally is beyond me, as we know that there are legitimate reasons to withhold information from the public (ie to stop bank runs, prevent panic, etc), but outright lies and conspiracy theories are absolutely contrary to the notions of truth and honesty from our leaders.
168
I couldn't agree more. At the very least a lie of omission ought to be signed off on by a bipartisan group of senators or plain old citizens as a matter of national security. Living generations have been aware of our government's lies since at least the Pentagon Papers and the spying upon civil rights groups in the 60's. That betrayal has helped to get us here with the conspiracy theories.
16
A sound idea! I still come across folks who believe a lie of omission is not a real lie.
2
It was once known as: Common decency! MAGA?
3
ChristineMcM of Massachusetts, in the most favored comment says, : "The world must look at us and think the US has gone bonkers. It reminds me of all those post-World War II war novels describing the unsettling feeling residents of totalitarian states have when reality conflicts with government propaganda. I look at it and wonder where it will all end? More important, will it?"
Ms. M, WE THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can/will stop it. WE must be relentless in calling The Con Don out and doing everything we can to help wake up those who have been scammed by him.
4
“He has a talent for getting a point across using hyperbole,” Mr. King said, adding, “There’s no doubt he has changed the debate.”
This is WHY we have a huge problem! The GOP freely admits Trump conflates, bends and distorts the truth - yet they're willing to fall in line with him. Our system of "Checks and Balances" has been destroyed- not by Trump, but a Republican House and Senate.
6
The FBI suspected the Trump campaign was working with highly-placed Russian government agents to influence the election in Trump's favour. Would you think it a good idea for the FBI to phone Trump and ask "Is your campaign colluding with Russia to take the Presidency?" Turns out the campaign was, indeed, colluding with Russia - Cambridge Analetica and Facebook ads and all, as well as suspected Russian hacking the voting machines to change the numbers.The FBI was right not to tip off Trump by asking.
1
"He is eroding public trust in institutions, undermining the idea of objective truth and sowing widespread suspicions about the government and news media that mirror his own."
Isn't that what Putin hired him to do?
5
To all those not aware of the realities of campaigning, I say this. The informant wasn't spying on the politics of the campaign. He was spying on the Russian connection to the campaign. That we had no idea about this during the 2016 campaign (and with Russia's ability to influence so many people), is the reason that Trump won the election. If the government were actually spying on the political operations, do you really think Trump would have still won? Do you really think that the informant wouldn't have leaked political information if his goals were political in nature?
Take a deep breath, people! Our country was highjacked by the Russians through their advanced use of propaganda. The Pres believes his own propaganda and conspiracy theories. This is a dangerous situation!
4
The constitutional crisis is at hand; the coup is unfolding in slow motion. We are in the midst of the LONG CON (ala the movie The Sting) an elaborate entirely false projection whatever it takes to create a false reality that this person is even attempting to run the country when the reality is he is seeking to divert the country’s resources to himself and his friends. The military parade to come with golden epulets is just the icing on the cake.
2
Eroding trust? If anything, progressives refusal to accept as 'their President' the person duly elected - popular vote doesn't decide elections - is setting a very dangerous precedent for the U.S. There's never been a single day in which our elected President has been given even a fair chance, in progressive's opinion and in most media. The 'intellectual arrogance' of the elites is appalling, and insulting to the 63 million who voted for Trump out of frustration with the state of the nation.
4
Just because someone wins an election does not mean I have to agree with him, support his positions, or believe his lies. In fact, the "intellectuals," by which I assume you are talking about Democrats of all stripes and educational backgrounds, but especially those who write in newspapers or appear on tv, have accepted the election, even though one could argue that the manipulation of social media, the interference of Russia and perhaps other Nations, and the traitorous actions of the Trump campaign has invalidated the win. So get off your high horse, follow the bouncing ball of the daily news events about undemocratic actions not only taken by Trump and his White House family and buddies, who enrich themselves at the expense of the Nation, but also not taken by the Repubicans in the Legislature who enable him.
Don't call people names, engage with the argument, or are you afraid of the facts?
1
Don't be ridiculous, Michelle. You don't have a leg to stand on.
Mitch McConnell: "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
Adlai E. Stevenson II: "If the Republicans will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them."
2
Gimme a break Michelle, You'd be hard pressed to find ANYTHING positive written or spoken by a 'segment of the media', they went out of their way to find things to criticize, who can forget that scandalous tan suit and fancy mustard. "Intellectual Elite" indeed. Also known as, "people with half a brain".
1
What exactly is Congress doing these days? Haven't heard much about their activities. Are they doing anything besides circling the wagons around Trump?
5
If the FBI was "spying" on the Trump campaign, either they found a squeaky clean operation full of honorable citizens working for the good of the country, or they were not "spying" for political purposes.
One can rule out the former given the cast of characters and subsequent indictments. Nothing was said about what the investigation found before the election. The value of post-election political "dirt" is a tiny fraction of its campaign-season value. Given this, it is safe to rule out the latter as well.
From this it is safe to conclude that the FBI was not investigating for political purposes.
1
The erosion of public trust began long ago with Reagan, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Trump is simply a culmination of American contempt for public service and rejection our government is for and by the people. We'll get our bearings back, hopefully starting this November.
1
Regardless of how much knowing collusion by Trump and his crime family went on with Putin and the Soviets, er, Russians, if Putin's goal was to sow chaos, confusion, discord, incompetence, and corruption, he could not have hoped to succeed more brilliantly than by having the High Chair King installed in the house where Lincoln once presided.
3
Let's call it what it is. Congate.
How about #Congate by The Con Don?
WE THE PEOPLE - average people who want to preserve/restore true democracy in OUR United States of America - must do something to wake up the brain-washed fox so-called news and facebook bot victims.
Any other ideas?
6
I heard this morning that he's running ads on Facebook about the 'fake news'. I deleted mine, but if you're still on, you could expose those ads on Twitter so we know what we're dealing with..?
Anyone that disagrees with him is wrong. He is not crazy like a fox, just crazy. It will take years to scrub the tarnish off America.
22
And you, Maggie, are very much part of the problem. Call him the liar he is. Period. Stop being pleasant.
15
She did. It's not her fault for trying to be civil, or her fault that you cannot read very well.
By the way, has it ever occurred that there might be a problem with "progressives," who say the same goofy things Trump does?
Trump is a liar. He is unfit for office.
14
Deflect, discredit and dishonor seems to be Trump's methodology these days. The more that Mueller's noose tightens, the more hyperbolic Trump's and his minions statements become. By spewing out so many conspiracy theories at once, it confuses everyone, including the Trump people. And, unfortunately, his methods are working.
What galls me is that Congress is just lying back and doing nothing, or are they? While I am not a conspiracy buff, it does lead one to wonder if there are certain folks in Congress who are supporting Trump for their own ends. In particular, I look at the so-called Freedom Caucus in the House that, if anything, supports all the wild baseless Trump theories. Devin Nunes certainly is a Trump sycophant with Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows not far behind.
Enough said for moment.
5
Albeit the tone of this article, while clear in its revelations of trump's paranoid tactics to get gullible people to believe his alternative reality, which in effect is all geared to allow him to propagate his con, perpetuate profitable atmosphere for his and his kids businesses, and the make him look like the only person who has all the answers. The fact that so many are "colluding" with him, the GOP congress, Fox infotainment, etc, is evidence that we are living in the most dangerous moment in the history of our democracy. We must make every effort to register non-voters to rid him from our culture.
8
I used to believe that our citizens, unlike the citizens of other countries, were too intelligent and enlightened to ever be swayed by a charlatan like Trump. But he has proved me wrong. He has demonstrated that a significant portion of the voters in this country can be manipulated and persuaded to believe whatever a demagogue or dictator wants them to believe. The result, which unfortunately has already begun, will be an unbridgeable gap between those voters who are willing and motivated to take the time to critically examine the statements of political candidates and elected officials and those who don't. I fear that if this trend is not stopped, civil strife may become a real possibility.
13
You hit it on the head Jay. When 40%+ approve of Trump it reinforces in my mind that we are heading down the wrong path. Everything Trump does is the exact opposite of what my parents taught me in order to live a good life. Be fair, don't cheat, be tolerant, don't call names, be polite, never blame your predecessor, respect your team if you are the boss, be straightforward and trustworthy, etc. Trump does the opposite of what I just listed - how can anybody support that?
5
Once long ago when I was an undergraduate, one of my teachers argued that the two greatest dangers to Democracy were: 1) War; and 2) Lies. That was in 1972 (I believe) and today I would add a third: the crushing affects of the demoralization of the rule of law. President Trump and his allies and followers are far more comfortable living in the world of opinion, alternative facts, conspiracies and illusions because these confirm their opinions, beliefs--and even hatreds and fears. Trump despises facts and data because they so frequently oppose him, his actions and control of the narrative. This is why Trump and his ilk dislike scientists, academics, legal scholars and journalists. Scholars and good journalists deal with facts--and a search for something true or materially real--in an imperfect world. President Trump eagerly uses each day to manipulate his supporters and the daily media to make his lies seem normal, acceptable, and legitimate. Scholars, by contrast, humbly must accept that their ignorance leads to questions of scientific fact-finding. Trump hates this like a disease. The President cleverly turned the dispersal of "fake news" on his behalf, into his calling card accusation against the world of facts. For some people, illusions, lies and conspiracies are easier, bias confirming and simple. They are also very dangerous--especially to freedom.
10
The term "self made man" does not apply to Mr. Trump, regardless of what definition is used.
7
The upsetting thing about this strategy of Mr Trump is that he is President of the United States and it really debases the position making up conspiracy theories, that are clearly false. There is no credibility to his administration.
The media needs to be more cut and dry when he pronounces these theories, leaving a little room for truth in the headlines gives that kernel to people who are looking to give credence to the story and it perpetuates the lie.
I repeat again, this is the person who is the President of the United States and he is telling factual proven lies and making things up to try to hide his wrongdoings. The deep state is the deep white supremacist state that supports Trump and they are embedded within the government. How else would a person like Trump who as President with all the resources at his fingertips sadly, deplorably, uses Fox News as an information source maintain power?
These myths Trump creates have to be clearly busted. Letting them hang out there in the media and having surrogates on TV spouting them out without extremely clear headlines or conversation that Trump is lying just perpetuates and enables Trump to continue to create them.
13
Removal from office and prosecution -- at the state and federal levels -- for Trump, his family and minions. There can be no "Nixonian-pardon-treatment" of a man who is likely taking bribes and who conspired with a foreign power to throw our presidential election -- the most sacred,existential expression of our democracy. This level of treason cannot be forgiven -- or the concepts of aversion and deterrence have no meaning.
2
Doesn't this attack on truth, facts, reality and the rule of law require something different, something better in coverage by the mainstream news media? We're in a new environment where the old principles of objectivity and distance are being whipsawed by a serial liar and a corrupt and disingenuous regime.
If people are showing more support for Trump's outrageous falsehoods and conspiracy theories, watch your local news broadcasts. What little coverage is afforded national news is simplistic, brief, and highly misleading because there is hardly ever any mention that what Trump is claiming (e.g., Spygate) is true.
In other words, with this bunch in the White House, truth is having a very difficult time catching up with the propaganda and agitprop of the Trump regime. That's increasingly a result of our media refusing to supplement straight reporting with necessary perspective, background and challenge. And if you doubt how this is shaping public opinion, keep in mind that a large and growing percentage of local news (print, online and broadcast) is owner by highly conservative, right wing corporations who serve as conveyors of Trump's toxic version of reality.
7
People believe what they want to believe. My mother told me this as a young child. Conspiracy theory's, like Stereotypes have some basis in fact, but belief comes from a need. We have trouble accepting that those whose belief system is in opposition to ours has any validity.
What disturbs me is the degree of animosity to differing viewpoints. Are we ready to turn into a lynch mob to get our way?
1
There needs to be a separate category for statements that are "not even wrong."
1
The damage this entity known as Trump is wreaking—
Is profound. We're all victims of this circus of the absurd and this huckster con-man who calls himself Trump. [And that includes his base of supporters.]
The sooner this "administration" is past tense, the better for us and the world.
7
"Like most conspiracy theories, Mr. Trump's has a kernel of truth..." Wow! You can say that again!
2
Saying it again still doesn’t make it true. The truth is not even remotely important to Trump and his supporters in and out of government.
1
Plain and simple, I don't believe Trump. He starts fires in each direction to get the heat off from him.
7
"Former aides to the president, speaking privately because they did not want to embarrass him,.. "
More likely, they did not wish to be the target of his wrath and retaliation. Despots are nothing if not vindictive.
4
Yes, but all this conscious confabulation only works when there is a fertile electorate. So how do you change the minds of the ~40% of Americans who embrace his distortions and approve of his job performance? Short of another deeply painful meltdown .. as happened under Bush, .. these people will continue to be recepetive to these baseless stories.
4
Trump keeps going to the conspiracy well to push back his detractors. His strategy is to float a trial balloon, watch its effects, calculate the political benefit the balloon, adjust his message, and maybe abandon conspiracy altogether, if the heat gets too strong. He knows his conspiracies are based in misinformation, that's why he equivocates everything with "ifs" and "maybes" and "we will see". The obvious trouble with this political game is that it puts American interests behind his interests, disparages our institutions with lies, and sets us up for failure on the global stage. He is no longer some rude civilian New Yorker spinning his disturbing birther lies, then backing out. He is now the President of These United States spinning egregious lies then backing out. He should be impeached for this.
5
So when NYT Magazine editor Jake Silverstein tweets an Obama era photo of harsh conditions for illegal immigrants and attributes it to Trump that's just a simple mistake? When James Clapper himself on the View called it ‘spying’ what was that? A mistake? When 90% of the mainstream media’s coverage of Trump (according to Harvard) is negative, is that just a mistake? What you call “conspiracy theory”is a euphemism for blatant, purposeful negative attacks on the Trump presidency to delegitimize it.
8
It was you making stuff up, and tripping lightly past the many articles explaining what was wrong with those pix.
Like the one in this paper today.
By the way, that 90% bit? Maybe you could show us all how to put a la-la happy dance face on, oh, repeatedly promising that your businesses would do no more foreign deals or new business, then taking a half bil in Chinese loans right before you back down on China sanctions.
1
You've found one moderately questionable mis-attribution of a tweeted photo by one editor and latched on to Clapper's one-word, one time description of a situation that's been fleshed out in detail in the congressional committee (and was shown to be nothing close to an 'embedded spy', :), and these things (to you) mean that all negative coverage of Trump is unfair, untrue and part of a larger witch hunt. Do you see anything wrong with your thinking?
Marketing epiphany: design an app that offers a "Trump-Free-Zone" across the user's entire media spectrum. Any mention or reference to Tweet is automatically eliminated, sent into that remote section of cyberspace where lost sox, gloves and mittens float along with quadrillions of selfies, Pet Rocks, Beanie Babies and mood rings. Prospective investors are free to contact me through the Comments Section of the Times.
2
The saddest thing about the deplorable behavior of our "President" is that around 40% of the population either believe his lies or feel that telling lies from the Oval Office is okay. How can other nations respect such a nation?
1
Trump's fortune and political career are built on lies. His structural force is made of gullible voters riveted by evangelist preachers and FoxNews channel.
2
“The diabolical brilliance of the Trump strategy of disinformation is that many people are simply going to hear the charges and countercharges, and decide that there must be something to them because the president of the United States is saying them.”
Trump is the epitome of the rotten underbelly of lies and untruths perpetrated against the Nation by a corrupt anti-rule of law mentality. The danger of this is the debasement of truth and facts in the culture of our society by an enemy of our Democracy. The Congress is non-acting group of grotesquely inept politicians with a blind eye on our national health. Trump has been doing these things for years as a private citizen.
6
Since Trump has no substance he must use subversion to achieve what results he can fanagle.
This is also his way to set himself up for cover if things do not go his way. Trump never loses, in his mind. This is just laying the ground work for his next steps.
That in itself is very scary..........
3
Trump is a con man, constantly running the long or short con to feed his narcissism, the Trump brand and bank account. The long con was the 2016 Russian- assisted election, the latest short con is "Spygate" to bolster Trump's long-con to discredit the Mueller investigation because the president is in deep and his personal fortune is at stake (yet, he can't stop digging the hole deeper). Perhaps the media should shift from conspiracy theory language to simply "con" and explain the latest/daily scenario or lie as to how a con would unfold.
Thank you to all the Yankee fans who booed Rudy Giuliani at the game yesterday. A well-deserved tribute for a dishonorable man.
2
The FBI informed Mr. Trump this was happening back in 2016.
2
I believe that the FBI sent an informant to talk to some Trump campaign individuals. As far as I can tell this is confirmed at the highest levels and approved by Obama administration individuals as common practice. Now if they did that to gangs, organized crime, or even Russians that would be acceptable. That they did it related to politics is not in my view. An official FBI agent should have done whatever was required, not an informant that could be considered a "spy". Very Simple!!!
5
If so, it wasn't related to politics, it was aimed at protecting our elections from interference from foreign interests. EXACTLY what the FBI should be doing. If Trump and team did nothing, then they have nothing to worry about. That is why we have an independent counsel investigating. A distinquised Republican, given the task by another Republican, appointed by Trump.
1
It is quite unambiguously clear that the Trump campaign was spied on by the FBI, that is not really in question. The FBI leadership is responsible for the erosion in trust. If the FBI leadership had wanted to prevent the appearance of abuse they could easily have informed Trump that a member of his campaign was under suspicion of inappropriate influence by the Russians and was under surveillance. The fact that they didn't says it all, the FBI leadership used the Russia canard as justification for spying on the Trump campaign. The only real question remaining is who ordered and authorized it.
13
Care to provide any evidence whatsoever?
2
The Trump campaign was warned by the FBI of Russian attempts to influence them. If you're going to follow the news, you ought to follow all of it, not just the parts that suit your pre-conceived narrative.
1
And yet that same FBI kept the that same investigation under wraps during the 2016 campaign, while Comey released the letter about the Clinton investigation just before Election Day. Perhaps you can explain that part of the story to us.
3
So...questioning the motives of government agencies is now a conspiracy?
The whole purpose of a society founded on the principles of the people, for the people, and by the people is one where the government is 100% answerable to those people...especially as to when it surrounds the aura of intent.
14
There's a difference between questioning an agency's actions and just making inflammatory stuff up.
3
If our government were answerable to the people Clinton would be president.
3
Kneeling is disrespectful.
Markets are democracy.
Tax cuts grow the economy and increase taxes.
Peace comes from massive military buildups and aggressive wars.
Death Panels are not the boards of private insurance corporations.
The media is liberal.
Our country is based on Christianity, not the Enlightenment.
Inheritance taxes are aimed at someone who died, not the person inheriting the money.
Etc, etc
The Republican Party, under the tutelage of Frank Kuntz, just makes stuff up, all the time. All of the things on this list are false.
But global corporate mass media, and the Democratic Party Leadership rarely tries to correct these lies.
The media acts as if both the obvious lie and the obvious truth are worthy of coverage, without pointing out the evidence that shows which is which.
And the Democratic Party, afraid to offend anyone in the universe, just lets Republicans make stuff up and use it to LEAD the country away from the Constitution, while they beg for compromise that never comes.
The Deep State is the global corporations and the billionaires that own them, and the control they exercise over government using huge political donations, and media control.
The same billionaires lobby to make corporations people and money speech, and also to make exceptions to the Bill of Rights (e.g., they were for no knock warrants and warrantless surveillance until Trump) and to make their version of the Old Testament into law.
Democrats must stop letting them control language.
25
Thank you for putting it in perspective. It is the Republican Party that is responsible for this situation. Trump is just a reflection of their beliefs and ethos.
2
You forgot "Ignorance is strength."
2
Republicans in congress, i. e., the people elected to balance Trump's power, have failed in their job, and Mueller and his team have yet to reveal the results of their own job. Thus, it is imperative that we, the people, administer urgent healing to our ailing country:
First aid: elect every Democrat capable of winning the general election, first in the primaries, and then in November. (Note: "capable of winning," not some fringe spoiler or flame-thrower who will alienate the people we need to be "brought into the light"; we can't make change until we earn control.)
Follow-up care: with a majority in at least one if not both chambers of congress, hold this "administration" accountable and dismantle it, quickly and legally.
Long-term care: (1) prosecute Trump's and the Trumpists' treason, sedition and gross malfeasance to the fullest extent of the law, showing no mercy as they have shown none to us; and (2) educate the populace about what democracy really means and how it works well only when the majority of us agree to let it.
Democrats can run as anti-Trumpists in part, but we also need a strong positive message that goes beyond that: an America for all Americans, putting our true needs (not our slogans and paranoia) first; being good citizens of the world of which we are part; and being decent, respectful to and cooperative with each other. As Ben Franklin said, "We must all hang together or we shall hang separately." True then, just as true now.
278
I really hope you are correct and what you describe doles happen.
Given the rampant stupidity of the American electorate, I am afraid Trump and the republicans will remain in power and that this wonderful country will be coming to its end as it turns into a dictatorship form of government.
16
Dear CP, I agree with you on some things but with a caveat = "Capable of winning" is a big qualifier. There were many who didn't think Trump was, and look further, because the Republican party nominated "fringe" candidates again and again and again, they've successfully moved the country really far to the right. Liberals shouldn't be afraid to nominate people who get their hearts racing. Otherwise we'll be left with politicians who inspire nobody.
13
You are not going to bring Trump voters "into the light."
That is the same lame strategy that has cost Democrats 2/3 of all elections for decades.
You can't convert true believers who think compromise is evil, and like the Confederates and Nazis more than Democrats
The way to win elections is to grow the base and actually WIN elections.
The way to do that is to promise workers that you will help them and their families in real ways, with real spending, instead of telling them that the things they need are too expensive and that is their fault capitalism has declared them surplus labor.
Republicans listen to their base of misogynist, anti-LGBT racists, and promise them free stuff, while you tell workers education, healthcare, and infrastructure are too expensive and impossible in today's political climate, and insult anyone that tells them otherwise.
The Democratic Party cannot win anything without the left. Republicans hate you, and Regean Democrats are not coming back.
The Southern States realized that democracy was not going to let them expand slavery into the new states (that is the state's rights they talk about). So instead of respecting the will of the People, and the decision of the majority, as the Constitution requires, they formed an army and attacked our Republic.
Lincoln was too liberal to have them all hung as traitors, so their descendants are trying too overthrow our Republic again.
Don't believe me. Read their words.
They call our government the enemy
23
Trump's tweets against the Free Press, against our judicial system, against his political enemies and now the spreading of conspiracy theories is right out of Putin's playbook. It is becoming more and more clear that Trump is working as an agent of Russia to the benefit of Russia and his twitter feed is just Russian propaganda meant to harm America.
10
Here in central Michigan, an area that helped elect Trump, you can drive around and see these HUGE American flags flying in front of businesses. They block the sun, they're so enormous. Sadly, the vast majority of people living here drive big trucks (leased), live in houses, mortgaged to the hilt, and live with the knowledge that manufacturing (which was the major economic driver 30 years ago) isn't coming back. They hang on to the believe that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world in spite of the fact that things only "look good" here. They aren't really.
Americans like living like kings, even though closer examination shows them to be deeply in debt and praying that they don't have an unexpected doctor's visit or accident. And as long as they have a ring-master president telling them what they want to hear, well then, everything is going to be OK. Until it's not.........
19
Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz-pay no attention to the man behind tge curtain. But, we must pay attention. Credible leaders do not promulgate conspiracy in order to capitalize on the fears of followers. It is not enough to laugh this off.
169
The difference being that although the Wizard was a very bad wizard, he was a very good man. Trump is a very bad president AND a very bad man. No redeeming social value at all.
26
Trump isn't the man behind the curtain. He is the big bellowing image surrounded by fire projected by the man behind the curtain. He is the big flashy distraction that makes the little weasel behind the curtain seem strong and powerful so that the People are afraid to oppose his policies.
It may be that Trump is also the man behind the curtain. Or it may be his investors the Mercers, or Putin, or some group of billionaires or the entire global billionaire class.
But it is the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz that tweets and lies and accuses his enemies of his own crimes, while the Constitution is undermined and the national wealth is looted.
Meanwhile Republicans have no heart and Democrats have no courage.
13
It seems increasingly to appear that Trump, if not directly in collusion with, certainly facilitates Russia's project to destabilize the US by eroding trust in our public institutions.
10
I wonder how many people in this country understand how dangerous it is when the government (administration) lies to us daily. We just got the figures on over 4000 deaths in Puerto Rico from hurricane Maria. The official government number that Trump allows to be reported is 64. If the Trump administration will lie about life and death of US citizens, it shows that they do not value their lives. What comes next? How does that lack of respect for human life influence their actions toward citizens they fear or disagree with? What is the next step for the liars who are running our country?
317
As usual, this study comes with an asterisk. There were 64 confirmed deaths that could be directly attributed to the storm. The 4,000 figure is an extrapolation from polling, that includes people who have died in the 8 months since, and includes people who may have died from lack of access to medical treatment, which are not normally included in storm death totals. That is not to say the figure is wrong, but how it is being used certainly appears to be.
3
What comes next, you ask? Just look south, to the border. Is there any more barbaric and inhumane practice than snatching crying babies from their mothers' and putting those children in "detention" facilities....some have described as large cages!
Seeking asylum has never been a crime, however, this evil administration has made it one in order to appease it's base's fears of brown skin people.
18
Did you mean to say, the liars who are ruining our country?
9
Being a life long New Yorker, I was well aware of the con man Trump. I mostly ignored him knowing his clownish behavior was not affecting my life and therefore ignoring him. When he called for the death penalty for the central park five, it was not an unusual statement for him to make. But for Trump to continue to call out the guilt of those innocent five after they were exonerated fell into the realm of his insane conspiracy theories. He is insane and people need to realize this.
12
Trump is destabilizing the US, which is just what Russia wants.
8
When you get all your national news from one or two corrupt sources, Fox or someone like Rush Limbaugh, there’s little to be done except out vote this minority and put the Trumps, Bachmans and Nunes on the sidelines again. And perhaps fighting back by promoting the questions about Trump’s mental health.
6
Let's not get too far off the path. Comey-Lynch, Rice-NSA, Clapper-CIA, and Hillary (her Obama years working the extortion angle as Secretary of State) have done far more harm to the institutional "integrity" of the deep-swamp than Trump, who is just being opportunistic by bringing more light to all the self-inflicted bleeding.
9
Journalists need to stop engaging with Trump on the issues. All of us need to accept that he has no moral center and is strictly only motivated by self- promotion. Nothing else.
So to point out lies or to try to debate on moral, spiritual or Constitutional grounds is an absolute waste of time.
What I wish journalists (and all of us) would do is to call out the real reason for his statement, tweet, or belief. Example, taking a knee has nothing to do with patriotism. Donald Trump isn't patriotic and doesn't actually even understand the concept. But he does understand that his white racist base will love it when he attacks successful, often admired black men.
This is the same for every issue- guns, abortion, immigration, the environment, the rule of law, the economy, jobs, Korea, the Middle East, the military, the Republican party, ALL of it. Every attack, every pronouncement, every Executive Order, every Tweet, every speech, every lie, every ceremony is about him. Trump only cares how these things will serve his self- interest and promotion.
So debate your friends, family or coworkers on the issues as much as you want, but never give Donald Trump credit for caring about anything but himself.
7
Is the act of intentionally eroding trust in American institutions by sowing widespread suspicions about the government an impeachable offense?
3
IT SHOULD BE!
1
The NYT broke the story that a US intelligence agency places an agent in the Trump campaign, under false pretenses, to gain information on those working in said campaign. The candidate was not informed. After breaking the story the NYT, et al, state that that the story isn't factual but merely a conspiracy theory.
12
These lies will only stop working when the media, neutral, right and left wing, start calling out the lies as lies. Not as "he misspoke" or "didn't remember correctly" or any other euphemisms.
All reputable news outlets could have spared us this if they had not amplified Trump's lies, beginning with the birther lie.
So start using headlines like "Trump lies about campaign spies (again)" and call out all of his and his cronies' lies with facts.
And stop with the whitewashing and false equivalencies. I still see that, even in the NYT. The media are still enabling Trump & friends' lies.
7
There's an interesting distinction that needs to be made. Does the president actually believe the stuff that he talks about, or is he just a liar? Either reality is worrisome.
138
Trump lives in an alternate reality where he is THE most important person ever. And he continues to tell us that everyday. I wish the media would STOP writing about everything he says. They don't realize or probably they do that they are helping him spread his lies, doubt and undermines democracy at will. We all should be focused on what we have always believed to be true and not what Trump wants us to believe. He is a great student under Putin and should one day be brought up on treason charges which undermines our country and democracy.
22
Trump seems to believe a lot of his lies. Take the inauguration attendance lie, in which he said it was bigger than Obama's. When he was shown official Park Department photos of the crowd, he thought that hold-over Democrat employees within the department had doctored the photos to discredit him.
17
Both.
11
All of these articles start off with "unconfirmed" or "unproven" accusations, and then sneak in "oh by the way, we reported it". So does the NY Times stand by their reporting or not. Going back to Birtherism is misdirection. It's an old story. But what about the liberal conspiracy theories promoted by the press? That Trump was crazy and needed to be replaced under the 25th Amendment. His doctor passed him as mentally competent and the liberal press raged. Remember that? What about the Russian Collusion - that's gone on almost as long as birtherism. The left loves their conspiracy theories too, and promotes them every day. Now they say Ivanka got trademarks because Trump is working on China trade. Isn't that a conspiracy theory? There's more evidence that the FBI spied on the Trump campaign than Ivanka received trademarks scandalously. It's rich watching the leftwing media accuse Trump of promoting conspiracy theories. If it wasn't for conspiracy theories, what would the NY Times, CNN and MSNBC do?
8
Why, exactly are we allowing this evil person, our president get away with lying?
7
Donald Trump is a liar. He said he'd make public his tax returns after the audit was complete. He hasn't. He said that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya when he was born in Hawaii. He wanted the death penalty for the Central Park 5 and never apologized when they were exonerated. He insulted John McCain and never apologized.
Donald J. Trump has time to tweet, but doesn't have time to release his financials and tax returns.
Trump has time to golf, but doesn't have time to improve TrumpCare after abolishing Obamacare.
Trump has time to renege on treaties without a suitable replacement plan.
Heck, he did more planning when changing wives than he has devoted to the presidency, unless he's courting Putin and KJ-U. Trump may be a closet homosexual for all I know. Some people think this is possible. Is that true? Some people think so.
13
Why not have a headline in the NY Times: Mr. Trump, why do you need to create lies? You, sir, are lying because you're afraid! Is Mr. Mueller getting too close? Everyone with any education can see you're attempting to deflect away from your guilt! Yes, the same guilt that prompts lies that will bring you down! You're an embarrassment to us all....oh, and did I say "why are you a liar?"
6
It is most troubling not only that Trump puts these falsehoods out there, but that so many gullible people believe and promulgate them and conservative media feast on these fantasies. The net effect is that lies become truth, and "alternative facts" become facts in the minds of the sheep. George Orwell is laughing.l
10
Donald Trump is an inept president but he continues to demonstrate that he is a skillful con man. Repeatedly raising alarms about "the deep state" and "spygate" do successfully attract crowds many of whom have clearly exhibited a readiness to swallow virtually anything he proffers. His latest stupefying hokum is the contention that the Obama-era Justice Department or F.B.I. infiltrated his campaign with an intent to sabotage it.
Huh? After all, even though the F.B.I. was indeed conducting an investigation of the Trump campaign's possible collaboration with the Russians, there was never any public disclosure of this information which, undoubtedly, would have seriously hurt his chances of winning the election. On the other hand, F.B.I. director James Comey repeatedly notified voters of developments in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's mishandling of emails which obviously did very serious damage to her campaign.
President Trump's maneuver of having the investigators investigated is just the latest shameless flim-flam attempting to discredit the Mueller investigation. Whether these ruses and dodges might undermine the foundations of the nation's rules of law are completely inconsequential to Mr. Trump.
Yet once again Mr. Trump proves his skill at the "long con" by his elaborate construction of fables with just enough superficial plausibility to persuade or at least distract the gullible.
185
The "Deep State" is just hard-working government employees trying to do their jobs as honestly as possible without getting involved in politics (a firing offense for civil servants). I have recently had dealings with employees of the Social Security Administration and have found them incredibly helpful, courteous and patient. It's easy to vilify people like that because they can't and won't fight back.
20
And to think we have a major cable 'news' network and a hate-radio echo chamber that know what you are saying is true, but act like the FBI was out to get Trump. Complicity at its worst.
13
And the Nunez Memo itself points out that Carter Page was under investigation since 2014 because Russian intelligence was trying to recruit him as an asset.
Did the FBI go back in time to start an investigation into a guy Trump announced was his National Security Adviser in 2016?
9
Trump has used and played the media like a PT Barnum. Period. Was there ever a doubt his conspiracy cards wouldnt play well among the tabloid-reliant deplorables? One his best buddies owns American Media's, National Inquirer and Globe. He has since added similar mass media radio and television networks to his campaign.
8
This is what I know of Donald Trump's character, from his own words:
"He doesn't have a birth certificate. Or, if he does, there's something on that certificate that is very bad for him. Somebody told me that where it says 'religion' it might have 'Muslim', and if you're a Muslim, you don't change your religion."
"I have people that have been studying Obama's birth certificate and they cannot believe what they're finding. If he wasn't born in this country, which is a real possibility, then he has pulled one of the great cons in the history of politics."
"An 'extremely credible source' told me that Barack Obama's birth certificate is a fraud."
"People do not think it was an authentic certificate. His mother was not in the hospital. There are many other things that came out. And, frankly, if you would report it accurately, I think you'd probably get better ratings than you're getting."
"Amazing. The State Health Director who verified copies of Obama's 'birth certificate' died in a plane crash today. All others lived."
"Who knows about Obama? Who knows, who knows? I have my own theory on Obama. Someday I will write a book, and it will do very successfully."
And, after all this, our modern day Joe McCarthy has the temerity to warns US about "witch hunts". Trump is not only a liar, he is a moral degenerate of the first order.
He also accepted a $500,000,000 bribe from China in order to put their national interests above our own. So, add treasonous traitor to the list.
10
While you're at it, you may want to have a look at why the public is so gullible.
4
Where are the Dems? The current feckless leadership -- Pelosi and Schumer -- are, at best, useless. Sec. Clinton is a spent force. Obama, as per character, remains above the fray. The result is a Trump/Hannity administration unchallenged and free to spread its toxic mix of lies and false outrage.
5
Bernie is still out there (OK, not a Democrat per se).
I would reword your question. WHERE ARE OUR REPUBLICAN & DEMOCRATIC LEADERS? Currently, the Republicans have control of the Senate and the House. They could put a STOP to Trump's insane behavior in less than 10 minutes. The American People need to elect new leaders.
2
Point taken. Thanks
Trump plainly understands that the power and credibility that the public has historically accorded the Presidency has enabled him to sell as fact, statements and theories that, from the mouth of citizen Trump, would have been written off as false, fatuous blather.
Trump also understands, however, that his ability to sell his falsehoods and distortions because he holds the title of President has a shelf life; that as the public comes to understand, perhaps as a result of some seismic disclosure, the public will come to see that he is an imposter, a grotesque error of a disengaged electorate, and that his words don't deserve the implied credibility that's historically been accorded those emanating from the Oval Office.
4
The world has ceased laughing at us. Now they stand agape in horror and fear at the madman at the head of an increasingly deteriorating democracy. A madman with his finger on the trigger.
5
If you don't care abut what is true. One can use as many lies as one wishes to 'get your point across.'
This article proves that the President is onto something. The first paragraph is full of lies; the President never claimed any of the preposterous things that your writers ascribe to him --- he merely wondered whether they might be true, and in the third case asked for the reasonable release of President Obama's birth certificate. Although it took him an inexplicably long time to do so, eventually President Obama did, and Mr. Trump agreed that he was born in America.
As for the wire tapping of Trump Tower and the FBI use of a spy to snoop on the Trump campaign, both of those have been proven to be perfectly true, and yet the New York Times insists on still prevaricating about both claims, instead of acknowledging that the President was right and apologizing.
The strange and disturbing blurring between editorial and news coverage (what is "News Analysis?), the hyper-partisan nature of the your newsrooms, your inability to find a single pro-Trump conservative to write on your editorial pages, the publicly stated desire of your executive editor to commit a crime in order to obtain a citizen's private tax returns . . . you are responsible for the decline in public trust of major newspapers, not the President.
3
Would you support seeing his tax returns to see just how much of what you say is true or not? I think it is a reasonable request.
1
From personal experience I have learned that the narcissist is a lier and will eventually believe his or her own lies. Our president is so clothed in his own lies that he must,by nature, begin to believe them. This is a very dangerous personality to have filling so important a world position.
2
i like "Lie-gate" instead.
4
Isn't this an impeachable offense? GOP you can never criticize anyone ever again.
2
Wow! It’s seems that what President Trump calls a “witch hunt’, has convicted 19 people. Now, a coven of witches is made up of 13 witches. So, if the investigation that Trump is calling a “witch hunt”, has convicted a coven and a half of witches (19 people) so far, is President Trump the Warlock of these covens?
1
The words missing from this story of course are "lie," "lying" and "liar." The NYT generally and Maggie specifically just can't bring themselves to call Trump a liar even though Maggie was eager to call the Clintons liars. Why? The story insists there is a "kernel of truth" in many of Trump's stories ( I guess that is the excuse for not calling them lies?). Please tell us what that kernel of truth was for Trump's lies about where Obama was born? Tell us. Birtherism as one big racist lie. You all fail as journalists by not saying that. And the story ends with the liar Rep. King lying by saying Trump just uses hyperbole, and the story quotes King without correcting his lie. This is the real problem in how NYT and most other media covers Trump.
3
As a veteran I swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
trump is a domestic enemy and a traitor.
Bobby Mueller please hurry.
5
The whole “Russian collusion” story is shows how the Democrats supported by the liberal media uses conspiracy theories to erode trust. You all have been tirelessly pushing this nonsense with no evidence for almost 2 years – where is the proof! Hint – there is none.
And by the way – what will our President be indicted for? What exactly? What was the crime? Be specific!
4
As you are doing with Trump, Nixon supporters denied his culpability for years. They vehemently defended him right up to the end. Until such time as the entire world got to hear him committing treasonous acts, on tape, in his own words.
And hearing a Republican complain about an investigation as "politically motivated" is the most hypocritical, duplicitous, and fatuous thing I've ever heard.
The fact is, Mueller is going to nail Trump to the wall. And, unlike previous Republican investigations, he won't need to fabricate a bunch of lies in order to do it. His will be an indictment of this moral degenerate based on facts alone, not hyperbole.
Nixon was a treasonous crook. But, he pales in comparison to the whole-cloth criminality of Donald Trump.
1
NYTimes, using the term "Spygate" in your headlines only gives credence to DJT's accusations. Call it what it for what it really is... "Trump's latest wild conspiracy theory".
Trump has done more to destroy the fundamental institutions that make our country strong (the Intelligence and Justice Department) than Putin could ever have hoped for.
And now DJT has a cowering Ryan and McConnell licking his boots and helping him continue to lie daily while undermining our highest law enforcement agency in the land. Jeesch! How can Ryan and McConnell possibly face themselves in the mirror each morning?
242
"NYTimes, using the term "Spygate" in your headlines only gives credence to DJT's accusations."
In defense of the NYT, they do use the term in quotations. In the same headline they call it a conspiracy theory.
7
I agree that using the term “Spygate” only gives it credibility! Network and cable news are doing the same. Enough!
4
The use of Trump’s words is called “linguistic infiltration or undermining.” When you get someone else to mimic your language they begin to view reality the way you do. And Ryan and McConnell put up with Trump because he will sign their bills and because he controls the 30% to 40% of the voters that they need.
7
The fact that some people don’t like you is part and parcel of being human. Only a paranoid person would believe that every criticism of you or what you believe in is a conspiracy. Donald Trump must view the world as one giant conspiracy directed at him. The truth is that some people are so busy trying to make a living that only individuals like Representative King or former Mayor Guliani can afford the time toconcede that Trump is “on to something.”
Trump is just the symptom of a serious disease (s) in our Nation. One of the diseases is ignorance or, maybe, intellectual laziness. The other is victimhood. Many , or most, of Trumps “base” are affected by at least one. They stopped reading and reflecting many years ago. If they read,,they read only things like Breitbart. Mainly, though, they watch...Fox, for example. They hear, and read nothing that disagrees with their own viewpoint...it’s very intellectually soothing. They feel,validated, intelligent even.
Victimhood? Trump, Fox, et.el. Tell the base that they’re all getting the short end because of people who are “different”. The members of the base believe that they are never responsible for their misfortunes. Trump, Fox,,et.al. Pound home the message...”it’s not your fault; you’re a victim.”
6
Erickson, the conservative founder of RedState, called Trump "a walking, talking National Enquirer." There is more information in that description than one would like to think.
Who reads the National Enquirer, we guffaw? Who believes any of that stuff? Well, as it turns our, a hefty percentage of the population reads and believes the National Enquirer and Fox News. And it's no accident that Trump is friends with the
"top people" in all of those places.
We need three billboards everywhere stating that for months Trump resisted using the term "deep state." Then Foz and Breitbart convinced him of the usefulness of such a loaded, spyish term - DEEP STATE - and Trump was down with it.
Rep. Pete King calls it hyperbole, which is a Trumpian euphemism for a dirty lie.
3
Acts by U.S. intelligent agencies during the 2016 Presidential elections have have done irreparable damage the public has of public institutions and the press.
We can quibble about the Presidential language and social media comments and whether it is Presidential or not. It isn't. But the actions taken by our intelligence agencies against the Trump Presidential campaign while ignoring and forgiving gross violations of the law by the Clinton Campaign is too much to ignored by the voters.
I suspect the midterm elections will favor Republicans.
President Trump is winning the political argument and winning on the economy and foreign affairs.
The Democrats need to offer solutions.
4
Let's get one thing straight here. Whatever the US intelligence agencies and the FBI did during the presidential campaign of 2016 was not intended to derail the Trump train. It was to protect our nation from a hostile foreign power intent on interfering with the outcome of our free elections. The fact, and it is a fact, that the only campaign willing to accept help from Russia was the Trump campaign, as evidenced by the eagerness of Donald Jr, Manafort and the Son-In-Law, to meet with agents of Putin. The Clinton campaign did not. Nor did any of the other candidates. Only Trump.
Let's look at the flaw to your logic. Everyone, EVERYONE, including Trump, believed Trump could not and would not win the election. So why go to the all trouble of sabotaging a losing campaign, as Trump claims? It makes no sense because it isn't true. It is a lie being sold by Trump and his supporters to the American public to undermine our belief in our institutions. Nineteen indictments prove otherwise.
The true harm to this nation is being done by a president who is systematically destroying our institutions of Democracy to save himself and his businesses. It is all about his ego and his bank account. He cares nothing about anything or anyone else.
And that includes you.
2
There a two kinds of perversion occurring simultaneously. The first perversion is that of the members of the Republican Party and right-wing media, actively engaged in supporting and/or promoting this paranoia/conspiracy-based disparagement of our justice system. The second perversion is the refusal of Trump supporters to step back an analyze these statements for their validity. I can feel at least a bit of sympathy for those who either lack the ability, or will, to analyze these pronouncements by Mr. Trump.
What is not acceptable and even becoming a true threat to our justice system, are the members of the Republican Party and right-wing media who actively engage in this disparagement of our system. These are the people who need to be held accountable politically and financially.
Mr. Trump shows every sign of being guilty of something or multiple things. His only tool appears to be that of disparagement and conspiracy. The emperor has no clothes and Mr. Trump is now figuratively standing naked in his paranoia and conspiracy-based accusations. His supporters, unfortunately still believes he is clothed; in large part due to the enablers of the GOP and right-wing media.
125
Right-wing (Fox, Fox Business) v Left-wing media (CNN and its stations, CNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, oh and MSNBC).
National Enquirer, Brietbart, Washington Times.... need I go on?
you forgot AP, UPI, Reuters, Newsweek, etc. you know, if the majority of the media is what you're calling 'left wing', then maybe you should reconsider what left wing means. it's not a 'wing', when it's a majority, it's the middle.
Um, it's not just that he comes up with conspiracy theories - if he kept those thoughts to himself, it wouldn't matter.
When the media repeats the conspiracy theories as an allegation that could be true - that's where the damage is done. His "promotion" of elaborate, unproven theories is abetted by the legions of reporters repeating the theories. Even repeating them with critical language like "elaborate" and "unproven" still elevates this garbage.
The analogy that comes to mind is that media is playing by the prescribed rules of a boxing match - whereas this administration is full WWE/UFC.
The best thing the media could do would be to repeatedly and insistently ask Trump's supporters in Congress to take a stand on these ideas - and to keep asking until a substantive answer is provided.
4
So then in other words, Mr. King, what you’re saying is: “He’s a really , really good liar”. Forgive me for not realizing that this should be considered an admirable, congratulatory trait in our President. Don’t get me wrong. I know I’ve been lied to by many a President in the past, but, I really can’t remember any of them being praised for how well and how often they’ve managed to pull it off. Spiraling down, down, down.... What day is it? What country do I live in? Make it stop - please.
1
The voting public would be much better served if Trump's tweets were not endlessly displayed verbatim in the mainstream media to reinforce his paranoid fantasies and deliberate untruths on a variety of topics, it's likely that their impact would be diminished.
The constant repetition of his mendacious memes only serves to reinforce the agenda that he and his administration pushes. Repeating these lies over and over (by print journalists and other media reporters) can only create the semantic illusion of "truth" or "alternative facts," and allows Trump and his minions to frame these discussions to his ultimate benefit.
Trump may be the most savvy manipulator of the media we have witnessed in history. If his tweets were simply synthesized to reflect the essence of the positions he promotes, while simultaneously pointing out the lies or fantasies that are contained in them, it would significantly change the playing field he currently dominates.
Constantly repeating word-for-word tweets attacking the DOJ, CIA, and Mueller investigation, outright lying about immigration issues, declaring Democratic conspiracies against him, etc. only helps delude the readers/listeners and creates a "fake" universe for the general public. Polls have shown that this has created significantly greater distrust of the our most important institutions.
The unwitting collaboration of the media in this dire situation needs to change dramatically - and the sooner the better!
4
I had the misfortune of being in a small gathering where the host was slightly drunk and pontificating, not discussing, his political views. Luckily I could soon excuse myself to prepare dinner. It is scary how even educated, mostly one issue, voters buy into this nonsense, loudly bullying their way, belittling others who view things differently. I like a good political discussion, preferably with someone who does not get their news from Fox and Friends and Rush, someone that does not depend on alternative facts and conspiracy theories. This presidency is exhausting. America is Great when we work together, respecting our differences, using facts not feelings. When we take the time to attempt to see all sides of an issue. When we discuss not pontificate.
1
Unintentionally hilarious. Do you even realize how psuedo-intellectually smug your pontificating comment is?
4
Pontificate? Did you read what you just wrote?
2
Rereading my comment, I think you are right, certainly not my intent. Gotta watch that. Thanks.
The only way to bring down this dangerous president (apart from assassination) is the ballot box. Democrats must move away from simply denouncing Trump and wringing their hands, whining about how awful he is.
The voters that will be crucial to the outcome of a presidential election are his most fervent supporters. Democrats have to bang home (very) simple and sustained messages that will make clear to those voters what he doing and why he is doing it.
4
A differential diagnosis includes a wide range of diseases that might account for the symptoms. All possibilities need to be raised by a good physician and ruled out ASAP to best treat the patient. The political analogy might question Mr. Obama’s U.S. birth but rule it out when an accurate birth certificate is furnished. Obama’s reluctance fueled the speculation and added personal animus to his view of Donald Trump. We can’t blame Mr. Trump for considering an issue that had been first raised by others.
In what seems to be tit for tat, Obama raised the spectrum of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign right after the election. Obama’s political associates, in and out of government, purchased a fake dossier, repeatedly went to court for warrants, paid informants, and have intentionally stalled the Muller investigation for political reasons.
The possibility of “deep state” motives, a narrative Shawn Hannity has used for a year, is something which President Trump could not ignore as a possibility. Now, under the category of “NEWS ANALYSIS” the New York Times concludes President Trump, “Uses Conspiracy Theories to Erode Trust”. It is the facts (dossier, warrants, informants, Muller’s Democratic team, etc.) that erode trust. If Mr. Trump did not bring it up, trust in him would erode.
1
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
While President Trump engages in a great deal on conduct that is plainly reprehensible. He is not alone.
It is ugly, but this will all have to examined in the coming months if not years by historians.
In the meantime we are all in for a rough ride.
A phony president can only rely on phony stories to back himself up.
He is not worth the breath in his name let alone his rhetoric.
An national embarrassment we need to address come this fall. If not, it will only get worse. These are the tactics of a wannabe dictator. We MUST stand vigilant.
5
It's just a guess, but I would think that the word 'spygate' has been mentioned on the fox infotainment channel at least once every 15 minutes.
No - it's not a guess. I am certain of it.
2
Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon might have been self-made men. Donald Trump inherited his wealth. He was not self-made.
That, as the author so delights in saying, is a demonstrable falsehood.
...and Congress enables. Isn't there any senior official, respected enough, who can simply state what 45 says is not true? Also, I get he is president, but must he be on television 24 hours a day? Just because he says crazy things, doesn't mean they need to be broadcast. It only spreads his lies.
Trump played a better game and won. Call these people what you want, but he is simply drinking from for a trough that has been overflowing since the Internet went "viral". Our populous simply is poorly educated and has been for decades. I asked a student yesterday what "Memorial Day" is and he had no clue (he is in his twenties). This "swipe" generation is clueless and it crosses all age groups.
3
What’s the Mueller investigation but a conspiracy theory?
5
Hmmm, there have been indictments and guilty pleas. Seems pretty real to me. The president and his supporters are plenty afraid.
2
I don't follow Trump on Twitter, but I see all of his tweets because they are reported in the New York Times as news. Imagine how Trump must feel knowing that he can make up a complete fabrication, tweet it, and millions of his followers will believe it, and everyone else will get to see it in the Times!
3
I'm certain that his efforts -- along with the operatic Evita
Giuliani -- have fooled a number of, well, fools. Perhaps if
the TV-fed and educated Trump needs to see it to believe it, there should be a march in Washington that winds up at the White House; of all those who are laughing AT him and his devotees?
While none of this is funny in the least. While the sane of this
country will not be held hostage to his minority (and leaking) ship of fools, a picture of the numbers of those who ain't buying what they're selling might make him cringe. Or, the Giuliani/Trump duet might decide that those who want Trump gone, turning out in massive numbers. are the very lost images of his inauguration crowd! And I don't doubt he would do this bait and switch for a second.
1
So with a liar with over 3000 documented lies tweeting , who exactly in the public is loosing trust in those trump lies about. Certainly not the vast majority who don't support his actions.
History & the truth does not begin again & again with the GOP/trump latest tweet. Outside of the GOP/FOX marketing machine the media should know better.
Trump continues to make fools out of his adoring base. I just find it so hard to believe that so many people are so out of touch with reality. To make it even worse, according to most polls on this subject, they are the ones who will suffer the most from Trumps' decisions. Do you think they will ever see the light?
1
No, I think Trump’s base understands him. It’s his adversaries who do not, and his base apparently understands that as well...
1
Yes, Trump is a liar and proponent of conspiracy theories. He is a showman who exaggerates his pitches to achieve the maximum results and persuade his followers of his fidelity to their beliefs. Hence, he is controversial and hated.
Trump's antics & actions have had a bleed-over effect in which the fervid animosity for Trump has spilled over onto the entire Republican Party. Yet, the cause of the Trump presidency was not because Trump was the choice of the Republican establishment (to the extent there was one), it was the antipathy of America's white working class voters to the direction of the country was headed as a result of recent social and economic policies of Democrats for the most part.
Maybe some of the commentators who most dislike Trump should look in the mirror for the explanation of his rise to power.
1
Mueller is closing in, so Trump is fighting like a caged animal. Grab your popcorn, folks and hold onto your seats. It's going to get much worse before it gets better. Unfortunately, America is currently one giant reality television show and the world is watching. Donald Trump, you have been voted off the island. You need to bring me your torch.
1
“The diabolical brilliance of the Trump strategy of disinformation is that many people are simply going to hear the charges and countercharges, and decide that there must be something to them because the president of the United States is saying them.”
The fact that this is Donald Trump saying them people should obviously know it has to be a lie. Maybe every newspaper in United States should have on their headlines ‘Trump lies approaching 4,000’ breaking all records known to man. And we should do a countdown of every lies he tells. We should be astounded we should be screaming this from the hilltops. Because Trump people only hear things that you say a multitude of times. They are a bit thick.
2
One of the reasons that Nixon went down is that he resigned. Trump will never do that, because he will never, not ever, think that he is to blame, or that he has an iota of responsibility for anything that has happened on his watch--unless he can spin it as a 'success.' Then, of course, the achievement is all his. This blame-shifting is something almost every parent is familiar with: Sadie did it, not me!
"He has a talent for getting a point across." Yes. Like the teenager, or toddler, who stomps or yells bloody murder. What we are now is a nation where the parents have abdicated, and we are being held hostage by a bully. He's changed the debate? Only because we've let him.
3
Trump didn't start this. Nixon did it, Reagan did it, and the Greedy Oligarchic Plutocrats helped by FakeOX news kicked it into high gear when Bill Clinton started running in the Democratic Party primaries. Hillary was right: there was, indeed, a vast right-wing conspiracy that embedded big lies via endless repetition: the Clintons murdered people; Al Gore's claim he "invented" the internet (he never said that; he was merely one of the few Senators pushing to fund its creation as a free public service; etc.
Now that the "GO Plutocrats!" have installed Drumph in the White House they have accelerated their plans, and their evil is harder to hide: 1,500 children separated from their parents (OK, they were border-crashers but they are still people). And their "pro-life" stance is just a sop to Pence Christians, God save us if those folks ever get into power.
1
They're not conspiracy theories. They're lies, and smears, which Trump employs in a calculated fashion for specific political purposes, in this case, to obstruct and discredit a legitimate criminal and counterintelligence investigation. You show this! You report, for example, on Trump's calculated used of the term "deep state" upon learning that it polls well.
Trump isn't peddling "suspicion as fact." He's peddling lies and falsehoods as fact. The difference matters. You show this! You explicitly say that, "like all conspiracy theories, this one has a kernel of fact," and then, following the logic of that statement, you lapse back into what is apparently the deep muscle memory of "he said/she said," turning the microphone over to Trump minions who say, in effect, "maybe there's something here."
There is no kernel of fact in the charge that Obama and the FBI spied on the Trump campaign. There is a kernel of falsehood: that a legitimate informant is a "spy." It doesn't even make sense on its own terms. They spied in an effort to smear Trump, and then, woops!, forgot to smear him.
Calling it a conspiracy theory gives Trump the benefit of the doubt, and that's all he needs to play his game. Why in the world do you keep doing this?
4
Julie Hirschfeld Davis & Maggie Haberman:
Are you absolutely SURE that our current President Trump is using the various conspiracies to manipulate the media and voters and NOT that he truly believes them?
What is driving who?
1
It is the equivalent of the insane accusation that Trump conspired with the Russians. If it has no basis, then why not have a Special Prosecutor to investigate it?
What I find incredible, is that the Republicans in Congress are just sitting there allowing this to continue. He is eroding the foundation of our government. Is he executing what Steve Bannon set out to do or just planning to continue enriching the Trump brand?
1
The kind of extremism Trump is stirring in his base may defy the facts and common sense but it is still an army of extremists who’s enemy are the liberal, democratic and intellectual Americans.
This gang doesn’t care about facts, they want to destroy institutions and see the elites squirm.
At the core of the base there are NRA psychopaths claiming to be a militia sanctioned by the 2nd Ammendment with a perceived duty to protect Trump, the fairly elected president, from deep state actors who want him removed from office.
The entire fantasy seems ludicrous until you realize that it isn’t a fantasy, it’s America today.
1
"There's no doubt he changed the debate".
I don't think "debate" is the correct word when you are talking about made-up conspiracy theories.
2
What we have here is a desperate man, who knows what's coming down the pike for him. His only recourse is to muddy the waters at every opportunity, even creating fictional "crimes" and scenarios.
Anyone who thinks this man has a single intelligent thought or idea is as deluded as he is. His actions are those of a caged animal waiting for his impending doom.
All we have to do is diligently follow the money trail and his trail of crimes. Then, we follow the alleged evidence of collusion and depravity.
An innocent and mentally healthy man wouldn't act this way. His deceit and hubris are leading him down the primrose path to the eventuality he so fervently seeks to avoid.
2
There are plenty of ways of eroding trust that don't involve conspiracy theories. Slanted and biased writing and reporting are a daily occurrence and simply considered the way agendas are advanced now. Framing the narrative is another popular phrase referring to it, the art of persuasion has nothing to do with truth. No immigrant children were actually lost, maybe just their phone numbers, but what's the difference, right? The narrative is what matters.
1
The current state of affairs with DT and hs use of lies to manipulate is fed by the press all day every day. Until the press changes their approach and treats every single lie as a lie, he has an audience that gets manipulated 24x7. The press unwillingness to call out his enablers every day and at every opportunity is also self serving and harming us. I saw Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" this weekend playing the game with Jeff Flake and you would have though that they went to college together and been in the same Frat. Jeff Flake makes self serving statements on his way out the door at no risk to himself while voting 85% of the time with DT and he is treated like a hero for stating the obvious without actually doing anything and allowed to position himself for 2020. No challenge at all to him for not actually doing anything but saying the right things to be called up and quoted during the next election. A wink wink and a nod and he gets his 10 minutes to pitch himself and we get nothing. No real acts to stop this insanity. No plan to gather the forces who can actually do something to stop this but a lot of quotable statements for the suckers who don't know when they are being manipulated. I will never take Chuck Todd seriously ever again. Until the press pulls out all the stops and stops playing footsey with these guys, I am going to blast them at every opportunity I get for letting us down.
1
I feel the country is turning upside down with help from Trump, but beginning decades ago with alt-right radio - Coulter, Limbaugh, Beck, Jones, etc. They rolled part of America into a hate-filled base by lying. And then, they finally got their wish. We elected a liar (and a cheat and someone who surrounds himself with criminals, some of whom have been indicted and convicted). The manipulation has been astounding! One could also say that the people who make up the base were always wanting a white-only America. Who should leave? I think Coulter, Limbaugh, Beck, Jones, Trump, Pence, Guiliani, Pruitt, DeVos, etc.
1
Trump's turn up the hate paranoia filled campaign on social media in 2016 shocked the NYTs and the Clinton campaign. But the story of an agent provocateur that enabled the FBI to get a bogus FISA warrant on Trump is also true. The whole Russia interfered in a meaningful way in the campaign has long since been debunked. But the NYTs and the FBI are still selling the same anti Russia paranoia.
1
Nonsense. The FBI was (and is) investigating Russian influence on the campaign. Their involvement is not in dispute except among the gullible Fox News audience.
2
What exactly is the "Deep State"? Is it a tight-knit cabal of career government officials so skilled as to keep the public from knowing their plotting yet so inept as to fail at the one job they had, stopping Trump?
Or is it members of the so-called Freedom Caucus using their the veil of "Congressional oversight" to access, then share evidence from an investigation against the President and his administration with the President and his administration in the face of legal precedent, in an attempt to spike said investigation?
3
This is precisely why education based on property taxes is bad for OUR nation in the long run. Or any run for that matter.
1
I'd love to see someone explore what we'd have left if we accepted Trump's "deep state" and moved toward its (desired?) opposite, the "shallow state." No relevant expertise, no reliable information, no public to serve but what power imagines.
5
There is a way to deal with Trump's hallucinations and his duplicitous behavior as regards his noteworthy paranoia.
What is needed is a STRONG MESSAGE that enough is enough.
A simple and meaningful solution is for all Republicans of good conscience to change their political registration as Republican to Democrat or Independent.
Independents should consider becoming Democrats.
Perform this simple but meaningful maneuver and do it now before the elections in November of 2018.
Put the threat of your vote where your good sense and your head and heart happen to be.
Patriotism can take many forms and can be effective through simple acts of protest.
Send the Trump Administration a message that even they can understand.
Send a message that possibly even Trump himself can for just once understand.
3
Republicans of good conscience? Haha, that's a good one.
1
For Glenn.
Interestingly enough New Canaan, Darien, Wilton, and even Greenwich - all in CT. - voted for Hillary Clinton.
The above towns are all strongly Republican and Fairfield Co. is a wealthy area in CT.
Well-educated, well-off, and well-informed Republicans can take correct action when necessary.
So with that thought I shall leave you to ponder their voting preferences come this next election.
After nearly 50 years of remarkably restrained comment from US Presidents, the citizens and the country's media were either primed for or ill-prepared for the lies and unrestrained, inflamatory, self-righteous commentary from DJT. As President, DJT's comments and conspiracy theories are impossible to ignore and clearly they are ineffectively countered by the simple resitation of facts or by the citation of quotes of condemnation. He is unlikely to change and as of now has no reason to change his methods that so effectively commandeered center stage. Instead the options for change are the slow steps taken by the electorate. The opportunity to end of his spew begins in earnest in November.
5
Several hundred comments here and I can't read 'em all before making this comment.
Most of us accept the point--made in a number of the comments I did read--that you have to give Americans credit for having good sense and being discerning about their politicians. Most, I suspect, have voted for men and women of varying degrees of left- versus right-persuasion, weighing the person on the merits and character.
But we all also know upstanding friends and family who seem perpetually gulled by the mind-numbing conspiracy dreck. Looking forward to late 2018 and then 2020, surely this is one major source of our remaining anxiety.
1
Michael Bloomberg told a national audience at the Democratic National Convention what untold numbers of New Yorkers already know: Trump is a con man. I don't see why the rest of the country doesn't realize his tactics are a sideshow, meant to distract from truly nefarious deeds which will ultimately and vividly illustrate that love of himself "trumps" love of his country.
5
I recall Mayor Bloomberg telling us that smoking in bars and restaurants is bad for our health and that we should limit our daily intake of sugar -- he's had some sensible advice that has been received in different measures. Mayor Bloomberg wasn't always an effective messenger in temperament and/or timing.
Mr. Trump has manipulated the news media to a T. By claiming "Fake News", the media scrambles to document that what the President has called "fake news" is in fact "real news."
Look at how careful the media has become. Stories are corroborated by several sources. I've seen as many as twelve sources to refute one of the President's claims. When the media commits an error, the media acknowledges the mistake and corrects it. Nevertheless, Mr. Trump is quick to publicize the error as proof of fake news. So then the media works harder to avoid mistakes.
I recognize the pattern.
While the President can say anything he wants, the media strives to be perfect. This perfect accuracy does nothing to change the point view of the Trump believers, although it does reassure the media believers.
I think the media must figure out how to stop being manipulated by Mr. Trump. It needs to figure out how to convince the Trump-believers that what the NYT etc. publishes is real news for real people. I do not think that what the media is reporting now is convincing for Trump supporters.
Real news for real people.
2
Why try to fight back at each charge, when denigrating the source is so effective? The destruction of trust in the structures that support liberal democracy--legislative bodies, law courts, independent media--will allow the opponents of individual rights to re-create the systems to their own liking. This is a dangerous game that the administration is playing. That their leader prefers to shake the dice and let the fates determine the outcomes is a very poor substitute for statecraft and rational leadership.
2
Whether Trump is right or wrong on this issue, there is lots of smoke to create the suspicion. The behavior of DOJ and FBI employees at the highest levels looks highly suspect. Comey writing an exoneration letter on Hillary before the investigation was over or her “interview” gives us the first clue about how she was being protected. Naming Mueller as SC with his close relationship with Comey is also highly suspicious. Out of 300million plus people in the country we couldn’t find one that didn’t have a serious conflict of interest? The actions of Mcabe and the communications between high ranking people at the FBI also bring many questions. It’s also quite curious with all the leaks that not one shred of real evidence has been presented to justify the original reason for the investigation. Yes, there is a strong appearance of a conspiracy to remove Trump that deserves a full investigation.
4
Mr. Trump knows exactly what he is doing, and why. He is too canny and calculating for his false claims to be anything but a means to gin up distrust among his credulous, uncritical base. Mr. Trump's goal is to manipulate and weaken our democratic institutions, thereby furthering his own dictatorial ambitions. Our defense against his methods must be to inform ourselves, to apply critical thinking and to raise our kids to learn and respect democratic values. Otherwise, there's no hope for us.
1
As it is with raising your children, so it will be with Trump. The only way to effect a change in the current situation is if there are real and immediate consequences to his actions and those of his administration. You can count the Republican led Congress out in terms of effecting any consequences ... this should be clear enough by now. I highly doubt that the Supreme Court, which by virtue of Mitch McConnell's actions, remains a conservative bastion, will act any differently. It then comes down to "We the People" to exercise our right to vote and, by virtue of doing so, effect the only consequences that remain to remove Trump and his enablers from office.
Vote as if the balance and future of this country depends upon it. Because it does.
4
The truth is, trust in our institutions, from government to organized religion, has been badly eroding for some time. Trump did not cause the distrust, he is the result of it.
5
Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992 with 43% of the popular vote. If a majority had been required, he'd have lost to Bush in the runoff. but for the electoral college, Hillary would be an unknown housewife in Arkansas rather than a member of the 0.1%. No Republican declared that Bill's election was illegitimate.
Democrats have contended that the 2000 election of Bush was illegitimate, they created a false narrative that he had lied about WMDs despite the fact that he had relied upon the intelligence services left in place from the Clinton administration.
Democrats have contended that Trump is illegitimate despite the fact that his 46% of the popular vote exceeds the 43% that put Bill in office.
Democrats fraudulently claim Garland was entitled to be confirmed by the Senate, despite the fact that they refused to confirm Bork and despite the fact that Eisenhower made three SCOTUS recess appointments under similar circumstances. They now claim Gorsuch is illegitimate.
The DNC used an authoritarian process, allowing Hillary to control the funds of the state parties prior to being made the candidate using the primaries, and to buy all of the super delegates to eliminate any Democrat contenders for the nomination.
Democrats have been undermining the legitimacy of the government for decades using false narratives. They are now stunned that the former Democrat is now turning the tables on dark government forces.
3
Garland was entitled to a hearing--something the Republicans did not want--I do not think it is up to Congress to decide not to have a hearing--it is within congressional authority, however, not to endorse a candidate...That is not what happened to Garland. I also have to wonder what your news sources are...
1
It's not a theory. Democrats used the justice department as a political weapon against Trump to try and win the election. It is continuing to this day in an attempt to undermine his presidency.
Hopefully all those involved will be brought to justice.
2
A “walking, talking National Enquirer?” A fair assessment, but I was thinking more pro wrestling; what Trump has done, is to have replicated ‘kayfabe’ in the realm of politics and news. It is ‘a form of performance art’ if you will, and very consistent with Trump’s reality TV background. True to script, kayfabe needs villains, and fortunately for Trump, there is no shortage of groups which fit the bill as far as most of his fans are concerned. To these fans, reality is irrelevant; what matters is the suspension of disbelief, and sense of community these ‘believers’ find among them. Some of them know Trump lies habitually, but deal with this cognitive dissonance by tacitly pretending his fantasies are all real – because it reinforces that they would *like* to be true. Some of them really don’t know his blathering about conspiracy theories is fake – to them the suggestion it might be is offensive, and perhaps even proof of the conspiracy. Besides, if they admit it is fake, then they must also admit that they had been duped for SO long about it, and we can’t have that. They have become too heavily invested, yet if at some point down the line they are forced to admit it is all nonsense, well they can just play it all off with crossed arms, tilted-headed smirk, a wink of the eye. The myths appeal to Trump’s ‘base,’ yet there’s still a line between ‘playing along’ and actually thinking it may be true, even if wavering. The longer this continues, the fuzzier that line becomes.
1
A number of Officials have already admitted that the FBI had informant(s) in the Trump campaign. James Clapper in particular. It's actually telling to see all the Obama administration people coming out and trying to denounce the spying on the Trump campaign.
Obama was such a micro manager, especially when it came to trying to protect his so called legacy, that we all know he was involved, informed and most likely giving direction.
So! either this whole situation is investigated and prosecuted, or The Swamp Democrats are giving President Trump a free pass to do the same thing during his re-election campaign in 2020. This one is up to Democrats. So far - Democrats seem to want Trump to run a full spying and intelligence campaign against his opponents for the 2020 election.
What we are witnessing is a carefully coordinated effort by Trump, and the people behind him, to destroy the credibility of our government institutions and to eliminate any oversight functions that would restrict his absolute control. It is not a coincidence that he is undermining public trust in our justice and intelligence agencies and circulating conspiracy theories that will persist since they cannot be readily disproven.
The latest effort to undermine the Mueller investigation is a claim by Trump that Mueller, et al, are going to sabotage the 2018 congressional elections. He is doing far more damage to our democracy than the Russians could have hoped for.
He, and his backers, (alt-right extremists, Russians?) are persistently and effectively directing our country to an authoritarian rule from which we may never recover. This is a critical time in our nation's history and I fear for the worst.
3
These tactics might work with trump's base but the rest of us are too intelligent to pay it much attention.
How many of us would entrust a man who had bought a medical degree from a credible university, but had never actually learned the process nor developed the skills necessary to perform surgery but had starred in a reality show about surgeons, and who had on multiple occasions claimed bankruptcy after inept attempts to perform surgery, leaving hospitals and medical equipment companies holding the bag when those aborted attempts fell through before completion and patients helplessly suffering, to perform major surgery requiring experience and expertise on ourselves?
And if we had been foolish enough to select that surgeon, would refuse to accept evidence provided to us by credible neighbors, relatives, friends, and agencies that this surgeon had been proven to have falsified records and provided inaccurate, hyped-up information to us, and had failed to disclose malpractice suits brought forward by previously disgruntled folks in dire need, would proceed with plans for the surgery?
And if we discovered that he had, in truth, lied to us and sought the advice and assistance of other charlatans whose practices had left their patients in serious danger of worsened health and/or death and hired thug attorneys and associates to "clean-up" his messes, would still entrust him with our lives?
Well, that's what we're doing now. Don’t sign the consent form. Call the AMA, report him, and help put him behind bars.
89
An inept surgeon can only kill so many people. Tragic and criminal certainly, but a far cry from the damage an inept president has caused. A lot of people would be alive today if the embassy was in Tel Aviv, or if the hurricanes were responded to properly.
9
A confidential informant "hired" by the agency is indeed a spy unlike a whistle blower who is not on anyone's payroll but on the entity being exposed.
In this instance, the professor ingratiated himself to Trump campaign operatives and without disclosing his connection to FBI. That is what spying is all about. Get real, people.
If there is one person who lacks credibility more than Trump does, it is Jon Meacham. Leave his opinions to MSNBC unless you want to be MSNBC in print.
2
"Former aides to the president, speaking privately because they did not want to embarrass him," is an absolutely absurd statement. They should put the country before Trump's ego.
And, the NYT and WaPo and other legitimate media outlets need to quit giving voice to people who won't speak on the record. This kind of journalism, just to get a quote, feeds the conspiracy believers in Trump's base.
As president, Trump is taking the country down his sinkhole of delusion and narcissism and the media is sadly abetting him.
2
When you feel you can take another minute of Trump, remind yourself of Obama ,and that character and decency in the Oval Office are not relics of a distant past.
Hope.
1
Most Trump voters were not conned. Everyone knew he was a buffoon and for some of us it was a deterrent. Trump voters were asked to vote for a known outrageous celebrity or for an imperfect woman portrayed as a criminal. Most still don’t feel conned. I even know educated professionals who voted for him. I have yet to hear a semblance of contrition on their part. Those who could have stopped him didn’t and we are all paying the price.
3
Just him being elected is the biggest conspiracy theory
1
Just look at the party he leads. Most of them believe the earth is 6,000 years old and flat. Delusions like obesity and opioid use is pretty common among Republicans.
2
Trump is poison to all who associate with him. He has kicked many of his staunchest supporters into rush hour traffic to protect himself. Giuliani, Flood, should take lessons from Cohen affair. Trump will not protect you. He believes himself above the law of the land & God. He can say whatever he wants & you either believe him & support him & protect him or he is done with you. Poor Cohen looked up to trump as a father figure. Now trump doesn't even acknowledge that Cohen did more than "a tiny, tiny fracture" of work for him. Hannity has gotten a little quiet lately also. trump is an old man living in a make-believe world. Who is going to wake him up? No One. It is SAD America that we cannot stop this man from destroying us.
1
"Mr. Trump’s baseless stories of secret plots by powerful interests ... " Mr. Trump would do well to recall this story: "Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph R. McCarthy rocketed to public attention in 1950 with his allegations that hundreds of Communists had infiltrated the State Department and other federal agencies. ... McCarthy relentlessly continued his anticommunist campaign into 1953, when he gained a new platform as chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. ... McCarthy and his chief counsel Roy Cohn largely ran the show by themselves, relentlessly grilling and insulting witnesses ... When McCarthy tried to continue his attack (on a young Army lawyer), (US Army lawyer) Welch angrily interrupted, 'Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?' Overnight, McCarthy's immense national popularity evaporated. Censured by his Senate colleagues, ostracized by his party, and ignored by the press, McCarthy died three years later, 48 years old and a broken man." (www.senate.gov)
The evidence out there right now in the public domain is that it is highly likely the Obama Administration's intelligence community did in fact spy .. oh I am sorry "used a confidential human informant" .. it is highly irresponsible and dishonest for this paper create to a spin that this is just a "conspiracy theory" ... if it is true - which Clapper basically admitted to last week .. it is no longer a "conspiracy theory" but basically a criminal act that warrants further investigation and legal prosecution..
1
Wrong. The evidence out there is that the Trump campaign was compromised be the Russians.
Trump is guilty as sin and this is an attempt by him to preemptively discredit the findings of the Mueller investigation.
We are in a sad state in our nation when the highest office in the land belches crackpot conspiracy theories, and those in charge of Congress find ways to excuse it as opposed to challenge how ludicrous they are.
We need to vote Republicans out of office in November.
47
Can't wait to see Trump in cuffs and an orange jumpsuit. This is where it is all leading!
24
Our National Enquirer president. Thanks Red States - you just gave us our first National Enquirer president - and still you continue to back him - and you wonder why so many people wonder about you.
33
Like OJ Simpson before him, Trump has pledged to find "the real killer".
30
I don't know why it is called SpyGate. I've been calling it: FabriGate for the obvious reason that trump (and his congregation) continually try to con the world by making up lies and conspiracies to hide the uncomfortable truth that trump is too lazy, too stupid, and too immoral to act kindly in this world.
Presumably to give the impression that there is more news than there is, the NYT Online seems to change its article titles willy-nilly -- how about FabriGate for awhile?
30
Trump has lied about Russia -- isn't it every single time? Trapped in his web of lies, he now accuses U.S. intelligence, law enforcement, the press, and anyone else rational enough to challenge him. The Republican Party has abdicated -- to a greedy, ignorant traitor. This is the deepest crisis in U.S. history.
46
It takes two to tango. Trump's use of conspiracy theories and bald-faced lies only works because of the willing, credulous, and hyper-partisan audience that support him (amplified by a mature and well-coordinated right-wing hate media industry).
It is perfectly rational for Mr. Trump to lie, interfere, and divide, because it works. This is why his voters voted for him, and why he might win again.
Wake up rational Americans. Your right-wing countrymen are fully dedicated to re-making your country before your very eyes, and all you do is complain about Trump.
376
All of the news agencies should stop publishing and commenting on these daily tweets. Why play his game? All the weekly tweets could be shown at midnight on Saturday without comment by scrolling them.
17
It wouldn't work of the Democratic Leadership directly attacked it, instead of voting for Republican policies and nominees.
Instead of shutting down Trump and his lie machine, they are still training to find common ground with a president and a party that is more worried about states to traitors who attacked our Republic than the working people of this country.
As long as the Democrats keep compromising with a part that opposes everything on the Constitution after Article One, they will be telling the Republican Party undermine our Constitution, and with it, the Republic.
9
So Trump is not a liar, his listeners are just more flexible about what they hear? Certainly can't say that for rigidly ideologically driven Liberals whose only version of the truth is their own. Last thing this country needs is people who think for themselves.
2
When will this nightmare be over?
The emanations from the mind of Trump are full of paranoia-laced lies and innuendos. Is this man a pathological liar and cannot discern fact from fiction, truth from lies? Does he end up believing his own lies and conspiracy theories without one iota of supporting fact behind them?
Are we still a democratic republic or have we slipped into the "no man's land" of deceitful (to the US Constitution and the American public) actions leading us into an authoritarian regime, a dictatorship with Trump as President for life?
Trump has no concept, that I can tell, of the Rule of Law. He has a man (Giuliani) as his consigliere who is even more incapable of thinking clearly and speaking in an intelligent fashion. There is absolutely no positive, law-abiding and logical or moral order or even thought emanating from this President.
I hope we all wake up and find this was all a bad dream and that we have a sane, intelligent and morally upstanding person in the Oval Office who is a progressive.
39
Mr. Cornyn says it's "worth knowing" what the FBI's motivation is their investigation of the Trump campaign. Shouldn't that be obvious? Interference by Russia, possibly aided by the Trump campaign, which has hired several liars with close business ties to Russia, and who have plead guilty to lying?
"Former aides to the president, speaking privately because they did not want to embarrass him . . . ".
And yet, isn't it embarrassing to find ourselves increasingly shunned by leaders around the world who are choosing to ignore or sidestep this President regarding trade, climate, clean energy, etc., and who are voting for the separation of church and state, contrary to the direction this President is taking, and shunned by leaders who have better social service systems in place than we do, and that this President is instead undermining.
Where are the people in governement who are willing to stop making excuses for this divisive, duplicitious, dangerous and willfully ignorant President.
32
What happens when he suspends all elections in this country because he says they are rigged? His base will support him & the elected Congress will do nothing but support him because they want to remain in office no matter what. We may be doomed as a country.
2
The only deeply criminal seem to be himself and his hanger ons that continue to benefit of close access to the “President “. His continued debasing of institutions and civility in general have me going crazy trying to figure out why or how. My most recent “enlightenment” is that he was recruited as a young man by, who else, the Russians, was creatively financed by them through the years until the opportunity to use him aroused. But yes, I agree with all of you, he’s just not capable of the feat. Could it be that he’s just full of himself and regardless of his ineptitude he somehow managed to fool a big chunk of Americans?
11
Jgrau, I think that you're right and I'll take it one step further. Yes there is a "Deep-state" and he is at its head and is being controlled by the Russians. He was put here to destroy the institutions of the nation and he is doing a good job of it. Putin must be very proud of this "Manchurian Candidate" that the KGB created many years ago when Putin was a KGB colonel.
We need to stop entertaining intellectual curiosity items about this guy and hold him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
18
DT is a disaster in every way and a thorough embarrassment to our nation... but it's the media that contributes mightily to his power by splashing his every word over its pages. This is because it knows DT stories get more attention than anything else, so it boosts profits. What a mess, and everyone is complicit.
18
Discerning - Agreed, and we can all see that Trump is a master of media manipulation by generating so many mostly false stories. I think you underestimate the media's dilemma. If they make a conscientious effort to reduce their coverage by picking and choosing what they report, they would be failing in their responsibility to objectively report the news.
Analyses like this help to provide some balance by showing how Trump's relentless, phony propaganda machine works to undermine our confidence in the presidency and other institutions.
Trump is scared to death that Mueller will find (has found?) something that will put him in legal peril. All the noise he's been making for the past year by attacking the FBI and the Justice Department is a very naive and obvious attempt to discredit Mueller's investigation SHOULD a case be brought against him. Bill Clinton lied in front of a grand jury about an extramarital affair and was impeached by a Republican Congress. Trump should also have to face a grand jury. Since he's wholly incapable of telling the truth, he would be caught in approximately 75 lies. Would the Republican controlled Congress start impeachment proceedings? Ha. Surely not before the midterms. Mueller needs to get Trump-the-Liar under oath soon.
18
Donald Trump has created an absolutely disgusting situation with the assistance of a dumbfounded media. He lies incessantly on tweets and hurls insults at individuals and groups of people, and the media repeats his lies and insults verbatim.
If Trump cannot function within normal bounds of the presidency, as well as the normal bounds of decency, then I see no reason why the media must present whole tweets verbatim. Can't you, the media, just report the gist of the policy or the point of the tweet prefaced with this part is demonstrably untrue?
The media, in general, is failing this test of our democracy by word-for-word stenography of lies and insults. It debases everyone.
How many times to we have to hear (or see) "crooked," "lyin'," "spy," and "witch hunt'?
16
And don't forget "rigged."
' Trump promoted new, unconfirmed reports '? This is ridiculous reporting. Carl Bernstein had it right. Trump is lying to deflect and save his skin. And you need to call out the lie. You KNOW that there can be NO confirmation because there's no truth to this absurd accusation. He is just flinging mud. You KNOW that members of his campaign team were caught out while associating with Russians already under surveillance. His constant lying about this official investigation (Mueller's) is unprecedented and needs to be branded and publicized for what it is.
20
Trump supporters who don't think it's important that he lies about everything are playing with fire. I was a child in Hungary in the fifties when that country was under communist rule ( a lying bunch of charlatans if there ever was one) and still remember the anger and contempt people had for newspapers, which were just vehicles for propaganda. Lying is the most subverting form of corruption and the greatest danger to democracy. The camel's nose is in the tent folks. Beware!
283
The name of the Camel isn't Sinclair, is it?
2
The man who championed the birther lie, the Central Park Five lies, and a documented thousand-plus lies in 18 months in office is still taken seriously?
"This is a crime wave, not a presidency." -- Henry David, NYTimes comment
43
Trump traffics in lies, not conspiracy theories, he spouts outright lies.
Until the media conveys the fact that he simply lies, then the American public will continue to be deceived.
11
Claire - We're not deceived. Some Americans are, and apparently willingly, but if you read these comments, those of us who pay attention are most certainly not.
The only people who believe this pathological liar are his core supporters.
50, 20, even 10 years ago, no one would have been able to conjure up a Donald J. Trump as our President.
We are the laughing stock of the world and no one looks to us as a leader in any area, except political lunacy. I am sure the rest of the world is waiting for the time when Trump declares himself president for life. Will we stand for this? What will his core supporters say then when the country is no longer a democracy (democratic republic) and we have lost our civil rights and liberties? Of course, the wealthy will still have their rights and will have lost absolutely nothing, especially if they side with Trump.
You just cannot make up the "stuff" which emanates from Trump's mind. A writer will someday publish a book about this man and it will be considered a horror story, akin to a Steven King novel.
13
This is sophistry,there is no difference in meaning between "informant" and "spy" if the person being spoken to or solicited doesn't know that the contents are going to be relayed to someone else. Most,if not all of us, expect our one on one conversations with others are to be kept in confidence and not relayed to others.
6
But if we are communicating obvious misdeeds, should we not have at least some concern that that information will not be private? If I express my worries to a friend, that's one thing. But if I brag about doing incredibly sketchy things of which might have national consequence, do I really still have a reasonable expectation of privacy?
Trump has done nothing to stop the cyberattacks. This is collusion, in plain sight. He is deliberately and surreptitiously eroding trust in the DOJ and the FBI. This is obstruction of justice, in plain sight. Much of the GOP in Congress is clearly complicit with this. For all the talk on wingnut radio and cable news, it's the GOP that is becoming a real and credible threat to the nation.
18
GOP run Federal Election Commission has refused to rule against use of foreign money in election campaigns. Can't do that until a Democrat uses foreign donor money to win...then FEC will be up in arms mad! For now the GOP & Trump & NRA can use all the foreign money & influence & interference it can get it's hands on.
Well, in addition to Trump, the press/media is doing a great job eroding public trust.
7
Only in paragraph 10 does the article bother mentioning that the FBI *did* spy on Trump's campaign. The only dispute is why the FBI did so. That's complicated and the answer isn't fully known yet. The fact remains that the administration in power in 2016 used the state security agencies to spy on the campaign of the candidate from the opposing party. That is a potential threat to our democracy that deserves close scrutiny.
9
No Tom. That is a total lie. The administration in power did no such thing. The FBI, on its own initiative, merely followed up on leads that indicated Russia was trying to influence our election. That is the job of the FBI.
2
Tom, no. Trump is abusing the word “spy” for political ends:
“spy v. a person who secretly collects and reports information on the activities, movements, and plans of an enemy or competitor.“ Is Trump competing with the FBI? No. Is Trump an enemy of the FBI? Of course not.
Trump is forced to portray the FBI as an “enemy” to cast doubt on the agency’s investigation into his own activities. That he’s able to make this cheap deception believable to some doesn’t bode well for the future of our country.
1
“It appears that there was an investigation not of the campaign, but of certain individuals who have a history that we should be suspicious of, that predate the presidential campaign of 2015, 2016. And when individuals like that are in the orbit of a major political campaign in America, the FBI, who is in charge of counterintelligence investigations, should look at people like that.”
Senator Marco Rubio, Senate Intelligence Committee
May 2018
2
I don't understand on Trump isn't held accountable for what he said. Many of the claims he had said in the past turn out to be completely unsubstantiated or are flat-out lies. Is it because he is protected by the freedom of speech?
1
A great American writer once said: Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.
We all know that there are some very smart people in America, but when I, perversely, watch Fox News as a window on this warped world of easily gulled Americans, it becomes a kind of graphic amoral horror show -- the Velveeta version of Grand Guignol.
And nobody ever went broke selling Velveeta, including Trump himself, the defense contractors, the parasitic lackey politicians and lobbyists that live off Trump, the billionaires who got the tax cuts, the industrialists who increase profits by polluting the environment...
Snake oil is a growth industry. Buy now!
6
Just this morning Trump tweeted that the mid-terms will be rigged, setting himself for a ready made excuse to his base if the GOP loses...the time is way past that citizens treat him as a joke, he is a dangerous individual that will skirt the law if not break them to get his way.
Has the US ever had major elections delayed or cancelled ...if you have 40% of voters backing Trump a spineless GOP leadership who are scared of the base and a national television spouting propaganda 24/7 for Trump...the impossible may happen.
8
Not to mention the fact that a loss on his side could push his supporters to attack. I have little doubt that this could lead us to another civil war.
Nancy Reagan famously declared, "Just say NO". It was part of her campaign against drug abuse.This powerful admonition applies to us today.Part of the population is swallowing lies, exaggerations and conspiracies because it makes them feel good or reinforces their prejudices.This is dangerous for us and our Democracy, and ,yes it is addictive! Each day and in every way we have to face the propaganda from the Oval Office by just saying NO!
2
Trump is a liar and a constant fog-thrower. That is undeniable. What is more dangerous is that this relentless drumbeat of conspiracy (all about him of course) is straight out of the Autocrat Playbook. He wants people to be numbed, confused by endless lies and 'relativisms', he wants a sideshow that distracts from his vile leadership and undermining democratic institutions for his own ends. In a very rural Colorado mountain town where we expected to see lots of Trump signs we were delighted to see the following, painted on a tumble down bar.... "Elect a Clown. Expect a Circus." Enough said.
176
It's the Fake News Arena. In one corner, AI algorithms are creating sensational stories with the goal of undermining our democracy. In the other corner, we have Trump Intelligence (a bit oxymoronic), wearing conservative red trunks, wildly flailing at reality with a thousand jabs of insane conspiracy and lies. We look into the stands, the crowd is electrified. Nunes, Hannity, Alex Jones, Limbaugh are at the edges of their seats and foaming from their mouths. Putin sits in his box seat with a self-satisfied smirk.
The opening bell rings. The referee takes one look at the matchup and makes the call, "Lies!"
Everyday I thank the Media for their work in shedding light on this assault on truth.
2
I hate to break the news to your designated critic Mr. Meacham, but the public trust in our institutions has been eroding for a very long time now, dated by many from the time of President Kennedy's assassination, and those who spread theories about conspiracies have been gaining strength since then. The current President simply represents this zeitgeist. He didn't invent its political use, as pointed out in the article, and his opponents are not shy about using them against his administration, as we saw this weekend in all the headlines about immigrant children. This article shouldn't be so condescending about the American public's ability to separate out the "objective truth" from a subjective lie. The vast majority have been doing so about our corroded institutions for decades now. Let's remember who did get the most votes in 2016, after all!
4
The president lies, and GOP politicians continue to defend the lies and support him; people who voted for him cheer his lies on.
It's not just trump - The people defending his lies are also purposefully eroding our democracy
6
"He is eroding public trust in institutions"
Trump's base lost trust in institutions long before Trump became president. He is feeding them all they can eat now.
His alternative facts/version of the truth.conspiracy theories make no impact on logical/common-sense thinking Americans.
"Widespread suspicions about the government and news media that mirror his own."
Trump's base had suspicions about the government and "fake news" media long before Trump took office. Once again, he continues to feed them non-stop....much to their delight.
All this fodder has little to no negative impact on people that know how to process information and know how to process it accordingly.
Mueller has the goods. Trump knows it. He pulled out "The Deep State" theory as a last gasp desperation heave. It won't work.
5
The Monmouth poll that this article quotes says that most people never heard of the Deep State. What the poll really shows is that most Americans think that government surveillance has grown out of control. But then they go on to define the term Deep State as Trump defines it and asks them about that.
The tendency of the media, pundits, and pollsters to help Republicans redefine language is exactly what Trump manipulates so well.
Even this article says little about the term and where it came from and what it means. Media should be debunking Republican definitions of words, but instead they habitually just repeat talking points without any critical analysis. How many times did the NY Times repeat the phrase 'Death Panels" without explaining in detail that the actual "panels" that determine who gets care or not is the private insurance corporations, who before Obama Care were actually paying commissions to employees who could throw sick people off of their insurance?
Both the corporate media and the Democratic leadership idly sits by while Republicans under the tutelage for Frank Luntz redefine the terms of every debate to attack reality in favor of their cause: tax cuts for the rich.
The term Deep State was coined in the Middle East to refer to the backroom power of global corporations and their shareholders over governments. Poor people cant afford to create a Deep State. Only the mega rich, like Trump, who openly bragged about bribery, have the power to be a Deep State.
4
Trump not only seizes on small disconnected events to weave his conspiracy theory. He also tends to say that the enemy is doing something that he himself is doing. Trump uses the accusation to innoculate himself from the charge, so when the charge arises it is tit for tat. Recall how often he said the election was rigged.
In this case, he has been actively trying to get inside the Mueller investigation to find out what they know. He has used Nunes and Congressional allies to pry open investigation details which would be hidden from ordinary citizens. For an ordinary citizen, this would be deemed another layer of obstruction. There is little doubt in my mind that Trump is looking for an insider within the Mueller investigation, and I would not be surprised if he would pay or otherwise reward that person for inside information.
2
OK, one MORE time:
Nothing the so-called president says can be considered truthful until an adult checks it out.
5
The NY Times and other media organizations need to research the etymology of the term "Deep State," and show logically that Trump and his allies are turning the meaning of the phrase upside down.
Instead they are using the term in the same way Trump does, helping him to redefine it to suit his purposes.
The term comes from the Middle East. It describes the control over government policy by the mega rich and global corporations. It is the global rich that have the money and power to bend governments to their will.
Fox and Trump are trying to paint this as some liberal take-over of the government that creates fake wars, intrusive surveillance state, an FBI that bends the rules attacks a sitting president, and creates a welfare state that transfers the wealth of defenseless billionaires to undeserving minorities.
This is completely a-historical and illogical. Liberals and the left are not in favor of most wars, not in favor of an intrusive surveillance state, not interested in constantly making exceptions to the Bill of Rights and other parts of the Constitution, are not in favor of loosening campaign finance laws.
It is not liberals and the left that have been pushing to make corporations into people (with deeply held beliefs!) and money into speech. It is Republicans that have been doing that.
It is Trump who bragged about bribing all of the other Republicans on the debate stage, filled the cabinet with crony capitalists and attacked the separation of powers.
3
By the end of this Presidency nobody will trust us - and we won't be able to trust one another.
Quite a legacy of the degradation of basic human decency, accomplished in a shockingly short amount of time.
9
Trumpland is where Trump wants to live. He won’t be happy until the United States is rebranded, and the name “TRUMP” is highlighted in gold on state Capitols everywhere. The man is an egotist and has no convictions other than that he is the greatest man that ever lived. He wants us to believe that if he says something, anything, it must be true. The only solution is the ballot box.
7
In law school, we learned "If the law is on your side, argue the law. If the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If neither the law nor the facts are on your side, argue public policy." Which was a humorous way of telling us to be very critical in evaluating a position unsupported by either facts or law.
Trump would have taught us, "If you don't have the law, the facts, or even a specious public policy argument on your side, then just make stuff up." After all, he's been doing it his whole life. Why stop now?
The Republicans will never vote to impeach him. NEVER. He's the made-to-order distraction they need to keep the headline-driven media fully occupied, while they ransack our Constitution and government behind the scenes, daily and without letting up for a moment.
332
Alex, in case you have been too busy arguing policy to notice, trump has been opposed by many in his party. Thus, the recent rash of resignations in the GOP, harsh criticism from the EVIL BUSH, and an extremely low approval ratings among his former supporters among many other examples. So put that education to use. You may want to refer to the Brooks opinion piece from yesterday's paper regarding the failure of the educated to act like they are educated.
6
Honesty... In politics?
The Clinton's record v Trump's record?
If the dog is "man's best friend," its time to feel sorry for the dog and take note that Trump doesn't have one.
4
Bill Clinton lied under oath and should have been convicted in the Senate for that crime.
Hillary Clinton was often less than honest also.
That is why I voted and spoke against them.
That would not excuse Trump even if he lied less than the Clintons.
However, while the Clintons lied, they tried to cover it up. They knew out was wrong and dangerous and kept it to a minimum to avoid getting caught.
Trump enjoys lying to your face, even though he knows that you know it is a lie. He likes to see your reaction to this lies. He likes how no one can keep up with his constant lying (with one polling groping saying he averages nine lies per day.
Trump says that you should lie to foreign enemies to keep them guessing and of balance. Then the treats the American People the same way he says we should treat foreign enemies. Trump treated the American People like a foreign enemy.
I am not a Democrat and don't vote for Democrats (with the occasional exception)
Whataboutism doesn't work on me.
Trump and the Republican Party are responsible for direct attacks on the truth, the rule of law and the Constitution. You can't blame your actions on the Clintons.
It was wrong when they did it and it's wrong when you do it.
In order to peddle conspiracy theories a person has to have no shame. That means they have no conscience. It means they feel entitled to manipulate (swindle) other people. It means they don't respect those they're manipulating with their self-serving stories. It means that person should not be President.
133
Sociopathic - delights in killing a person's social standing
Psychopathic - delights in killing a person's psyche -- capacity to think & reason clearly.
Ben Franklin proposed that we model our government on the native American model ("Albany Plan").
Native Americans anticipated the possibility of what we are facing and dealt with it swiftly -- banishment and execution. ["White Dawn"]
2
Of course Clapper and Comey, and every other person who values his or her ability to tell a lying conman when we see one--as we clearly do in Trump--feels a bias against Tump. Indulging his compulsive lying and hyper-inflated megalomania is what his enablers do, even when it requires them to be willfully blind. Trump in so many ways represents every reprehensible quality of the Republican Party rolled into one, from the white supremacy and classism to the win-at-all-costs drive for absolute power for its own sake. It's more important ever for intelligent men and women to call out this one-man wrecking ball at every turn. At the rate he's going, all we'll have left when he's done is the cold satisfaction of saying "We told you so."
101
The erosion of public trust in institutions--and, inferentially, in many of our fellow citizens--has been going on for some time; the most recent cycle (of many throughout US history) starting in the Reagan era. Trump is merely an accelerant in the spreading firestorm.
Distrust is the result of deep-seated resentment, which stems in large part from growing economic inequality: People vote their wallet, not their brain. And to the extent that Trump's elevation relied on bigotry and racism, the whole point of his actions is to fuel that economic resentment: Those People are stealing your lunch!
Walter Scheidel makes a compelling argument in his book The Great Leveler that throughout history societies with gross inequality inevitably undergo disrupting, violent correction: War (including civil), revolution, social and political collapse, famine, disease, etc. It doesn't have to be that way, but unless we act deliberately and forcefully--meaning, get out the VOTE!--that's the path we are on.
Which one will YOU choose?
77
Most Trump voters were affluent Republicans. Only a third of Trump supporters had household incomes at or below the national median of about $50,000.
6
Great exposé of our miscreant president by Davis and Haberman. Nunberg shows that Trump has help from irresponsible Right Wing media:
“'In the new media landscape, InfoWars and Fox News are where the president’s getting his support, and these theories are promulgated there,”'said Mr. Nunberg,"
Trump is the master of mass hypnosis. Ever since the Republican presidential convention, I have been calling out Trump for his repetition that glazes over the eyes of his followers. On the Friday after the convention, Trump gave a nonsensical speech instead of an inspiring victory speech that could have led to a national policy.
Instead, Trump rattled on with droning repetition. The C-SPAN camera moved around to view the faces of Trump's crowd. Their eyes were glazed. Why else would one stand there listening to Trump's nonsense?
After he gets his poorly educated followers in a trance, Trump then drops the test phrase, the suspension of disbelief, the conspiracy that they'll now believe, maybe the fake murder of Antonin Scalia.
There are two kinds of Trump followers, those who are poorly educated and who believe what he says, and those who seek to capitalize from his manipulative lies.
The U.S. is at a very critical moment in its history. Either Republicans and their media take the responsibility to rid the nation of this egomaniacal fascist lunatic, or we'll witness the destruction of our once great democracy.
6
One of the reasons Trump has been so successful at destroying Americans' faith in their institutions is that he commands center stage, his voice amplified by Fox and by a coterie of loyalists who fan out across the media spewing the same rancid garbage. There is no response except the sputtering of the same old opponents in the print media and on cable TV.
Judy Woodruff interviewed a scholar last night about similarities between McCarthy's abuses and Trump's. He pointed out that after a certain time McCarthy lost influence because the president and other opinion leaders finally had had enough. He also predicted that eventually Trump would lose some of his ability to spin vindictive, conspiracy theories based on nothing but his paranoid, hate-filled mind. I wish Woodruff, instead of moving on, had asked him just how he expected this miraculous rebirth of respect for truth and decency to occur when it's the president who is the worst offender and the Congress is his biggeset enabler.
If something doesn't change--if Republicans refuse to call out the danger Trump poses to our country--I truly begin to wonder if we can survive as a democracy in anything other than name.
186
Repeating another commenter: The Republicans will never call him out. He is the distraction that allows them to do their dirty work in the shadows - gutting regulations and appointing right wing federal judges for life.
10
You'd need Republican leaders in Congress to dismiss the President as a liar. That's the only way to shred his credibility in the public. As long as Fox News keeps recycling conspiracy theories, a portion of the public will take them seriously. The responsible members of Congress need to say "Trump is a liar. I wouldn't take anything he says seriously until proven true." Make the statement loud and keep repeating it endlessly. You can respect the office without respecting the man.
34
All of this nonsense is just to distract Americans. We wish that everyone was thoughtful enough to realize Trump is a fraud who likes to say anything and everything to confuse Americans. Sadly, too many people a) don't vote, b) don't have the time to read through the heaps of articles to understand that our President is a clown, c) grasp a few phrases that Trump repeats and don't really understand the complexities of the issues. Meanwhile, the administration is responsible for some terribly repugnant activity.
In short, Trump lies. I'd just assume the article title be, More Lies from the Oval Office.
12
He is merely indulging in the same kind of speculation, innuendo and distortion that the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and Fox do on a daily basis. Hard to care too much what the Times has to say about this. The Times is now part of the problem.
9
re "The Times is now part of the problem. "
You throw Fox in as almost an after thought, just to be to be all inclusive. But Fox is clearly head and shoulders above all the rest in terms of "speculation, innuendo and distortion" borne out by trump's almost exclusive use of them as his vehicle for undermining our democracy. Fox owner Murdoch is a trump friend and supporter, who has a record of interfering and biasing editorial policy. He was deemed in a recent British gov't enquiry into his business affairs not fit on ethical and moral grounds to run a communications operation.
The other media players you mention are part of the solution, no question, calling out this president for what he is
1
You are wrong. Thus you are part of this clear and present danger. Only a fringe continued to support nixon. It was a right wing nut--goldwater-- who told him to resign. The decent media like those you denigrate today were not then in competition with a far right propaganda machine, as they now are with fox. Regular republicans saw nixon for the danger he was and worked to end the nightmare. There is no gop bravery today. And trump is a more dangerous actor than nixon was at his worst.
1
What truly frustrates me about the "Spygate" myth is that one has to be willfully ignorant to believe even a small part of it.
1) An informant is not a spy
2) Nobody was "inserted" into anything
3)The informant was reporting on Americans consorting with Russian government folks (natural grist for the FBI at and time)
If one ignores these three obvious and simple facts (which requires willful ignorance}...then one can believe Trump's trope.
If you are so willfully ignorant, then you may also believe that Mueller is planning to "Meddle in the midterm elections" as DJT has just informed us.
24
Gee, when the FBI used to investigate suspected Commies and fellow travelers under Hoover’s reign, everyone thought it was just diligent law enforcement work.
Besides, investigating enemies of the United States is in fact a primary role of the FBI.
Please explain the distinction between and informant and a spy.
The CIA has no interest in domestic electoral politics, and the informant was a CIA informant.
The informant did not report on any interactions between the subjects he was investigating and the Russians.
The Australian diplomat who the FBI is not claiming was the source who started their investigation was a major donor to the Clinton Foundation. It was not modesty that prevented Hillary from bragging about the many philanthropic successes of the Clinton Foundation. That is because it has nothing to show for the billions that flowed through it except meetings where Bill and Friends of Bill solicited consulting, speaking and lobbying engagements with foreign entities.
Mueller's investigation has turned up more dirt on the actions of the Obama administration than on Trump. His primary objective is a coverup of the illegal actions of the FBI under the Obama administration.
You have to be willfully ignorant to believe that the Russians wanted Trump to win.
Do tell: What's the difference between a spy and an informant?
2
Wait. What? This is not a "conspiracy theory." On May 18, the NYTimes itself reported that the FBI placed a spy in the Trump campaign. Only they laughably referred to this spy as an "informant." Honestly, talk about duplicitous reporting.
If the NYT wasn’t so blinded by its own ideology, they’d realize that an “informant” is someone already is inside an organization, who either volunteers information to law enforcement or is coerced by law enforcement to do so. Whereas a “spy” is someone placed by law enforcement strictly to garner information while deceiving its members as to their true motive. Obviously, the latter is what transpired here.
15
No, an informant need not be "inside" anything.
An informant is someone who has some form of access to a suspect, target, or witness that is useful to law enforcement.
A widow watched the comings and goings in her small town through the living room window can be an informant.
The chap in this instance was someone who regularly went to conferences with Russians and was on a position to observe American citizens mixing with Russian government officers.
This chap wasn't "placed" anywhere.
Certainly not "inside the Trump Campaign"
7
William -- you clearly do not understand the meaning of ordinary words in English.
To "place a spy into the campaign" means having an agent who is an employee or operative of the campaign. Presumptively this spy reports on a continuing basis and may even manipulate the organization.
What has been made public is that an FBI informant who was no part of the campaign talked to two campaign operatives.
If you were not so "blinded by [] ideology" ... perhaps you would use words to mean what they are commonly understood to mean?
1
You don't know much about law enforcement, do you? Because that's the context. Try spending 25 years of your life in it and then tell me who an informant is and who a widow looking out her window is. Thank you.
Trump believes what he wants to believe, what ever supports his needs for the moment. He actually has no beliefs. He is an empty man. No intellectual depth, just greed and anger caused by an inferiority complex.
He’s a mean and resentful pathological liar, who would love to jail anyone who disagrees with him. and even execute them. His idols are tyrants that he would like to emulate. If there is such a thing as a soul, Trump does not have one. He is a devilman! Excuse my Shakespeare
16
This analysis is unnecessary. It does little to educate the reader on any possible outcome except that conspiracy theories which made for good movie material can work when your supporting base is stupid.
3
Yawn, nothing I haven't seen a hundred times. #MarvelComicFan #RomanHistoryExpert
1
I am sorry but everyone is off base. Trump is using news jujitsu and everyone is jumping. I read that only 4% of Americans have direct access to Trump's tweets yet 50% of Americans know what they say. News about Steven Cobert's jokes get on the frnt page. We know about Trump's conspiracy theories and that does not enlighten us much. He is a con man like the Wizard of Oz and the news keeps right on flapping the stuff he wants you to flap. I don't know whether there are serious people anymore, but we don't have enough serious political discussion anymore. No attack on Trump is going to sway the faithful. Attacking Trump for frivolous stuff doesn't help. "He made a racist statement"!!!
He is doing something which I think is answerable and that is attacking the FBI. Comey, McCabe, Meuller, Rosenstein and event the informant are all Republicans. The FBI is Republican, Law and Order, remember. Many FBI agents are ex military. There is no common sense to the attacks. How about some investigation into what the SA's feel about this attack. And report the real issues, don't attack Trump, it only enables his base. Stop being conned.
7
Trump is obviously all of the horrible adjectives and nouns we can and have thrown at him. But he's the symptom not the disease. An unwillingness or inability to use basic reasoning/critical thinking by his core supporters is what keeps him from being a laugh-worthy throwaway joke. Unless and until a critical mass of these people change, you can take Trump out of the equation and we'll still be reaping a harvest of misery.
20
The problem is not Trump. The problem is the tens of millions of people who support him. They don't care if he lies, as long as his lies are effective in thoroughly degrading what they truly hate - Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, equal treatment of people of different races and sexual orientation, a woman's right to choice, non-white people coming to the U.S., and...Hillary Clinton.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who spent 30 years (from age 15 to 45) in the evangelical Christian community - as a group nobody hates Hillary Clinton more than these people. They have a feverish hate toward her which is impossible to understand, and impossible to stop.
53
And they hate in the name of Jesus Christ. Evangelicals are cluelessly under control of the antichrist.
8
David,
I am a Christian and I find it impossible to understand as well. The NYT recently published a story on "Red Letter Christians," a group with which I can identify. I cannot fathom the blind loyalty that the evangelical Christian community has for Trump because he is the antithesis of the Jesus they purport to follow.
9
I suggest getting a copy of “American Fascist” by Chris Hedges and the whole nightmare of Theocracy, Oligarchy and Corporatism will make perfect sense.
3
What was the FBI's motivation when it used a confidential informant? Probably the same motivation when it was investigating the mafia.
11
Why does the New York Times and other legitimate news organizations constantly report that Trump “believes” certain things we all know to be LIES?
Or in this article it stated that his conspiracy theories support his “widespread suspicions about the government and news media that mirrors his own.”
By definition, a conspiracy theory is a fraudulent story, a lie crafted to decisive a gullible public.
Trump has no “suspicions about mainstream media” anymore than he actually thought Obama was not a natural born American citizen.
It’s all a smokescreen to distract the public while he plunders the taxpayers and destroys American democracy.
It may be a fine point but the wording in your stories legitimize all the all the spurious nonsense Trump tweets and says.
16
no no no these are flat out lies. to distract from what
is really happening
constant lying is what he does keep repeating it.
he repeats fake news all the time to drum into the rubes
that defend him. turnabout is fair play
he started with the birther lie, this is just more of the same
7
The headline gives more credibility to him than is merited. Why not call them what they are: not theories but lies! He fabricates and the press chases. Call him out, please!
15
The video clip shows Trump boasting about inventing the "fake news" trope to confuse voters and to do his gaslighting. Leslie Stahl was the interviewer. Simply put that on a loop, and run the confession in text as he utters it. A mega-liar who boasts about lying appeals to liars, but not much else. He's a clever manipulator but too narcissistic to avoid bragging about the crime.
15
So biased, it was the FBI peddling conspiracy theory as fact when they fantasized about Russians improperly involved with the Trump campaign so they had an EXCUSE to spy on Trump.
5
No. The FBI had been investigating Paul Manafort and Carter Page long before the 2016 campaign.
They happened to drift (grift) into Trump's orbit because they were working with and for the Russians.
Manafort has been charge with multiple felonies. His long time assistant has pleaded guilty to multiple felonies. People don't do this unless they are guilty of actual crimes.
5
Mr. President, the only conspiracy that exists is the one of good against evil.
5
Trump takes everything personally. Any criticism of his policies is a sign of a conspiracy, a personal attack on him. People can not advocate for a different direction for the country, for another way of doing things they believe to be good for the country, without Trump getting all paranoid. Sad.
1
Stop the hysteria! HALF of the country doesn't support Trump!
35% of the country votes, of those, Trump got 45%.
That means has the support of only 16% of America. Stand up and be counted!!
12
Actually, 50% of the eligible voters voted and 44% of them voted for Trump and 46% for Clinton.
So they received approx 22% and 23% respectively.
But your point is still extremely valid -- a small minority of Americans voted for Trump. And yet they are determining the direction of our country.
8
The fact that someone like Trump exists is not particularly surprising. The fact that so many Americans are willing to throw away reason, rule of law, and decency to support him is geniuinely shocking.
51
"Former aides to the president, speaking privately because they did not want to embarrass him, said paranoia predisposed him to believe in nefarious hidden forces driving events."
Seriously?? Trump is so paranoid that he self-generates bizarre false theories/conspiracies in order to make himself comfortable with events that are apparently too complex for him to understand? I.e. he lives in a fantasy world of his own making - and these former aides are worried that commenting on this will 'embarrass' him?
What about the millions of citizens of the United States who are stuck with this paranoid nut who foists these theories on us and doesn't care about the damage this does to the country?
A waitress at the steak restaurant in the D.C. Trump International Hotel told the Washington Post Trump has never been to the atrium restaurant because he's afraid someone behind him will push him on the escalator. This seems weird - we heard about his ramp phobia when Teresa May visited the White House - but the idea Trump's so deeply crazy that paranoia is driving these outrageous lies as much as Trump's mean and selfish nature that attempts to hold onto power by feeding people a steady stream of lies is even more disturbing.
Stop worrying about embarrassing Trump and be honest with us about the extent of Trump's extravagantly destructive psychological problems. The future of our democracy is at stake. I don't care if Trump feels "embarrassed."
33
∏Paranoid behavior like this was exhibited by two of my friends who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease. If and when Trump doesn't recognize his aides will be one symptom. Being wakeful at night is another symptom which Trump also has. (He writes tweets at that time which are really lies but he may probably believe are true.)
3
This story lost the real point that Meacham was making. That Trump, with his conspiracy theories, is systematically destroying people’s trust in our institutions. And through that our democracy. The man is a menace.
21
Correct. But the approaching report from IG Horowitz will show that a deliberate deference was given to Hillary Clinton even in the face of crimes committed. Multiple people were involved. And this will work in Trump's favor. Once established that there was unfairness, he will drive it in down the media's throat.
On the matter of spying within, there is a problem with only doing it within the Trump campaign. If truly concerned with Russian meddling into our election, logic dictates that both campaigns needed surveillance.
Both sides dealt with the Russians one way of another. Meetings were taken with Russians by Trump team members. Op research was sourced from Russia and suppressed when applying for a FISA warrant.
9
But they were investigating men who had committed crimes long before the Trump campaign even started.
It is right for the FBI to investigate Americans who are working with foreign governments to sway our elections. Carter Page was on their radar since 2013! Manafort since 2014!
Trump et al were working with the foreign government to subvert democracy. The Clinton campaign were victims, not perpetrators.
6
Very, very wrong. On so many levels.
4
Trump's people had regular direct contact with Russians, including the Trump Tower meeting where they intentionally sought assistance from a Russian with close ties to the government. The DNC hired a firm who hired someone who reached out to the Russians. There is no proof that the DNC had Russian in mind at all. Likewise, that info wasn't suppressed form the FISA warrant but was referenced in a footnote.
Logic would dictate that you only investigate the campaigns where there is evidence of Russian contacts. That applied to Trump's campaign, not Clinton's.
Re the IG report, he's confided in you, has he?
I would very much like to see all types of media call Trump out every single time he lies or distorts facts. If what he is saying is just quoted verbatim people are going to assume it is the truth, and frankly it usually is not.
What he is doing is deliberate and manipulative, and when the media just quotes him they are falling into his trap. This man is a super con man, so please let's start treating him as such.
19
Conspiracy theories, like the one that has accused the appalling Donald Trump of collusion with Russia, are cancerous. An article that actually presents what is known in the matter (e.g., potential DOJ/FBI FISA court abuse, who paid for the Steele dossier through a series of law firms tied to the DNC, etc.) would be useful.
6
Unfortunately when I see a Maggie Haberman byline these days I know I'm in for some twisted thoughts that do not inform or report but play both sides and do nothing but confuse me. The last thing I need these days is a Maggie Haberman news analysis of Donald Trump, the very last thing.
7
Trump doesn’t “use” conspiracy theories, he creates conspiracy theories. It’s not like these criminal fictions had any currency before Trump and his ilk started spreading them.
12
Trump is the first leader of any democracy who constantly lies, fabricates stories against our own government, and consorts with a communist dictator (Putin), all while GOP Republican House and Senate leaders and rank-in-file stand in support of him. Never did I think that the downfall of the USA could be due to Republicans.
12
This behavior is producing, whether intended or not, the response that favors republicans. Eavesdropping on, or silently participating and listening to conversations in center-left, liberal salons has been educational since Trump's elections. First, everyone was outraged. Now, there is resignation. The first green shoots of arguments suggesting "we should let Trump win the next election too" are visible.
Trump's behavior, coupled with the wholesale supplication by the rightist elites, and Trump worship - is producing a left that is resigned and preparing for another spectacular defeat, and the further erosion of the republic. The resignation is bitter; the "blame Hillary" movement is corroding the left. "We will never find the best candidate who is flawless and uncompromising" is beginning to appear in leftist arguments.
I am a bit alarmed. Somewhere in this smug "he should now win and continue to destroy the republic" is the self-satisfied view that "we" will be spared, and only Trump's poor, rural and uneducated supporters will be hurt. An argument that "we" will be shafted, Trump's supporters are not "poor and uneducated rurals" gets a hostile response.
The only thing worse than the republican Trump worship is the self-satisfied, smug liberal. Pardon me, if Trump is winning. He is winning not because of them; he is winning because of us.
3
As soon as you start to hyperventilate, remember this.... DJT & Rudy Guliani probably know as much about Mueller’s investigation as I do. And I’m sitting in an easy chair hundreds of miles from Washington.
3
It's the Boy Who Cried Wolf too often. Some may refer to him as Chicken Little. How can anyone listen to this guy? There would be less issues and controversies if he didn't use Twitter. He's his worse enemy. Makes for great entertainment thou.
40
I don't find it the least bit entertaining.
Horrifying.
12
I can't view witnessing American Democracy crash and burn as entertainment.
12
"Among critics, they have fanned fears that he is eroding public trust in institutions, undermining the idea of objective truth and sowing widespread suspicions about the government and news media that mirror his own."
Well, that's the idea, isn't it. If the whole existing government, including the demonic Deep State is an evil conspiracy, don't we need a strong Leader who can rid us of this Constitution and rescue the Real Americans?
5
Now that's funny and scary!
1
The president cannot have it both ways: the FBI’s decision to denounce his opponent in the final days of the campaign looks just as “conspiratorial” as anything he (and Guliani, King, Nunes and Lindsay Graham) now claims is evidence of a “deep state.” Makes no sense.
11
The FBI delayed releasing news about Weiner's laptop. This will come out in the IG report. They decided to say something publicly because Republicans could make an issue of it after Hillary's win. The assumption was always that Hillary would win.
2
The FBI delayed releasing news because it had no news to release until they had vetted the emails. In fact, it was Comey's eventual statement that violated FBI guidelines.
It makes total sense that the FBI was working for Clinton. After all right before the election Comey said the FBI was investigating Clinton but nothing about the Russia investigation and the Trump campaign. It worked! Hillary won by a landslide and now Trump is just complaining because he lost and the GOP has lost its majority.
Hey this alternative reality is fun...
23
No, the current president is not a "self-make" man akin to Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon.
The latter didn't get an easy start in life by having received a fortune by their daddies.
This Law and Order president is unique by constantly being lawless while at the helm of the most disordered administration in the history of the United States.
16