"I was being sarcastic." Classic abuser speak. Can't you take a joke?

[nolabear]

I’m not joking or being hyperbolic. I saw many survivors of domestic abuse over my years as a therapist. Gaslighting is de rigeur. “You can’t trust the evidence of your eyes. You’re the one with the problem. I never said that. You can’t take a joke. You must have a problem. You see abuse everywhere. You lie. Nobody can trust you.”

To say we’re victims of abuse—all of us, supporters and resisters alike—is a stunning understatement.

[Blue Owl]

1. Everyone saw the footage yesterday Donald. You weren't being sarcastic.

Everybody knows...

[maxsolomon]

12. At heart, he's a Tonic Man.

A purveyor of Patent Medicine. Snake Oil. A Mountebank.

President Charlatan.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. Didn't PressSec McEnemy say this morning he was quoted out of context?

Distraction by incompetence away from incompetence doesn't work too well.

[lsewpershad]

68. Im sure

he does not know what being sarcastic even mean.

[Claustrum]

2. I am so sick with the "joke" defense from Trump and his supporters.

[dalton99a]

3. Not the first time. There is a long pattern of him doing this

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Yeah, right.

Say something stupid, get called out for it, all of a sudden it's "Oh, I didn't mean that!"

[dem4decades]

5. Well now the Doctors can laugh in his face when he's "joking ".

I look forward to that.

[relayerbob]

31. Agreed

Obviously, Birx didn't think it was a particularly funny joke

[Caliman73]

6. The Press needs to pressure him on this.

If it was "a joke" then it was beyond stupid and irresponsible to do it during a national health and safety briefing for a deadly pandemic.

They should say to him, "If you were just being sarcastic, then you need to apologize and say that you were wrong for doing that during a serious event."

I know they won't and he would likely doubled down on something stupid, but he needs to be pressured in to either apologizing or showing that he is the vile piece of shit we all know he is.

[nolabear]

8. I completely agree. But watch. He'll attack them for questioning it.

I’d bet a week’s pay on it.

[Caliman73]

17. Sucker's bet.

People think that Trump is a "wild card" in that they can't predict what he will do next. That is nonsense. He is totally predictable. He will do what he thinks makes him look strong. Admitting mistakes while in the sane, real world, is a sign that you are secure enough in yourself and strong enough of character to know that you cannot be right about everything; to Trump is a sign of weakness. He will not admit to anything that suggests he was wrong.

[maxsolomon]

19. Roy Cohn's lesson to the young Trump.

Never admit fault. Ever ever ever; even if it's completely obvious.

[Generic Brad]

54. Roy Cohn had an inability to read a room

His reliance on bullying and instilling fear in people made him an over the top villain. He was the Stephen Miller of his day. And he had no decency.

[mia]

51. During the next Covid 19 press conference he'll demonstrate a "sarcastic" statement.

Then he'll dare the "fake news media" to "twist my beautiful words."

Meanwhile, people are gasping for breath.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

66. I don't know if he's got that much ability for forethought.

He doesn’t have the self-control to manage that either.

[ismnotwasm]

7. My youngest daughter is almost divorced from her husband

That did that to her. Abusive piece of shit. Yes, she’s in therapy, my beautiful free-spirit girl, he almost broke her. Doing very good now.

What’s interesting, though, is this guy thinks he’s super intelligent, yet fucked himself in an almost unbelievable fashion with his court antics (which mostly involved not having council, and then not doing what his lawyers told him when he did get help)

People with Trump-like traits are all over the place

[nolabear]

11. It's a part of the diagnosis. Abuser is just a term. They're disturbed.

In many ways they believe the whole thing. They can’t afford not to. Slowing down and facing it, and what it’s defending against, is virtually impossible. In a way I feel for them but it doesn’t mean I’d let them get away with what they do.

[ismnotwasm]

25. I was raised by an abusive narcissist

I knew the term way before Trump. Thought I’d seen everything.

But this guy, I could feel sorry for him I guess, won’t hold a steady job, the type of basement dwelling loser that buys into Libertarian politics, dislikes women, has a certain sexual disfunction (my daughter told me everything) Just weird and creepy.

Not at first, at first he’s a gentle bass player in a band, that seems caring and loving Yikes.

[LittleGirl]

58. I was married to someone like that

I left him in '92 and sought therapy too. When the therapist said that I was completely normal for feeling abused for his behavior, that was all I needed.
I knew it was him and not me. I knew he was a gaslighter before the word was invented.
I hope the abuser finds someone else to abuse, because he will and your daughter will be fine.

Give her a cyber hug for me.

[Texin]

64. "I hope the abuser finds someone else to abuse..."

Trust me. They will. I too was in an abusive relationship. The physical abuse didn't start for about six months after we'd bought a house together and moved in. (We both lived separately for about three years before that without one sign of him being capable of knocking me or our separate dogs around). I found out that he previous to me had been in a relationship with another woman who left him immediately after he "disciplined" her young son for "giving him lip". She not only left him, she moved to Tennessee and lived with her sister. Never made contact with him again. That's about what happened to me. With my parents help and the good will of my younger sister, I arranged for my parents to help me move all of my possessions (furniture, house goods, etc.) into storage one day while he was at work. I took my dogs, cats and had the cats stay with my parents and my dogs stay with brother, as I moved in temporarily with my sister into a one bedroom apartment (I slept on the sofa for about a month until I could move back into my condo which I had leased out during the time I lived under the same roof with him).

I've no doubt he abused his first wife, because he abused me and I know from his own lips that his actions with his previous girlfriend's child led to her packing up and moving out of Texas and to Tennessee immediately after that one incident.

[LittleGirl]

67. It's happening all over the world

I’m on an expat forum and there are women reporting abuse especially now with the pandemic.

[Danmel]

63. As an attorney

I cannot think of a worse client than trump.
And that's aside from the not paying the bills.

[andym]

9. But why was he sarcastic in the middle of a pandemic crisis press conference for no reason?

Why suddenly sarcastic with no context? Because he's lying to try to hide his stupidity.

[nolabear]

13. Stupidity and more.

[Solly Mack]

10. K&R Trump's "honeymoon phase" is just as deadly

[AnotherMother4Peace]

14. He is such a sadistic "can't you take a joke" abuser. As cruel a person that ever lived. nt

[PA Democrat]

15. Yep. Just look at what the mean fake news media forced him to do,

[klook]

30. Yes, that's an important part of it.

"There you go again." "Don't you start -- don't you fuckin' start...."

For the abuser, the victim always "asked for it."

[chia]

16. "You know I'm just joking" and "I never said that"

As a pattern persistent over time and consistent over situations? Yeah... I know it's gaslighting. Now.

I've wondered if the gaslighter knows they're gaslighting, or if they're oblivious.

[nolabear]

21. Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Some are psychopaths who carefully plan it out. The movie Gaslighting featured that kind. Some people can split their conscious minds and move back and forth across the split. Part they can think about, have some distance from, but when they’re in the depths of their own disorder they literally can’t do that. They’ll believe their own lies or just stop any thought that might counter it. We all do that kind of thing a little, but combined with the things that make you abuse yourself or someone else it’s a horrible combination.

[chia]

23. "...just stop any thought that might counter it."

Hm. This opens up a new avenue of thought for me. Thank you.

[fishwax]

18. you're pronouncing "stupid" wrong

Stupid. You were being stupid.

[PA Democrat]

20. Who knew this was a stand-up comedy routine. How stupid of us to

assume that it was a coronavirus task force update where, you know..... FACTUAL information is supposed to be presented.

[nolabear]

22. I don't think Birx got the joke.

[liberalmuse]

26. A pandemic briefing where 50k Americans have died.

Is no fucking place for "sarcasm", except he was dead serious. Fuck this piece of shit.

[Peacetrain]

27. Classic deflect of the abuser.. just kidding excuse..

[appalachiablue]

28. Gaslighting, as in 'you're just sensitive' and all the rest are

standard operations for lethal attention-seeking narcissists and psychopaths. Once you've been around one and if you survive, the familiar traits still linger, perhaps as a warning system. These resource devouring monsters have to be identified and tamed somehow for society to survive.

[Loge23]

29. Pathological

Our country is lost, it's burning down in front of us.
We're allowing a pathological lying imbecile to speak for our nation during the worst crisis of our generation.

Seriously, W-T-F is wrong with us?

[AtheistCrusader]

32. The obvious follow-up is '50,000+ dead, and you're cracking jokes?'

[Lock him up.]

60. And 'jokes' that could (and probably will...) kill some more.

But no follow up like that is all we've got since 4 years with that bunch.

[redstatebluegirl]

33. My ex said that in court. He said I "couldn't take a joke".

The judge didn't buy it.

[paleotn]

34. People are dying and he's making jokes.

either way, you can't spin this shit. You can't.

[Mr.Bill]

35. Any doctor who was in the room when he said that

and did not immediately stand up and call him out on that should lose their license to practice medicine.

[bigtime]

36. he never jokes

He has no sense of humor at all. He's completely sour and humorless. The only things that brings him any gratification are screwing over his perceived enemies, and eating crappy junk food.

[generalbetrayus]

38. Right wingnuts in general don't have a sense of humor.

Fox Snooze tried to put on a conservative Daily Show, and nobody watched it. It not being funny didn't help matters. Comedy is based on irony; if a Republican ever came to understood the concept of irony, they wouldn't be a Republican for long afterwards.

[rurallib]

39. well what they think is funny is watching some poor person losing everything.

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. He insulted a reporter who asked whether spreading rumours was useful

Link to tweet

That evening, he was outraged that people questioned him. You're right, it's abusive - shout down any resistance at the time, and then when it's clear you were in the wrong, claim it was just a joke, and the victim is stupid for not being able to see it.

[Pepsidog]

44. Stand up and tell him to go Fuck Himself!

[kentuck]

40. That's about the third or fourth time he has used the "sarcasm" excuse.

Each time, it was a lie.

[lpbk2713]

41. A real president wouldn't be sarcastic at a time like this.

Save your 12 year old humor for someone who might appreciate it.

Like your next rally or your next promo guest spot on Faux.

[ffr]

42. Trumpsters in one picture

This is how we got here.

[lpbk2713]

47. That sums it up pretty well.

An insight into the mouth breathers' alleged mind.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. +1. And he does the same with the women he abuses

Btw a ruling? on Summer Zervos deposition of trump was supposed to be last month. But I guess that's more about outright lying.

[Progressive dog]

45. That is a pathetic explanation

for his monumental ignorance. Just one more proof of who or what Trump is.

[Stuart G]

46. K and R no text..

[ramen]

48. Is this seriously his defense for the lung bleaching suggestion???

Can anyone link to him offering the "just kidding" as a defense?

EDIT: From a post elsewhere on DU for anyone who had also missed this inane horseshit: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-coronavirus-inject-disinfectant-quote-a9483151.html

sweet jesus

[DesertRat]

49. Spot on. Thank you. nt

[oregonjen]

50. Dixie Chicks' new song comes to mind

[Cha]

52. Exactly. Mahalo, Nola!

[Iggo]

53. All bullies say that when they're caught.

[Gothmog]

55. trump was really talking about diet Fresca

Link to tweet

?s=20

[jimlup]

56. Yes it is more than obvious if you are capable of firing two brain cells...

but we already know that 40% of the population is either unwilling or not capable. Which is why we have to dominate November with everything we have.

[WyattKansas]

57. Even that excuse is BULLSHIT

The United States is in a national emergency, in which he is failing the States and the American People. Trump has still yet to empower the entire Federal Government to resolve a lot of the failures occurring. Not only that, Trump is making the failures worse for the States.

Yet Trump JOKES about resolving the national emergency that is killing thousands of Americans a day, instead of putting forth a real effort to successfully resolve the national emergency and save thousands American Lives?..

That alone is enough to make the Republican Party demand he be removed for being such a delusional idiot that is a total failure to the Presidency.
If the Republican Party cannot recognize that, then every damn one of them should be shamed and ridiculed at every moment. Do not let them just pump sunshine up everyone's ass anymore!

[rationalcalgarian]

59. Not a word I like to use

But Donald Trump is a retard.
Sorry, I tried to come up with other descriptions. But he is a retard.

[Lock him up.]

61. The Biden Campaign's got to make an add with this.

Quotes of both yesterday (injecting disinfectant) and today (being sarcastic while thousands die).

GOT TO.

[Mike Niendorff]

62. Exactly.

See him for what he is.


MDN

[malthaussen]

65. Stipulate he was being sarcastic...

... then he's just copping to being his usual tasteless self.

-- Mal