Donald Trump: Master of Illusions

[Dr. Jack]

Yesterday there were quite a few news stories that came out regarding Trump's plans to stay in power, even if (or more likely when) he loses. All over the internet and on TV people were in a panic. We heard liberals and Democrats screaming about how Trump is going to steal the election and that American democracy is near it's breaking point. The doom and gloom reached new heights. The one question I have is: Why does anyone believe what Trump is saying?

For years, Trump has made promises and have thrown out claims that always end up being total lies. Even before he got into politics. Go back to the 1970s, 1980's, 1990's, 2000's, there are examples after examples of Trump making claims, people believing him, and then it turns out to all be bullshit. Everyone in this country seems to be of the mindset that "Trump lies to everyone, except to me". We are all good at spotting Trump's lies to other people but for some reason, most of us seem to have a blindspot for when he is lying to us. Allow me to provide some examples:

-Trump started a fake university and stole millions of dollars from people who signed up. They were given wild promises about what the classes would be and how it would improve their lives. Most of us would look at that when "Trump University" was launched or in retrospect and say "who would believe that shit?".

-Trump had a TV show where he claimed to give contestants a world class business job if they won. Those jobs never existed and most of us would correctly say "who would believe that shit?".

-Trump claimed he had proof that Obama was born in Kenya and was was somehow not legally able to serve as president. Despite providing no proof, people believed him. You and I would say "who would believe that shit?".

-In 2016, Trump claimed he was going to build a 2000 mile wall on the Mexican border, that Mexico would pay for it, that he would bring back coal jobs, bring in universal health care, eliminate the federal debt, root out corruption. And a lot of people believed him. But Democrats rightly said "who would believe that shit?".

-Every since Trump started his trade war with China, almost every week we hear about how a new trade deal is coming up, any day now, and every single time Wall Street falls for it and every single time we say "who would believe that shit?"

-This year, Trump said coronavirus would just disappear like a miracle, that the economy would experience a "V shaped recovery", that U.S. cities are burning hellscapes, that BLM is invading suburban neighborhoods and spreading terror, that Joe Biden has dementia, and that the Democratic party is akin to the communist party of China. And, say it with me, people say "who would believe that shit?"


And yet, when Trump tells you that he can steal the election, that he can remain in power as long as he wants, that he is all powerful and can do anything with impunity, how do we react "oh my god! Did you hear what Trump said!? This is serious! We have to believe him on this one!".

Everyone, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, foreign countries, Wall Street, everyone needs to realize, Trump is lying to all of us. We all need to stop believing that "Trump lies to everyone else except to me." As the title says, Trump is a master of illusions. Yes he's dumb, very, very dumb but at the same time there is one thing he is very, very good at, which is making people believe what he wants them to believe. He wanted investors in the 1990's to believe he was one of the richest people in the country, when in fact he was broke. He wanted people in the 2000's to believe he had these amazing jobs for them, when in reality the jobs didn't exist. He wanted Republicans to believe that with the flick of his wrist, he could make the United States 1950 again. He wants Americans to believe that a deadly virus is all a massive hoax and nothing to fear, as to not hurt his reelection. And he wants you to believe he is all powerful and can rig the election so that you are discouraged and don't vote.

Donald Trump has one skill, one thing that he is better than almost anyone else at, and that is lying. He creates false realities to get what he wants. All of us, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, the poor, the wealthy, Americans, foreign citizens, we are all being conned. We all believe that Trump is lying to everyone else but he's not lying to us. The objective reality is that Trump has nothing but scams and lies. Nothing but smoke and mirrors. He's lying to Republicans when he says he is going to bring back 1920's style manufacturing jobs. He's lying to Americans when he says coronavirus is nothing to worry about. And he's lying to you when he says he's staying in power and there's nothing you can do about it.

The sooner we all realize that Trump is a grifter and a frail, cowardly old man that is dazzling all of us with grand promises and threats with nothing to actually back it up, the sooner we can all be done with his abusive nightmare.

[Blue Owl]

1. The failed shitshowman

Can't wait to kick his ass out in a few short weeks...

[malaise]

3. Shitshowman is brilliant

I am stealing that

[Blue Owl]

11. Please do -- and quickly!

Only 39 more days of the shithound -- and then hopefully he will fade into oblivion forever...

[Dr. Jack]

7. Exactly, Trump knows he needs to win the actual election

But he can't by telling the truth, so he is creating a false reality to suppress the Democratic vote. Not by going to the state governments, like the Atlantic suggested yesterday, and overturning the results of the election. Not by hacking into voting machines and changing results. Not by locking the doors of the white house and saying he is president for life. Those are all lies. Instead, he wants Democrats to voluntarily supress their own votes. He wants Democrats to self-disenfranchise by thinking that the vote is rig and that "nothing matters anymore." The entire concept that nothing matters anymore is, as I stated above, an illusion. The election is safe and secure. You can vote with confidence and be confident that Trump can't steal the election or stay in power. But he is creating a fake reality where we are in total choas and nothing can be trusted. Don't believe his lies.

[Blue Owl]

12. Yup -- it'll be like another Obama election, too big to steal

I can't wait to see Donny exiting the WH he has stained and disgraced the last 4 years

[Tracer]

2. Thank you. I'm awfully tired of the Panic Posts here on DU.

NT

[Thekaspervote]

6. Oh..no kidding!

[Dale Neiburg]

4. And,from his point of view,

people aren't talking about 200,000+ dead Americans.

[Dr. Jack]

8. It's all smoke and mirrors

Lies to handle other lies. Lying to get out of trouble from lying. It's all distractions.

[Pantagruel]

5. All valid points

but highlighting Trump's comments on not honoring election results points out his fascist bent and adds yet another reason to vote for JB.

[Dr. Jack]

10. It will probably backfire but he has nothing left

His campaign has no money. The U.S. is reeling from a pandemic and an economic collapse. None of his usual tricks are working. He's way, way down in the polls with virtually no time left in the election. So he's throwing a hail mary. There is virtually no chance it will work but what does he have to lose? He conned himself into a position and he has brought way too much heat on himself. Now he is cornered with virtually no options left.

[WorkDoctor]

9. The fault lies with the system

loosely written rules governing designation of Electors (of the infamous anachronistic College) in the states and no rules about settling conflicts if disputes get to Congress. Read the Atlantic article to see the details. It's not about a "sky is falling" over-reaction. And yes, he lies. Hope his refusal to hand over the reigns to a dignified successor is also just a lie.

[Permanut]

13. He stole one election..

And has powerful allies to help steal the next one. It's kind of a cliche to say that we are at a turning point in history, but that statement is not hyperbolic this time.

[Dr. Jack]

14. Do tell

How did he steal "one election"?

[Permanut]

15. From the Mueller Report of March 2019..

Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election

Introduction to Volume I:

"The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and
systematic fashion."

I'm going to assume that this is a credible statement, and I'm going to assume further that Trump knew about it.

My earlier statement is based on those assumptions. Of course the Mueller report could be fake news.

[Dr. Jack]

16. How does that prove the election was stolen?

We all know about Russian interference but reports across agencies have been unable to find proof of a significant impact that the Russian interference had, especially if talking about manipulating vote totals or hacking into actual election systems. Stolen would mean Hillary was 100% going to win but that the election results were changed in some way.

[Permanut]

17. Fake news; got it.

[Dr. Jack]

19. I'm not going to take any baseless claims at face value

Saying the Russians put out propaganda in 2016 doesn't prove the election was stolen. Bring in actual proof, not just "Russia wanted Trump" and I will change my viewpoint. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Show me that Hillary was the actual winner of 2016. Otherwise, I can't just take assume you're right.

[Dustlawyer]

18. The lie here is that the "...mail in ballots are a fraud."

The reality is that Trump and his Republican henchmen are going to try and rig the election and stop the vote counting if he can benefit. He really will try to use SCOTUS to stay in power, thus McConnell rushing the confirmation before the election. He really will try to use Republican swing state legislatures to send delegates supporting him if Biden wins that state.

The man will do anything to stay in power and avoid prison. Dis-Barr and Mitch Turtle Head are committed to helping in this cause. I am not hair on fire about this as I find it hard to believe they will be able to pull it all off, but I know that if the election is anywhere near "close" they will try. Hell, I think he will try even if Biden wins in a landslide. He will also encourage violence and chaos among his supporters. He is a very desperate man!

[treestar]

20. The coverage should not be about whether he can do it

but at how insane he is for suggesting it.

[PatSeg]

22. Bingo!

[PatSeg]

21. "Trump has one skill,

one thing that he is better than almost anyone else at, and that is lying." Actually, he is a terrible liar. I've known some really proficient liars in my time and they can be quite believable. So its not that he's necessarily a good liar, it is that he is such a prolific liar. He fires off BS so rapidly, that people don't have time to question the veracity of what he says. Instead of telling well crafted lies, he just bombards people with lots of them, until they get overwhelmed.

It is a tactic and he uses it well. What his words lack in substance is made up for in volume. Always keep people off guard. Whenever they stop to question what he just said, he feeds them ten more totally absurd lies.

Donald Trump is not a particularly smart man, but he does have street smarts, that have served him his entire life and somehow he has managed to fool a large segment of the population.

Well thought out post, you pretty much nailed it!