Former President Donald Trump is known for many things, not the least of which is making nonsensical statements. He frequently challenges the public to doubt what they see with their own eyes. This trend played a large role in defining his first term and continues to define his political story. Notably, Trump has alleged that former President Barack Obama founded the terrorist organization ISIS, a claim that has been widely debunked.
Indeed, much of Trump’s rhetoric is designed to bamboozle people into ignoring what they see with their own eyes. He has claimed, “It is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital,” referencing an unspecified individual, amidst a torrent of sensational statements. This has led many observers to draw comparisons between his communication strategy and the “big lie” tactic used by the Nazis in the 1930s.
His method is a full-moon-landing level of unbelievable falsehood. Trump has promised big things on lowering the cost of prescription drugs. He will have you know he’s dropped his prices by at least 500% and up to a breathtaking 3,000%. Such figures are hardly grounded in concrete data and are distracting more than helpful to the public discussion.
This trend extends well outside of healthcare. Last time for sure Trump can actually go out confidently and say we have “no inflation” or “every price is down.” Year-over-year inflation is presently 2.7%—just a touch under where President Joe Biden took office. Trump touts that gas prices have fallen to $1.99 “in much of the country,” but this claim doesn’t hold up to reality. In fact, fuel prices have skyrocketed since his time in office.
Trump’s use and abuse of misinformation strikes such a deep chord with his supporters, because it’s truly inflammatory to his enemies. His fans celebrate this as him “owning the libs.” This concept is propelled forward by his perpetual loop of lies. As a result, it has been hard to find sober discourse in the current polarized landscape, where facts are quickly trampled by blind partisan aggression.
The former president has engaged in personal attacks on individuals, including Renee Nicole Good, whom he smeared on his platform Truth Social. He stereotyped her as one of them and then dehumanized her, calling her the prostitute. Trump goes to bat for ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who was largely responsible for Good’s death. So, to make his case, he has to lean on misleading narratives.
Now, nearly three years to the day of those Capitol riots, Trump’s administration has pushed blame countering … They claim that law enforcement, and in particular the Capitol police, were responsible for inciting the violence. This claim could not be more at odds with the results of nearly three dozen previous investigations into the events of that day.
Considering these circumstances, it is no wonder that many observers quickly began comparing Trump’s rhetoric with some of the most famous lines from American pop culture. Richard Pryor’s quip, “Ya gonna believe me or your lyin’ eyes?” captures the essence of Trump’s strategy, which often involves dismissing inconvenient truths in favor of his narratives.
“Who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?” – “Duck Soup” by Marx Brothers
This distortion of reality goes much deeper into debates around immigration. For his part, Trump has peddled the absurd lie that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating Americans’ dogs. This inflammatory claim merely adds fodder to the divisive fires.