Trump’s Corrupting Lies: How dishonesty continues to undermine truth in the Trump administration 2.0

The Return of Trump’s Falsehoods AKA Alternative Facts: Trump’s Corrupting Lies

Trump’s corrupting lies find their way into his return to the White House marking a resurgence of his trademark tactic: flooding the public with lies. Within the first few minutes of his inaugural address, Trump claimed he would end the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, despite zero evidence that former President Joe Biden directed any such action. This falsehood followed a well-established pattern: over four years of his first term, Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims (Washington Post, 2021).

The lies continued during his inaugural address. Trump declared that foreign governments send criminals and mentally ill individuals across U.S. borders. No credible evidence supports this assertion. Joseph Gobbles, Hitler’s propaganda wizard, said “Tell a lie often enough and loud enough it becomes the truth.” Known as the Illusion of Truth, this strategy worked well for the Nazis until it didn’t. Trump’s strategic use of Chaos is born of the Gobbles approach to what the administration is willing to tell the public to keep the rest of us chasing rainbows

Surely, such baseless claims are not harmless exaggerations; the chaos they create erodes trust in institutions and sows a certain planned division among American voters. The corrupting nature of the Presidential rhetoric creates a milieu of distrust on both sides of the aisle. I am beginning to wonder if there is any way to reconcile the left and right into a pragmatic mode welcoming real debate and the power of compromise in a democratic republic.

 Trump’s Corrupting Lies: A Strategic Tool

Trump’s deceptive rhetoric is not compulsive; it’s calculated. Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director, notes that his lies serve to undermine credible institutions and create a mass delusion. For example, Trump claimed (and continues to claim) the 2020 election was “totally rigged,” despite investigations, including those by his administration, proving otherwise. By distorting facts, Trump paints himself as the sole source of truth, fostering an “us versus them” narrative.

His week one barrage of lies showcased his willingness to rewrite history. Trump falsely accused former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of refusing National Guard troops on January 6, 2021. Yet, no formal request for troops exists in the records. These lies seek to rewrite history and shift blame.

 Trump’s Corrupting Lies Distort Policy and Progress

Trump’s distortions extend beyond past events. During his inaugural address, he misrepresented economic data, claiming he would “defeat record inflation.” While inflation peaked at 9.1% under Biden in June 2022, this rate pales in comparison to historical highs, such as 14% in 1980 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Trump also revisited his obsession with the Panama Canal, falsely asserting that China operates it and that the U.S. is overcharged. Panama has repeatedly denied these allegations.

In another attempt to spin reality, Trump claimed California Governor Gavin Newsom prioritized endangered fish over public safety during wildfires. No evidence supports this claim. Such distortions serve only to distract and divide. They represent the extent to which one may use to enhance his image for those who hang on to his every word. The rest of us must find ways to counter this strategic prevarication practiced by the liar-in-chief. The ‘alternate facts’ are nothing more than a strategy of chaos, throwing opponents off their game while endearing himself to his political base.

If a public servant no matter the position one holds wishes to deflect wrongdoing they might decide to create an illusion of truth by embracing ‘alternative facts’ in their rhetoric. In this chaos strategy, the truth remains buried under volumes of false claims, outright lies, and the interruption of morals and ethics. Yikes, is that what we have become?

 The Moral Danger of Normalizing Falsehoods

Trump’s corrupting lies have emboldened a fragmented media ecosystem to amplify his fabrications. With major platforms like Facebook abandoning third-party fact-checking, the spread of misinformation accelerates. Democratic strategist Kurt Bardella likens this to Richard Nixon’s infamous assertion: “If the president does it, it’s legal.” In Trump’s world, truth is whatever he declares it to be.

Even the official White House website has become a propaganda tool, falsely claiming Trump won a “landslide victory” in 2024. If winning by about one percentage point in the popular vote is a landslide then I am a monkey’s uncle. This assault on truth weakens democracy, enabling politicians to act without accountability. The grip he has on Republican members of Congress is but one example of the power of Trumpism’s Chaos Strategy. Left unchecked, this normalization of deceit threatens to redefine facts themselves.

 Sources Cited

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Historical Inflation Data. Retrieved from [https://www.bls.gov]

The Washington Post. (2021). Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over 4 years.

 Suggestions for Further Reading

Anderson, C. W. (2020). Media Lies and Political Spin: The New Normal in Democracy. A deep dive into modern propaganda tactics.

Coppins, M. (2023). The Corruption of Truth: How Leaders Rewrite Reality. An exploration of political deceit in the digital age.

Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2018). How Democracies Die. Examines the dangers of authoritarianism and misinformation.

Ornstein, N. (2021). Broken Promises: Lies in American Politics. Focuses on the lasting effects of dishonesty in leadership.

Sifry, M. L. (2022). The Big Lie Machine. Analyzes how technology amplifies political falsehoods.

Snyder, T. (2017). On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Discusses historical lessons on propaganda and its impact.

Tufekci, Z. (2023). Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power of Lies in the Digital Age. Explores misinformation’s influence on public discourse.

Vosoughi, S., Roy, D., & Aral, S. (2018). The Spread of True and False News Online. A landmark study in understanding misinformation.

WallaceWells, D. (2023). The Lies That Shape Us. Chronicles the Trump era’s impact on truth and trust.

DISCLAIMER: The images on this page, and across the whole blog are created using AI imaging and are intended to illustrate the argument in the post. They are NOT representing real people or events directly, rather the images enhance the argument and nothing more. We do not intend any offense, nor do we wish to single out individuals in any way by the images themselves.

—

Here are some posts we think you’ll like following this theme

Trump Chaos Strategy: 5 Odd Reasons for a Rollercoaster of Dysfunction

2 Jan 6th Rioters Reject Pardons: Why Not Trump?

U S International Standing is in Jeopardy: 6 Alluring Reasons Why