“We’ve been subsidizing Canada by $200 billion every year.”
“[Ukraine] should never have started this war.”
“We’ve given $350 billion to Ukraine and we’ll never get it back.”
It’s not news that Donald Trump lies. In fact, most people expect it. And we’ve all heard about the “big lie” idea: Repeat a lie loud enough and often enough, and people will begin to accept it.
(Photo by BananaStock on Freeimages.com)
The problem with lies from Trump or other authoritarian leaders is that others believe them, or worse, act as if they believe the lies. That’s why we see people like US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revising his statements on Ukraine because they contradicted his president’s previous lie.
It was so refreshing, so uplifting to see French President Emmanuel Macron contradict Trump’s lie about the amount the money that the U.S. has given Ukraine versus Europe.
Mixed signals=chaos
Another major problem is Trump’s tendency to blurt out whatever comes to his mind, whether it’s consistent with his previous statements, or not. Remember the promise to ban Tik Tok, then, after a visit from the head of the company’s U.S. operations, his promise to save it? He even put out a commercial saying, “If you want to save Tik Tok, vote Trump!”
Closer to home for me is his position on Canada. For years, he has promised to put tariffs as high as 50 percent on Canadian imports. His reasoning for doing so—if it can be called “reason”—is a series of lies, each more aggravating than the last.
Following a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump agreed to delay tariffs, and call them off entirely if Canada took steps to strengthen its border. Less than two weeks later, even as Canada was implementing those very steps, he announced he would apply the tariffs.
Tariffs on, tariffs off. Not just on Canada and Mexico, but also with China. It must be very frustrating for anyone working for Trump to keep up.
That’s the point
No one can keep up with these spectacular changes in direction. Tariffs? What day is it. Support for Ukraine? Is it on? Off?
Look over there—he’s about to invade Greenland. Oh, and Panama. He’s going to annex Canada through “economic force”—whatever that means.
And while you’re arguing with Trump’s paid and voluntary supporters
You should never argue with a crazy man-man-man-man-man! — Billy Joel
—or woman
something much more dangerous, but harder to see and frankly, boring is happening.
Trump is ensuring that everyone in the U.S. government, from the cabinet to the newest police officer, is loyal to him, personally. That they share his one solid belief that will never change: that he’s right about everything, and therefore, everyone must obey him without challenge, without question, without hesitation.
I, for one, will not. What do you say?