Trump sows misinformation as he charts a potential pathback to the Oval Office
In a twist of deceitful propaganda, the ex-president is levying accusations against Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden's White House, alleging the same misdeeds he's been accused of.
After Hurricane Helene, and with another storm approaching, Trump is spreading false rumors about the White House diverting disaster relief aid to non-related migrant programs. This is a false claim, but it's worth noting that during his presidency, he did divert FEMA funds to support his strict immigration policies.
The Republican candidate frequently argues that his legal issues indicate Democratic election manipulation. However, it was him who attempted to subvert voter will in the most audacious attempt to overturn an election in U.S. history in 2020.
Trump also accuses the Biden administration of weaponizing justice against him. Yet, in 2020, he took to Twitter mid-night, demanding imprisonment of his political adversaries, warning against Biden's presidential run, and questioning, "Where are all the arrests?"
Given his attempts to suppress democracy and to seize Biden's win in 2016, it was ironic for the ex-president to warn in Wisconsin in 2021 that if he loses in November, "Some people say you’ll never have an election again."
On Monday, on Hugh Hewitt's radio show, the ex-president, whose administration was known for "alternative facts" and spoke thousands of documented lies while in office, made one of his boldest complaints yet about his Democratic opponent, saying of Harris, "Everything she says is a lie, you know, is a total lie."
It's no secret that Trump has a distant relationship with facts. Many politicians lie – the existence of fact-checkers is proof of that. Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, for instance, has faced scrutiny over questionable military service records and claims about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests. And Walz made false claims about Trump's abortion stance and economic performance as recently as Sunday.
But no modern politician has constructed a presidency on such outrageous falsehoods as Trump. And the ex-president has never concealed his tactics. In one of the most revealing moments of his political career, before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Kansas City in 2018, the 45th president told his supporters that he was their only reliable source of reality. "Stick with us. Don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news." What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening."
The name of the former president's social media network, "Truth Social," is a calculated attempt to rebrand falsity as fact.
Trump's Recent Outburst of Untruths
As the election nears, the Republican nominee has unleashed a torrent of disinformation, surpassing even his own standards.
For instance, during a presidential debate, he falsely claimed that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were "eating the dogs" and "the cats." His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, appeared to justify these falsehoods in an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" last month, stating, "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do."
During a disaster, disseminating incorrect information can have dangerous consequences – a risk Trump appears willing to take.
The ex-president made numerous false statements about the Biden administration's hurricane response, including baseless arguments regarding Democratic neglect in Republican areas in North Carolina and President Biden's alleged failure to answer calls from Georgia's GOP governor.
He has also claimed that while the federal government sends billions overseas, it only gives $750 to Americans who have lost their homes in Hurricane Helene. FEMA explains that $750 is simply an initial, immediate payment meant to cover basic necessities like food, water, baby formula, and emergency supplies. People can apply for additional assistance, such as home repairs worth up to $42,500.
Harris accused the former president on Monday of spreading disinformation about aid available to Hurricane Helene survivors. "It's extraordinarily irresponsible, it's about him, it's not about you," she said.
How Trump Transforms Lies into Power
So why does Trump peddle such easily debunked falsehoods?
Partly due to his confidence, marked by his defiance of norms that apply to others. Trump made his fortune in real estate by bluffing and exaggerating. He discovered in 1980s New York tabloids that the more exaggerated the lie, the more difficult it is to dismiss.
However, his manipulation of the truth took on a more sinister shade as he entered politics. Trump's first White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, infamously defended Trump's inauguration crowd size with blatant lies – a precursor to an administration that disputed facts as a political weapon. This pattern continued during the Covid pandemic, likely to mask Trump's leadership failures, and after losing the 2020 election to Biden.
Trump's criticism of the 'established' truth is more than just a flaw – it's the secret sauce to his popularity.
Yet, the ex-commander-in-chief also recognizes that his fabrication of an alternate reality can amplify his influence, and, with the aid of the conservative media network, can foster dogmas that strengthen his bond with his voter base.
One instance of this is the narrative he's spun about being unjustly ousted from power following the previous election. Republican officials are compelled to embrace this new doctrine to preserve their political careers. For instance, during last week's vice presidential debate, Vance declined to assert that his boss lost in 2020.
Republicans who diverge from this illusory reality face ostracism – like former Vice President Mike Pence, who denounced Trump's baseless claims that he possessed the constitutional power to overturn the 2020 election outcome, and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who endorsed Harris for president and campaigned with her last week.
The lingering notion that Trump was unfairly denied power four years ago has paved the way for his unfounded hints that this election might not be fair, fueling anxieties that November could spark another post-election constitutional crisis.
How the disinformation barrage could sway the election
What might seem like blatant untruths could influence vote outcomes in the final stretch of a divisive election.
Both Trump and Harris, who are neck and neck in the polls, are vying for voters who may not be well-versed in politics. It's plausible, then, for a false narrative about migrants consuming pets, for example, to tap into existing apprehensions about immigrants. Similarly, Trump's claims that Harris is a communist, a Marxist, and a fascist – though nonsensical according to any factual analysis – might persuade some voters that she's too radical, and therefore, un-American. This argument coincides with Trump's efforts to vilify Harris's racial identity, based on his baseless arguments that she "happened to become Black" for political gain.
Trump's falsehoods are not merely a tactic to bypass the checks and balances that typically restrict a president's powers. They also corrode the functioning of America's government.
Courtesy of Trump's assertions of fraud, numerous citizens now harbor doubts about the integrity of the electoral system – the cornerstone of democracy's central belief that citizens choose their leaders. His relentless assaults on the system's integrity threaten the rule of law. Attempts to disparage faith in political, scientific, judicial, and media institutions are a time-tested technique employed by authoritarian figures that Trump admires, such as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who solidified his power by discrediting his country's accountability institutions.
Eroded trust in government will make it harder for America to tackle its challenges, including an overburdened and outdated asylum system and economic issues that both presidential candidates have decried. And a campaign that's closing in on a flurry of false statements and vicious personal attacks implies that if Trump wins the White House again, his second term could be even more extreme than his first.
Despite his legal issues and allegations of election manipulation, the Republican candidate continues to engage in politics, accusing Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden's administration of weaponizing justice against him. This follows his repeated attempts to sow doubt in the electoral process, including his claim of voter suppression in 2016 and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
In his recent outbursts, Trump has surpassed his own standards of disinformation, making false claims about migrant behavior and the hurricane response, which have been debunked by authorities. Despite these factual inaccuracies, his political strategy relies on manipulating the truth to build a following and foster beliefs among his voter base. This strategy includes creating an alternate reality, as seen in his social media network's name, "Truth Social," which aims to rebrand falsity as fact.
