Trump is on a roll.
At the NATO meeting, he repeated the lie (which has been pointed out to him before) that he was the first Republican to win the state of Wisconsin since Eisenhower in 1952. In fact, Eisenhower won it again in 1956, Nixon won it in 1960, 1968, 1nd 1972, and Reagan won it in 1980 and 1984. This is easily verifiable, yet he continues to lie about it.
Also at NATO, he told a press conference that the Nato members had agreed to his suggestion that they increase defense spending to 4% of GDP. French President Macron immediately came out afterward and said this was simply not true and that there was no agreement beyond the 2% goal they currently have, which NATO members are expected to meet by 2024. Another provable lie.
Trump said further that, depending on how you calculate it, the US is covering anywhere from 70% to 90% of the cost of NATO. Perhaps that's how math works in his fantasy bubble, but if you use ACTUAL math it's more like 20%. Further, he still fails to understand how NATO works or what it is, insisting that some members are somehow "delinquent". There is no big pot that everyone throws their NATO money into - the defense spending represents an individual nation's defense budget, not a contribution to a common cause.
Moving on to Great Britain, he gave an interview to "The Sun", Britain's largest paper, in which among other things he dissed PM Theresa May. At a press conference today, he was questioned about that by an MSNBC reporter; he immediately called it disgraceful journalism and "fake news", denying that he ever criticized May. One problem - The Sun recorded the interview and has been playing it for journalists all day. He's on audio saying exactly what he now denies saying, thereby taking his gaslighting to a new international level. He said it, we know he said it, but he insists that he didn't
But his worse lie to date involves the remains of Korean War dead. In June, after his photo-op with Kim Jung Un, Trump announced that NK had already returned the remains of 200 soldiers. THAT WAS A LIE. Kim had apparently floated the idea that such a repatriation COULD occur. A meeting was scheduled in the DMZ on Thursday between the US and the DRPK. The North Koreans did not show up for the meeting, and no reason was given for their absence. There's no reason to believe at this point that this will ever happen, but Trump tells the lie that it has already started, The whole North Korea "summit" turned out to be just as expected - an opportunity for North Korea to play POTUS for a fool.
My question to Trump supporters is simply this: why do you put up with his lies, when he has been proven wrong time and time again? What is it about this man that allows you to suspend reality and your own common sense in order to believe that whatever he tells you is true?
Or worse - do you realize it's not true, but simply don't care? Is it more important to you that he claims to support the causes you believe in than that he is being honest with you? That seems to be the path that some evangelicals have taken - married three times, multiple extramarital affairs, accused of sexual assault by almost 20 women, but he gets a pass because he promised to kill Roe v Wade. Is that what it is? The delivery vessel doesn't matter as long as you get the results? |
