Chris Jepson: Trump - a primer

Demagogue: “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.” Merriam-Webster

I’ve decided that this week’s column will be a community service. It appears — sadly, nay, tragically — that a sizable number of your fellow Americans are clueless as to what constitutes a demagogue and that if the Electoral College follows historical precedent, the United States will have exactly that, a demagogue sitting in the Oval Office as America’s 45th president.

Why did so many Americans willingly check their brains at the door (while in the election booth voting for Trump) when the candidate himself campaigned on a platform of outright lies, half-truths and deception? I thought a Trump Primer was in order to set the millions of Trumpian numbchucks straight. I take some pleasure in this task. Ignorance proudly worn (see: Trump supporters) is particularly unattractive. As a matter-of-fact it is disheartening because logic and reason are not winning arguments when challenging Trump’s supporters of his electioneering malfeasance.

Here’s the thesis of this column: “Nothing Trump says is believable.” This is because facts, per se, are meaningless to Trump. Rather, facts and consistency are essentially insignificant to the man. He is not a well-read individual and, as such, when pressed for factual support of his positions he resorts to creativity, to pulling facts out of el Bungholio (to liberally paraphrase Beavis & Butthead).

Don’t necessarily take my word for it. Here is what Trump spokesperson Scottie Nell Hughes recently said on NPR, “There’s no such thing, unfortunately, anymore of facts. And so Mr. Trump’s tweets amongst a certain crowd, a large — a large part of the population, are truth. When he says that millions of people illegally voted, he has some — in his — amongst him and his supporters, and people believe they have facts to back that up.”

Sigh. There is absolutely no truth to the above Trump contention that “millions of people illegally voted.” Facts? Who needs facts?

Trump supporter Corey Lewandowski suggests that American voters, “understood that sometimes, when you have a conversation with people, whether it’s around the dinner table or at a bar, you’re going to say things, and sometimes you don’t have all the facts to back it up.” Facts, so unnecessary.

Here are a few of Trump’s public lies (quotes): “Thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down.” Trump on jubilant 9-11 crowds.

“I was against getting into the war in Iraq.” An outright Trump lie.

“We’re already the highest-taxed nation in the world.” Absolutely untrue. America is 27th out of the top 30 industrialized countries.

“Just so you understand: He’s not going to go into the Ukraine, all right.” Putin’s Russia was already in the Ukraine.

“Our military is very depleted. Extremely depleted.” A complete falsehood. The U.S. spends more than the next seven nations combined on defense.

You offer that maybe Trump just doesn’t mean what he says. Hmmm? Okay, should we then believe Trump when he brags, “You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful, piece of ass.”

Is Trump believable when he advocates, “there has to be some form of punishment for women who have abortions.” Maybe yes. Maybe no. Depends on Trump’s audience.

Trump is the classic demagogue. Republican Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House perversely suggests, “Who cares what [Trump] tweeted?”

Who cares that Trump lies? Not the demagogue Trump. Not Republican Paul Ryan.

Make America Great Again. Under Trump. Yet another lie.