It is certainly no secret that the President of the United States is a serial liar. At the beginning of May 2020, the Washington Post had documented more than 14,000 lies. These are lies that were public and “on the record” in the sense that he was making public statements that were provably false. They excluded hundreds more statements or comments that were likely false but not provably false.
One should, I suppose, be careful in this assessment of his serial lying because he is so intellectually impoverished that some of his craziest comments may not be lies, but instead, his inability to understand or appreciate the circumstances surrounding events that he appears to lie about. His level of stupidity may be inaccurately recorded as lying when it actually represents a full-blown mental illness, or, at least, an intellectual incapacity, preventing him from understanding or appreciating even simple, straightforward circumstances. We can be sure he would prefer to be described as a liar rather than an imbecile. Truth is, he’s probably both.
CNN’s Chris Cuomo recently questioned the President’s campaign spokesperson, Kayleigh McEnany about the President’s propensity to lie. It appears that the host of the show wanted to have some fun with another serial liar. Kayleigh did not disappoint. Despite the many thousands of documented lies of the President, McEnany said, “He doesn’t lie.” Very good Kayleigh, you get to keep the position as spokesperson for the liar as long as you’re prepared to lie as much as him. You are unlike the last 3 Inspector Generals who the President fired because they were legitimately fulfilling their role in oversight over the actions of his government. Stick with the lies or ‘be gone Satan.’
A president who lies regularly does not actually want oversight. Why would he? Oversight implies somebody’s watching to make sure everything is legitimate. When you’re running a government that is not legitimate oversight is the antithesis of your plan of governmental deceit. The latest casualty to the war on truth is Steve Linick, Inspector General in charge of oversight. He must’ve known that his job was precarious based on the firings of the previous 3 Inspector Generals who were all fired for doing their job. He had a choice; do the job properly and get fired, or, overlook every shady deal by Trump and his cronies, most particularly in this instance, Mike Pompeo, and remain in place collecting a salary while pretending that there is, in fact, an oversight watchdog. In this administration there are no watchdogs allowed. Only lapdogs please. That is our modus operandi.
Linick, of course. suffered the same fate as his 3 predecessors. That’s a total of 4 Inspector Generals in less than 4 years of the President’s term in office. No reason was given for the Inspector General’s firing, other than the usual comment that the President had lost confidence in him. But everybody knows the real reason. The Inspector General was doing his job. That’s the reason! He was investigating the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in relation to his knowledge of and participation in a massive arms deal with Saudi Arabia. In addition, there were some personal elements to the investigation because Pompeo was regularly using government staff for personal errands and several media outlets had been reporting on this breach of protocol. The President had no difficulty with Pompeo using the staff this way. He said, “Do you want Mike Pompeo doing the dishes or someone else?” I would think the average voter would say ‘if Pompeo used the dishes, he should wash them.’ Why should someone from his security detail be washing his dishes? Do they present a security risk?
After almost 4 years in office what is apparent is that the President prefers to operate without a system of checks and balances. Checking on his behavior, his decisions, his appointments and his comments on all manner of subjects only exposes his bizarre behavior, his ridiculous decisions, his appointment of lackeys and his intolerance of people pointing out the inaccuracies of his comments on virtually every subject. Perhaps we should not be so intolerant. If we spent 12 or 13 hours a day watching ourselves on TV, 2 ½ hours painting our face orange (don’t you wonder why he doesn’t paint his neck and his hands the same color?) and, another 2 ½ hours working on our comb-over (that one must admit is most unusual in its design), we probably wouldn’t take time to read our security briefings either. Perhaps is all just a question of prioritizing one’s work day.
But one thing is certain. Watchdogs, in these circumstances, are not preferred. Lapdogs, (as in every Republican member of the Senate today, except perhaps Mitt Romney, who occasionally raises a dissenting hand) are definitely preferable. Everyone, except the Inspector Generals, have repeatedly turned a blind eye to all manner of impropriety and dishonesty by this President.
There is, however, hope for this moribund country. Elections are coming. All class 1 seats were contested in the November 2018 elections. In this Congress, class 1 means the term commenced in the current Congress, requiring re-election in 2024. Class 2 means the term ends with this Congress, requiring re-election in 2020. And, class 3 means the term began in the last Congress requiring re-election in 2022. There should be several Republican Senators freed of their obligations in the Senate when they go down to defeat in the next elections.
After all the Republican majority in the Senate has failed to pass any meaningful legislation, despite having over 400 bills passed by the House Democrats sitting in front of them and waiting for passage. Apparently the Republican senators are frozen in place, mimicking the appearance, demeanor and personality of Mitch McConnell who strikingly resembles a frozen fixture from a wax museum—barely moving his head, eyes, lips or hands as he ignores the pile of proposed legislation in front of him. Move your eyelids to prove you’re alive Mitch, otherwise you’re destined to be a wax figure on Saturday Night Live for years to come. The comedian who plays your part in those Saturday Night Live skits says it’s the easiest money he’s ever made, all he has to do is not move.
Here’s the bottom line. The President is an incompetent leader. He is likely mentally ill (only a mentally ill person would recommend swallowing Drano to combat Covid-19) or, he’s psychiatrically challenged (“Give me a prescription to fight malaria because I mean, ‘what harm can it do?’ ) or, he’s just plain stupid. It doesn’t really matter which diagnosis fits, because, unfortunately, he poses a great risk to the entire free world. The reason for his incompetence is not really important. The fact that he is incompetent is important. He is what he is–regardless of label or professional assessment.
Canada and Mexico are at risk during this administration. They are, so to speak, ‘next door’ to America and and therefore at risk. America was once a proud, powerful country that embraced its role as the leader of the free world. Now, the country is viewed as unreliable and a threat to peace. It’s leader is far more likely to be the butt of daily jokes that he is to be considered as a person worthy of consulting on any world the matter. Unfortunately, the leaders of other countries will see no value in consulting a mentally ill or completely inept, seriously diminished, individual. They humor the United States of America hoping that he will soon be gone. Their fervent hope is that his departure will lead to a return to normalcy.
These circumstances pose a threat to Canadians, Mexicans and every other free nation when this self-ordained ‘stable genius’ provokes countries like Iran. He cost Canada hundreds of innocent lives when he ordered the murder of an Iranian military leader. The Iranians returned fire but unfortunately downed a domestic flight mistaking it as an incoming missile. Canadians paid the price for the President’s idiocy. Did the President express any remorse? Of course not. It’s always all about him. He has many weaknesses. But chief among them is a complete lack of empathy or remorse.
He’s erratic and undisciplined. He makes bad decisions. He is not smart. Yet, he’s in charge of America and dangerous to many others who are not American, didn’t vote for him and never would vote for him if he ever ran for office in their country. The fact that he has the right to put his fat little fingers on the buttons of mass destruction is truly scary. He wants to be a dictator. That’s why he admires the leaders of North Korea and Russia and China. He congratulates them on electoral victories that everybody in the world, other than him, recognizes as bogus victories. They don’t have opponents. It should be relatively easy to figure out. But he calls and congratulates them on victories. He muses about Kim Jong-Un becoming the leader of a country at such a young age! He doesn’t seem to understand the right of succession under dictators. Just think about that. Can he possibly be that stupid? Can the people that voted for him be that stupid?
Mental illness fits with his own description of himself as a “very stable genius.” There’s nothing about him that even hints of genius. Anyone who has watched any of his torturous press conferences knows that he can barely read. He stumbles over the words in his prepared speeches like a kid in grade 3 destined for some type of vocational school.
His lap dog Republican Senators stifle laughter when he stumbles through his notes at press briefings. He gets mixed up with the location of certain states. This became apparent when he tried ineptly to warn people about the tract of a hurricane. So, in an effort to cover his blunder, he altered the map of the United States with the stroke of a sharpie. It would’ve been much better to just admit that he had no f’ing idea where that state was. Is it any wonder that his previous lawyer Michael Cohen was tasked with threatening every educational venue he attended with heavy duty lawsuits if they released his grades publicly. If one had a choice, most would prefer to view him as an abject liar rather than an insane, mentally challenged cretin.
We are told he refuses to read his morning security briefings. That makes sense. He doesn’t read anything. It’s torturous to watch and listen to him read. His vocabulary scores at about a grade 3 level. His favorite words are “tremendous” “strong” “big” “crooked” “fake” “sleepy” “little” and “nasty.” Nasty is reserved only for women. Apparently, many women have been nasty to him. Is it any wonder?
While US security types go through the ritual of morning briefings, they rather dejectedly admit he shows little interest. They advise that he doesn’t appear to read even a single sentence of any of the intelligence briefs. He doesn’t read well, and, he definitely doesn’t read often. Poor reading skills and lack of comprehension will do that to a person. Combine a low IQ with inadequate reading skills and you may have a moron, but you definitely don’t have a genius. Almost anyone in the world would rather be thought of as a liar rather than just plain dumb. So, faking it is necessary. But it’s hard to fake genius when you can’t read or write. Wouldn’t it be interesting to look at his academic scoring? It would provide more insight into his intellectual capacity or lack thereof, than reviewing his income tax returns. His tax returns have undoubtedly been prepared by people much smarter than him. One can only wonder if the schools he attended are still afraid of the threat by lawyer Cohen now that Cohen’s in jail for lying on behalf of Trump.
Let’s examine some of his more recent comments and let the reader decide whether it is a lack of intellect, a failure to comprehend or dishonesty or any combination of these that fuel these incomprehensible thoughts and positions. That he is the leader of the United States of America and his comments may be attributed to one or all of these personality defects is enough to legitimately be alarmed.
We are presently in a pandemic crisis. So, it is particularly interesting to examine some of his comments about the coronavirus. The pandemic crisis has led to a mother lode of lies and false information by him. Forbes reports the President has averaged 23.8 lies per day since the first case of Covid-19 was recorded in the US. For each of the comments made by him the question is: ‘is he too stupid to understand, or, is he just an even bigger liar in times of crisis?’
False information during a pandemic is arguably much worse than his every day, mostly inconsequential, lies. In times of crisis, the public needs to trust and rely upon heads of state for accuracy. That is an unachievable goal for a man whose lies, and deception, are at the very core of his personality.
Worse, the crisis provoked even more than his usual harmful recommendations that could cause injury or death to members of the public. One would like to think that his lies force everyone to question the value of any information from him. This may generally be so, but not necessarily for those weird folks who represent his base.
As near as anyone can determine his base of voters is made up of the uneducated (he once famously said ‘I love the uneducated’) the uninformed, and, those leaning toward racism and anarchy, and also those generally angry about their place in life. They may also be angry and prone to violence. They roar with laughter when their leader says, ‘Go ahead and hit that man, I’ll pay for your legal fees.’ Their hats should read, ‘Make America Stupid and Violent Again.’ Or, ‘The Jews or Blacks Won’t Replace Us.’ Or, ‘Lock Him or Her Up.’ Or, ‘Where is the Swamp? I Want to Go for a Swim.’ His base consists of a bunch of non-intellectuals looking for someone to blame for whatever ails them. “Base” is an apt description for any Trump supporter.
Hydrochloroquine
Trump claims he has been taking the controversial drug hydrochloroquine “for the past couple of weeks.” He said this after he had been promoting its use despite many scientists having determined that it does not help in the treatment of Covid-19.
He also said, “You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it. That might be true, especially if they have malaria, since that’s the disease the drug has been created to combat. Trump said, I happen to be taking it right now. I asked the White House doctor, “What do you think?” He said, “Well, if you’d like it.” I said, “Yeah, I’d like it. I’d like to take it.” “He got it for me.” How’s that for an interesting doctor-patient assessment leading to a prescription?
The President also said, “A lot of people are taking it. Many doctors are taking it. So far, I seem to be okay.” He didn’t say what the people are taking it for, who “the doctors” are and why they are taking it. What he did say is that he is taking hydrochloroquine prophylactically to combat Covid 19. Now, absolutely no one has suggested it should be used for that purpose! The President is apparently taking it because he has concluded, “what harm can it do?” The basis of his conclusion remains sketchy. His medical doctor apparently prescribes an inappropriate medication on the basis of his patient “liking to try it.” Do I detect the smell of a medical license burning? The test for prescribing hydrochloroquine was, “If you’d like it.” Seriously? Sure, I’d like it, and, can you throw in a little Fentanyl and crystal meth? I hear a lot of doctors are taking them also.
The manufacturer of hydrochloroquine warns that it should not be taken by persons with a pre-existing heart condition. He has a pre-existing heart condition. Don’t worry about that pre-existing heart condition, the question is would you like it? Let’s be serious here. Let’s separate fact from fiction. Many doctors are not taking it. This drug is an anti-malaria drug. There is no evidence that it can act as a preventative measure against Covid-19. Contraindicated is prescribing this medication to a person with a pre-existing heart condition. Hello. The President has a pre-existing heart condition. That condition was made public last year on his annual medical inspection.
Political commentator Emma Vigeland responded to his claims of literally prescribing this inappropriate drug for himself in the following manner: “It’s so obvious that it’s almost not worth pointing out, but Trump saying he’s taking hydrochloroquine is one of his oldest media tactics, say something outrageous to hijack the news cycle and distract from over 90,000 dead Americans. He lies. Touché Emma. He lies. That’s really all you need to know unless you’re part of his base.
One study by experts at Columbia University concluded that “patients who received hydrochloroquine had the same risk of intubation or death as patients who did not receive that drug.” Trump has also suggested that people should consider ingesting bleach as a possible cure for Covid-19. He asked one of his experts what she thought of “his idea.” She replied simply, “not for treatment.” Undaunted, he replied, “it might be “interesting to check it out” as a possible cure. His idiotic remarks caused several chemical companies to put out warnings that their products should not be ingested. To do so would be lethal the warnings proclaimed. His political advisers tried their best to prevent him from conducting any further press briefings with his medical experts. His idiotic suggestions were, in their opinion, likely to be a major cause of his loss in the next election.
Best-selling author Kurt Eichenwald summed up this issue by stating prophetically: “Speaking as someone who has known Trump for decades, I promise you he is lying about taking hydrochloroquine. I also expect he will soon trot out some physician to lyingly confirm he is. How’s that for a prediction 2 weeks before the actual event. The President asked parenthetically, “What do you have to lose?” To that we say, ‘we hope only you.’