Sunday, April 5, 2020

Donald J. Trump M.O.: Do, Say, Pay, Try, Lie, Deny Anything for Center Stage Spotlight

Prove that this definition does not fit him

Introduction to this post very well might be this oldie but goodie: The Twist” (1960 hit song by Chubby Checker). It now passes as Trump’s modus operandi (M.O.) theme song (my play on words):

Dick Clark Show Video Clip

Post for today – I call it: Proof Meets Pudding

Trump will take a fact, something historical, or just anything he just found out (whether widely known or not), twist into something negative (to make it now “news” for his crowd), blame someone else for it not being knowing it, or more apt for being negative about (his fav target in that regard is usually Mr. Obama), then he reverses course claiming credit for the “fix, solved problem, or solution) and by twisting the night away.

Case in point is this from FactCheck.org and more from NBC News and his more recent lies and false statements here from PolitiFact.

In his March 30 appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Trump suggested an estimate that the novel coronavirus might kill a huge number of Americans as if it were a new revelation.

Trump said (Fox video) in the interview that the answer to his question about how many people could die if the U.S. did nothing to combat the new coronavirus just came in yesterday through Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator.

BTW: Trump’s “we inherited empty shelves” claim in the video is clearly disputed here (FactCheck.org).

Trump specifically said:If we just kept the business as usual, didn’t do anything to stop it or impede it, could have been 2.2 million people could have died.”

However, that frightening possibility (2.2 million) had been public knowledge for more than two weeks. In fact that number was contained in a report issued by Imperial College London on March 16.  

What’s more, the lead author of the report, Neil Ferguson, professor of epidemiology told the New York Times that the British researchers had shared their projections with a White House task force a week before and had sent an early copy of the report to the White House. 

FYI: His prediction for the U.K. reported here.

So why does Trump, a narcissist, and make no mistake about that he is, lie so frequently, so much, and now is documented to be well over 16,000? 

This extract from Psychology Today helps explain that:

So, Why Narcissists Lie?

The current theory is that all narcissist’s behaviors are unconsciously motivated and driven by a wound that fills him with shame and that he hides from the world; hiding that damaged part of himself leads him to self-aggrandize and exaggerate his talents, prowess, and almost everything else. 

Seen in that way, lies — or hiding the truth — are central to the narcissist’s identity. Of course, he doesn’t see it that way because all of his experiences are filtered through the hidden damage; instead, he will see it as his truth. 

And when it comes to his truth, as Dr. Joseph Burgo points out in The Narcissist You Know, he will take vindictive action if he perceives a threat. 

As Burgo writes: He doesn’t see himself as a liar but rather as an embattled defender of the ‘truth’ as he has come to see it. As hard as it may be for most of us to believe, the Extreme Narcissist who lies doesn’t always do so in a self-aware way, consciously attempting to disguise the truth. He lies to support a “defensive identity,” or a “nonstop effort to bolster lies erected against shame, insisting that they reflect reality.”

How the Narcissist Defends His “Truth?”

The short answer is any way he can, and no-holds-barred. Again, since the narcissist doesn’t care about being caught in a lie and is tone-deaf to emotional consequences, thanks to his deficient empathy, he will lie about everything and anything. 

He will defend by shifting blame (“I wouldn’t have had to say these private things about you if I hadn’t been provoked” or “You didn’t ask me the right question so the burden’s on you”), gas lighting, or smearing his victim’s reputation by calling him or her a liar or worse. What to do? 

Dr. Burgo’s sense of direction is fine:Take the high ground and stick to the truth; don’t speak ill of your enemy unless you have to.”

My 2 cents: Oops right about now, um Mr. Trump? Nope, not for him – he is never wrong (always misquoted, or his words were taken out of context), but he is never wrong – he never apologizes for any misstatement, lie, or misstep. Why not? He can’t.

It’s his M.O. it’s SOP for him – his this technique has been used very skillfully and effectively I might add his whole adult life.

Pitiful, isn’t it? Yet, his loyalists want him in office for 4 more years – I say flatly to that: “Hell no 1,000 times, Hell no…!” Not this man.

My simple question as always: How can we keep this lying fool in office a day longer than his term expires – simple: We cannot.

Thanks for stopping by.





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