Trump's lies, exaggerations, misinterpretations and supporters' misplaced trust

Leigh Washburn | Iron County Democrats

Donald Trump’s supporters rationalize his never-ending spate of outrageous comments as “exaggerations” not worth worrying about. Look at what he does, not what he says, they say, forgetting that when a president speaks or writes publicly, he/she speaks for all of us and is obligated to do so with dignity and restraint. An occasional slip or exaggeration is understandable, but Washington Post fact-checkers document over 4,000 deliberate lies and misstatements emanating from Trump since the election.

When discussing him, Trump’s supporters invariably use language taken directly from his tweets and speeches. Their perception of what he’s accomplished is based only on what he tells them. So, yes, his words have consequences. His supporters feel no need to fact-check anything he says; therefore, they misinterpret current events and misunderstand our place in the world. In addition, they have followed his example of demeaning and vilifying those who disagree with him instead of engaging in rational debate.

We see this not only on social media but, unfortunately, also from professional commentators. The Spectrum recently ran an editorial by conservative columnist Erick Erickson that was jam-packed with false generalizations and baseless assumptions about Democratic convictions, intended not to educate but to demean us and inflame his readers. This appeared just days after my column on what we really stand for. I expect that many readers dismissed my description of my own beliefs as propaganda, while embracing Erickson’s confirmation of their preconceived ideas.

The sheer volume of Trump’s misinformation is overwhelming. His supporters believe things that are easily disproven or completely unsubstantiated about issues like economic and job growth, tax cuts, diplomatic and trade negotiations, his relationships with and influence over world leaders, Iran’s noncompliance with the nuclear deal, imminent failure of respected news outlets, prevalence and sources of “fake news,” Mueller’s “witch hunt,” and many others.

Trump claims credit for other people’s achievements and, if he sees a personal benefit, inserts himself into situations where he doesn’t belong. What he can’t fit himself into he dismisses as unworthy of his attention.

Equally destructive is his constant use of falsified numbers and statistics to artificially inflate his achievements. These aren’t minor exaggerations; they are so pervasive that they have instigated dangerously unrealistic perceptions among his supporters. Trump routinely misrepresents trade deficits, figures on stock market and economic growth, significance of single-quarter GDP numbers, dollars paid to NATO, election statistics. He overestimates deportations, crime statistics, illegal immigration, federal firearm prosecutions, manufacturers’ optimism about future growth, what it costs small businesses to comply with regulations, UN approval of the embassy move to Jerusalem, regulations he’s eliminated. Along with rampant voter fraud, he claims that women and minorities voted for him “in droves.” He claims intimate friendships with world leaders whom he obviously barely knows.

Nations expect their leaders to conduct themselves with a certain decorum that bridges cultural differences and minimizes misunderstandings. Upsetting those expectations is not “refreshing,” it’s boorish and self-defeating. Trump’s public rants have been noticed, and, his boasts notwithstanding, his major accomplishment as president has been to undermine American credibility worldwide. We can’t be trusted to tell the truth, keep our promises, or honor our agreements.

Moreover, we ourselves have been fed such a skewed perception of the world around us that our ability to make informed decisions about crucial social, economic, and political matters is seriously compromised.

Leigh Washburn is a member of the Iron County Democrats.