Trump's style: liar who doesn’t hide truth

Dozens of articles and even books have been written about Donald Trump's approach to truth and honesty - not by Democrats, liberals, or leftists, but by political scientists, psychologists, and even psychiatrists. As early as 2016, the FactCheck portal dubbed him the 'King of Liars,' and during his presidency, nearly 30,000 false or manipulative statements were recorded.

Political scientist Matthew McManus characterizes Trump's style as 'bullshit' - a form of lying that doesn't hide the truth or even acknowledge it. The goal is to overwhelm opponents or potential supporters with arguments that convince them.

According to McManus, this fundamentally sets Trump apart from another famous political liar, Richard Nixon, who was a classic liar - someone who knew the truth, valued it, but tried to conceal it.

Trump uses manipulations to shape narratives that benefit his personal political agenda. He does this consistently across all topics - whether it's the border with Mexico, unemployment, inflation, the Russia-Ukraine war, or anything else.

How does it work? Fantastical numbers and facts are used to spread an information virus of correctness for any position he takes. This style of lying is always aimed at sowing chaos in public discourse. When facts and reality lose their meaning, victory goes to the loudest voice. This allows him to manipulate public opinion even without any foundation.

This style poses a real threat to democratic values. Widespread dissemination of fake news and manipulation leads to societal division, devaluation of the concept of truth, and strengthens authoritarian tendencies.

And yes, we have to deal with him. And yes, his activities might not be catastrophic for Ukraine - if it's lucky. I genuinely sympathize with those who must interact with him. But that’s their job now.

Yes, no one promised Ukraine pleasant counterparts or competent allies - neither in terms of values nor principles. As long as they hate our enemies more than they’re indifferent to us, that’s enough.

Remember, we’re now justifiably rooting for a madman (the leader who overthrew Assad’s regime), who once led Al-Qaeda in Syria. Life is complicated.

But we must never forget who we’re dealing with. And Trump is no exception.

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About the author. Yury Bogdanov, journalist, specialist in strategic communications in the fields of business, public administration, and politics.

The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.