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Full article copied and pasted because it may be behind a paywall.
By itself, President Trump misstating facts is hardly a news event. He became a master of hype while working as a real-estate developer and reality-TV host; now, he invariably exaggerates or fabricates descriptions of objective reality to fit his own purposes. Most often, Trump twists or simply makes up facts to dramatize the unbelievable depravity of his opponents (e.g., his unsupported assertions that millions of non-citizens cast illegal votes for Democrats in national elections) or the world-historical brilliance of his own accomplishments (e.g., the booming economy he claims to have built, notwithstanding contrary evidence from the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Personally, it troubles me that the chief executive of my country lies through his teeth so very often. But, apparently, Trump’s fans, who are said to “take him seriously but not literally,” aren’t bothered at all and may derive amused pleasure from the very height of his tall tales.
During his second term, however, Trump’s penchant for making stuff up has assumed a central role in his relentless efforts to expand presidential powers at the expense of Congress, the courts, and Americans’ liberties. That’s because he is relying more than any of his predecessors on asserting emergency powers in circumstances where there is no actual emergency, as the Associated Press reported in June:
By itself, President Trump misstating facts is hardly a news event. He became a master of hype while working as a real-estate developer and reality-TV host; now, he invariably exaggerates or fabricates descriptions of objective reality to fit his own purposes. Most often, Trump twists or simply makes up facts to dramatize the unbelievable depravity of his opponents (e.g., his unsupported assertions that millions of non-citizens cast illegal votes for Democrats in national elections) or the world-historical brilliance of his own accomplishments (e.g., the booming economy he claims to have built, notwithstanding contrary evidence from the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Personally, it troubles me that the chief executive of my country lies through his teeth so very often. But, apparently, Trump’s fans, who are said to “take him seriously but not literally,” aren’t bothered at all and may derive amused pleasure from the very height of his tall tales.
During his second term, however, Trump’s penchant for making stuff up has assumed a central role in his relentless efforts to expand presidential powers at the expense of Congress, the courts, and Americans’ liberties. That’s because he is relying more than any of his predecessors on asserting emergency powers in circumstances where there is no actual emergency, as the Associated Press reported in June:
