Why are the Trump administration and Republicans openly lying about so many things? It isn’t that their crazy. I doubt they even believe their lies. But these lies are meant to further their agenda of staying in power, taking power from the people, and helping their rich friends.

The Size Of The Crowds

It seems trivial, but it is important to the administration that they appear to have the support of the people. While everyone focuses on the pettiness, they are missing the real goal. The administration wants to look like it is powerful, has a mandate, and has the support of a huge majority. These things are not true!

Millions Of Illegal Voters

This argument is critical to ramped up voter supression. If enough people believe the lies, they will support Republican efforts to take power away from voters. This last election was very close. Do you think it is realistic that eliminating people from the voter roles, requiring more effort (and expense) from potential voters that are already burning the candle at both ends and feeling like the system doesn’t support them, and intimidating voters by talking about policing polling places can make a difference of a few thousand votes in critically close states? This lie is also designed to destract people’s attention away from the need for an investigation into Russian interference in our last election.

He’s An Environmentalist

As he moves to gag the FDA, the EPA, and the National Park Service, he tells people with a straight face that he’s an environmentalist. He is far from it. But he wants to convince people he is on their side as he guts protection of the American public. This has nothing to do with creating jobs or giving the country to the people. He is trying to do the exact opposite by giving corporations and the rich more power and control.

Chicago Crime

The exaggeration of Chicago’s violent crime serves a number of purposes. It is aimed at discrediting and humiliating a powerful mayor in a liberal city that does not support him or his agenda. Make no mistake, Chicago has a violent crime problem, but there are other cities with much higher per capita violent crime and murder rates than Chicago. By focusing on Chicago, he’s trying to spin a narrative that says liberal policies result in high crime. And yet other liberal cities in liberal states have much lower murder rates while more conservative cities in more conservative states have higher violent crime and murder rates. Finally, fear of violent crime sells guns. That helps his friends in the NRA.

The Country Is A Disaster

By virtually all measures, our country is in pretty good shape. Unemployment is low, the market has been booming, corporate profits are strong, gas prices are low, and income for the bottom of the income spectrum is increasing. Sure, it could be better. It is particularly hard for unskilled labor. But by selling doom and gloom, he hopes to gain extraordinary power. And he hopes to establish a false measuring stick from which he can measure progress.

The Coal Industry Is Under Attack

This lie is just good old fashion pandering. Coal mining jobs are scarce because natural gas is cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient. And, automation and new (more destructive) mining techniques simply use less labor. And finally, global demand has dropped under cooler economies in China and much of the world outside the United States.

Russia Had No Influence On Election Outcome

This, of course, is impossible to prove one way or another. But any thought of the possibility that he may have been aided by not just a foreign country, but one that is against our country being influential and powerful must be quickly put to rest or the country will challenge his legitimacy and question his loyalty.

The Federal Government Workforce Has Vastly Grown

With a workforce of 2-1/2 to 3 million people, federal government employment has remained relatively stable for many decades. Since 1962, the peak level of federal employment was 3.06 million in 1990. In 1990, George HW Bush was President. Under President Obama, the federal workforce did not come anywhere near this record and was very much in line with employment during the George W Bush years. In fact, it was never as high as the lowest Ronald Reagan year! But since Republicans want to shut down much of the federal government so it can no longer help and defend the American people against corporate greed and a degraded environment, they want you to believe that government is growing and is out of control.

The Unfair Media

He is simply trying to discredit the biggest source of truth and dissent. The media isn’t out to get Donald Trump. It is just reporting on what he is doing. If he can discredit them, he can better sell his agenga. As they report on the bad that comes with his policies and decisions, he can simply say it isn’t true. He is working hard to try to destroy the free press by lying about their accuracy and trying to convince people they’re agenda is to hurt him.

The Distraction

As he tells these and other lies, don’t lose focus of the real issues. These lies also serve to get people focused on his outrageous personality. He is using that to manipulate Americans. We must think critically, ask questions, seek multiple credible sources, and continue to speak out, support the media, support those he attacks, and resist the temptation to just give up.