Poll: When Trump says something, can we trust that it's real, reporter asks

[HomerJS]

IMO reporter finally asks long overdue question. Essentially it was, "How do we know if this guy is lying to us or is he delusional?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/sean-spicer-gets-heated-exchange-202639839.html

The reporters quote was...

'When he says something, can we trust that it's real

which sounds like either he is a liar or crazy.

I'm sure there are those who think this was an unwarranted question by the media so I would like to know who agrees with the premise of the question.

 

[justoh]

I mean, if we see clear video footage of him saying something, then it's probably real. I don't think even the fake news media would go so far as to fake footage, and it would be difficult to produce something like that convincingly.

 

[crashtech]

Presidents always lie, this one happens to make a rather lurid show of it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The problem is, over and over trump says or tweets something like:

"The world is FLAT! Obama used a giant space steamroller! SAD!"

If you take that at face value, then of course he's lying. But if you change the meaning of all of the words because "he did not mean it literally" then you can find "the true intentions in his heart":

"I saw a photograph of the Earth taken from the Moon. It looked nice!"

See? Not lying at all!

 

[Younigue]

He won't take the job or the people seriously. His disdain extends to the majority of the human race. No, he doesn't deserve trust of any kind nor is he at all interested in earning it.

 

[brycejones]

I mean, if we see clear video footage of him saying something, then it's probably real. I don't think even the fake news media would go so far as to fake footage, and it would be difficult to produce something like that convincingly.

whoosh

If you jump fast enough you might catch things before they fly over your head.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

It's hard to know if Trump is lying. If he is mentally unable to identify reality from fantasy he may be saying untruths which believes as he makes them up.

Hmm, maybe lying is better.

 

[alien42]

I mean, if we see clear video footage of him saying something, then it's probably real.

even when what he said is proven to be completely false and an outright lie?

 

[MomentsofSanity]

even when what he said is proven to be completely false and an outright lie?

You miss that he is being completely literal in the sense that video of Trump saying something is "proof he said it". Thus we can trust that it's real (the fact that he made the statement).

He's dodging the factual matter entirely.

 

[Younigue]

It's hard to know if Trump is lying. If he is mentally unable to identify reality from fantasy he may be saying untruths which believes as he makes them up.

Hmm, maybe lying is better.

I think that is absolutely happening but I don't think the man ever loses sight of the fact he lies. He's proud of it and sees it as an ingenious tool to control and manipulate. If only we fools would all play by his rules and agree with him solely based on him being him.

 

[justoh]

even when what he said is proven to be completely false and an outright lie?

Do you even relevant?

 

[Jaskalas]

When he says something, can we trust that it's real?

I'll link my answer from Oct 20th, 2016.

When the first debate happened it became pretty clear what I had seen. Trump is a babbling buffoon on a short script. He has never spoken in substance on an issue that he did not rehearse, and that's a short list. Lately he's employed GOP dog whistles on guns, abortions, trickle down... he doesn't know how to debate. He doesn't know how to sway people...

He's also proven to be a liar, IMO, by promising everything to everyone. Even when they are contradictory. I mean, we know... I could just go on, but there are strong substantive reasons Donald Trump should not be President. Sitting down to and listening to him in the debates, painful as that was, made it perfectly clear. So I moved from neutral to opposed.

 

[woolfe9998]

Whether or not he's deliberately lying in every case, or has actually convinced himself of his own bullshit is irrelevant to the reporter's question. So much of what Trump says is quite obviously false. The question is almost rhetorical. It answers itself.

 

[Commodus]

You pretty much have to assume that everything he says is false. If he doesn't like data that contradicts him, he claims the data is either false or doesn't matter (see climate science, inauguration crowd sizes or the CBO report on how disastrous the AHCA is likely to be).

It's always hilarious to hear the Trump apologists here claiming that Clinton would've been a disaster, but she's a bastion of honesty and integrity compared to Trump. Even if you assume the worst, she would have at least accepted science, and wouldn't dismiss contradictory data out of hand.

 

[stormkroe]

Once they pass a Brady-bill-like law that requires journalists to wait 10 days for Trump to zero in on what he actually meant (or be told by handlers what he actually meant) this whole emotional roller coaster will smooth out.

 

[Phokus]

Presidents always lie, this one happens to make a rather lurid show of it.

I don't think NORMAL presidents intentionally lie. They may say things that aren't true, but maybe that got bad info from someone. They may try to twist the truth a little. Maybe they were put on the spot with a question and incorrectly stated something from memory. Once in a while they might tell a complete lie. But this president makes a sport of how often and how big a lie he can tell just for shits and giggles.

 

[crashtech]

I don't think NORMAL presidents intentionally lie. They may say things that aren't true, but maybe that got bad info from someone. They may try to twist the truth a little. Maybe they were put on the spot with a question and incorrectly stated something from memory. Once in a while they might tell a complete lie. But this president makes a sport of how often and how big a lie he can tell just for shits and giggles.

I think your glasses might have a bit of a rosy tinge, but I won't argue it. My opinion is that most Presidents do their lying with decorum and most do so with the greater good in mind... most of the time. Too many qualifiers, lol.

 

[fskimospy]

There's a simple answer: no, you can't trust that it's real. Some things are and some things aren't, and the only way to know when one isn't is when he suddenly declares it so later.

It sucks, but we all know it's true.

 

[Younigue]

He isn't walking a thin line, he's already there. No reason to trust anything he says because the lies are too plentiful to ever give him the benefit of the doubt. No reason to give any credence to his translators either for the same reason. But then everything about this guy paints the picture... paint by numbers if you will... trustworthiness is not his goal, not his aim or anything he cares to maintain or obtain. He's lived in a world his entire life where trustworthiness and likability have nothing to do with one another and now that he's having to face the reality of this reality show he's currently starring in he'd very much like to force us to like him while he lies and dismantles us. He doesn't need our trust, just obedience. Seriously, it's not a legitimate question to this Administration. They hold anyone who trusts them with just as much disdain as they do the lefties.

 

[Victorian Gray]

even when what he said is proven to be completely false and an outright lie?

He's playing word games.

 

[Linux23]

Is water wet?