White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Saturday accused the media of misrepresenting the crowd at Donald Trump’s inauguration in order to dampen enthusiasm for the event, getting some numbers wrong himself in the process.
“This was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period,” Spicer said with emphasis. “Both in person and around the globe.”
He accused the media of “deliberately false reporting” both with regard to photos of the crowd that were published as well as crowd estimates.
“No one had numbers. Because the National Park Service, which controls the National Mall, does not put any out,” Spicer said.
“These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are shameful and wrong,” he added.
Spicer took no questions after delivering his remarks. [emphasis mine]
Of course, he took no questions. Trump sent him out to deliver a spanking. He also sent Spicer out to flat-out lie.
I get how this constant lying worked in the primary and the general. Bullying opponents lends itself to a he said/he said/she said dynamic. During that time, the press left countering Trump’s lies to his opponent (and shame on them for that).
But how does this work when he isn’t a candidate – when he’s president? Is he going to fight with everyone (that does seem to be the plan)? Trump does better going one on one with a rival, where he can personalize his attacks. How does he bully organizations, protestors and over half of the country effectively?
Sure, his hard core supporters will stand firm – they always do – but what about everyone else? How do you get people to believe that “This was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period. Both in person and around the globe.” when they can see the truth?
From The Hill:
The tongue lashing was puzzling to reporters at the White House. Previous administrations have focused their public statements on policy changes they hoped to enact in their earliest days.But Trump and Spicer’s comments are a sign they plan to continue the same battle with the media they waged during the 2016 campaign.“I’m here to tell you that it goes two ways,” Spicer told members of the media. “We’re going to hold the press accountable as well.”
It’s this pettiness, this lying about everything, the over-the-top statements, the blatant threats that spells trouble for the Trump administration. Good liars not only know how to lie, they know when to lie.
It’s also this creepy obsession with size. Freud would have a field day.
I’ve seen an assortment of salesmen resort to this tactic, endless lies and more to come when their found out. As noted how will the endless lie strategy play beyond his rabid base, would suspect not at all, also suspect at some point Spicer will be torn apart and humiliated. Remember, the con man game only works when you can go to another town and start again, there is no other place to go now for Trump. He’s the president now and petty attacks, smears and slanders are not going to work well and probably not work at all.
This is the key: “the con man game only works when you can go to another town and start again, there is no other place to go now for Trump.”
All cons have an end, and a good con man sees when people start recognizing/questioning the con – and then packs up and leaves as quickly as possible, usually in the dead of night.
But… while I definitely think Trump is a con man, I don’t think he’s the one running this con. Bannon is running it. Trump is, yet again, someone’s puppet.
Bannon does indeed reek of evil and he may well be spoon feeding Trump at this point, but if Trump’s a puppet he’s a rather poor one that cannot be relied upon. And if it is revealed that Bannon is pulling the strings I can well imagine it as the beginning of impeachment. And a real one at that.
I’m not sure impeachment isn’t part of Bannon’s plans (down the road). He knows Trump’s agenda/promises can’t be fulfilled and impeachment (or even the threat of impeachment) would = chaos. I’m in a dark place right now.
But, how do you get passed the notion that millions of people truly and utterly do not care about facts. They will blindly support him because to not do so would be admitting their judgement is flawed, and perhaps their character. How far down do we have to get before the hoardes of Trumpistas realize just how bad he is, or is there a bottom?
I guess we need 80,000 voters in three states?
Trump’s, as well as the GOP’s, playing field has changed. The party of No and President “everything sucks” Trump now have to govern. People may have followed the spectacle of the primaries/general and cheered the rhetoric, but when rhetoric turns into people losing their health insurance and jobs not coming back no amount of lying will alter that reality.
Governing is hard. And it’s going to be difficult to blame Obama or Hillary for people’s loss of health insurance, access to PP, and jobs not coming back. It’s really difficult to take things away and then blame the people who gave you those things in the first place.
Anyone remember Nancy Pelosi’s narrative on the GOP Culture of Corruption? That narrative worked (because it was true) and synced up with lots of news stories on GOP self-dealing. This narrative would never work on the GOP base, but there were enough “moderates” and swing voters who were appalled enough to hand over the House and Senate to Dems the next cycle. (Thank you Howard Dean!) Current gerrymandering makes that harder, but there are enough moderates and swing voters to do some damage. The Trump project, of course, if to create its own narrative that the media hates them and cannot be trusted to report accurately on him. <a href=”Trump’s real war isn’t with the media. It’s with facts.But that is because they badly need to delegitimatize facts.
My biggest concern is that facts will cease to exist. I don’t mean in reality, but in the acceptance of the majority. Once all news sources are deemed unreliable and liars by the leader of our country, it is slippery slope to a pure propaganda feed 24/7. I’m sure Bannon would love that.
We share the same fear. My only hope is that once Trump and the GOP actually have to start governing, all the spin in the world won’t bring back your health insurance. So far they’ve all talk, let’s see how their lying works when up against their actions.