Who Needs AI-Driven Mis- and Dis- Information When Direct Lying Works Better?

Who Needs AI-Driven Mis- and Dis- Information When Direct Lying Works Better?

Donald Trump on Steroids

“If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.”

Donald Trump March 16th.

Whether it’s “little” things like describing his 10k square foot Trump Tower apartment as 30k square feet or testifying under oath at a 2021 deposition that he and his companies have a growing pool of cash over $400M and later telling a New York court he is unable to post a bond in roughly the same amount (it would still be his unless he loses) to enable an appeal, under the kindest interpretation possible, Trump is prone to hyperbole. But whether is the Big Lie (the “stolen election” which has been judicially refuted hundreds of times), calling January 6th convicted felons (often before juries and judges he appointed) “patriots” and “hostages,” telling gullible students that Trump University would make them real estate experts (a $25M fine was paid under that fraudulent claim) or that he never met E. Jean Carroll (despite multiple court findings to the contrary), the millions of MAGA faithful believe their “only I can fix it” God-mandated leader’s of America, every word. They even recreate a non-existent glorious era of Trump-era economic successes to bolster their faith in his leadership… and are willing to repeal democracy to push Trump back into the presidency.

It is in the fertile universe where lies are accepted as immutable facts or, for the more skeptical, “that just his way of speaking.” But if his followers will believe these obvious lies, those international election interferers (China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, etc.) are gleeful… hell-bent on destroying American credibility and influence in the world, enabling Trump’s proclivity towards admiring dictators and isolating the United States from international involvement; to them, it is indeed like shooting fish in a barrel. Conspiracy theories are the language of MAGA voters, QAnon is real, grooming is pervasive in our schools, there is a deep state running the country (just not Trump’s deep state) and Democrats are Jew-hating, socialist/leftist radicals who need to be rooted out of any semblance of political power, their senior leaders arrested to face the “retribution” Trump has promised.

On rare occasions, where he does not deploy his autocratic special “double down,” Trump will either let a topic he raised – like cutting Social Security and Medicare – slip into the ether not to be repeated with a reverse accusation (“Your Social Security is going to be gone,” Trump warned of a Biden second term), or simply explain it away with simple interpretative lie. Like that “bloodbath,” a very clear invitation to his followers to resort to violence should lose the election, was “intended” only to apply environmental regulations that would stop the growth of electric vehicles and reflects what a Biden presidency would do to our economy. Really? Stand back and stand by!

For those of us in California, which would be the fourth largest economy on Earth if it were a separate country – largely self-sufficient in oil and gas, agricultural output, massive private investment capital, educational institutions among the finest in the world and a leader in cultural creativity – Trump’s massive lies about us and a pledge to rip the fabric of our state into shreds, if elected, is terrifying.

“In his quest for a second presidential term, Donald Trump has repeatedly cast California as a dire cautionary tale, attributing its challenges to the governance under Democratic policies. Labeling the state as a failing dystopia, Trump has not held back in his criticisms, ranging from accusing the state of water mismanagement that supposedly leaves even the wealthy in Beverly Hills with insufficient water for basic needs, to outlandishly claiming Governor Gavin Newsom offers migrants lavish incentives to relocate to California—a claim without any basis in reality.

“Trump's critique extends to alleging draconian measures by the state, such as child seizure for sterilization, further demonizing Governor Newsom with derogatory nicknames and portraying California as emblematic of national decline. This rhetoric, although aligning with a broader Republican narrative that views California as disconnected from American values, is underscored by Trump's ambitious plans to reshape California's policies dramatically should he return to office.

“Promising a sweeping use of presidential power, Trump aims to dismantle state laws on various fronts, including immigration, energy, environmental protection, and law enforcement. With plans to enact ‘the largest domestic deportation operation in American history’ and revoke renewable energy initiatives, Trump's vision for California signals profound conflicts with the state's Democratic leadership. Moreover, proposals to limit California's autonomy over emissions standards and water management, alongside aggressive law enforcement strategies, highlight the potential for escalated tensions between federal and state governance.” Stevie H Ball in the March 19th Newsbreak.com. That California pays a whole lot more in federal taxes than the federal benefits it receives, quite the opposite in a majority of red states, slips under the radar. If the rest of the United States had California’s assets and laws, we would be in vastly better shape.

What is amazing to me is the number of Republicans who have referred in the past to Trump as “dangerous,” “a liar,” “a lunatic,” as the former President faces a litany of criminal indictments never before faced by any American president, are now endorsing Trump and referring to him as a “great American.” Nobody in the body elected GOP officials – it’s really now just the MAGA Party – seems to be willing to defy Trump on much of anything. And we know that dictators rely heavily on the rubber stamp of their legislators, who understand the perils of crossing their fearless leader. Maybe Vladimir Putin can instruct Trump on how to conduct a popular election or Xi Jinping can inform him how to dispose of term limits. Stalin and Hitler have provided more than a few examples of “only I can fix it” leadership. Viktor Orban is already giving the MAGA world his instruction manual.

I’m Peter Dekom, and the reality of foreign election interference pales in comparison to domestic conspiracy theorists and out-and-out liars working from within.