How It’s Done

For whatever reason, it has always been difficult for people to call out Trump’s lies. In the early days of his presidency, it was, perhaps, understandable because we were so unprepared for an American leader who lied repeatedly, shamelessly, and obviously. Americans were used to respecting the office, if not the person holding it at the moment; it was uncomfortable to utter the words “president” and “lies” in the same sentence. Of course, that did not last for many of us, but even today, you will see people sugarcoat the lies Trump tells. Whether it’s fear of the punch back, a sense of polite reticence, or something else, Trump continues to cast his lies across the waters, often with little pushback.

The Washington Post’s Fact Checker estimated Trump made 30,573 “false or misleading claims,” as they termed it, while he was in office. And the rate accelerated over time. Almost half of Trump’s lies came in the final year of his term in office. He started with claims of excessive crowd size on inauguration day, leading his advisor Kellyanne Conway to coin the term “alternative facts,” which was an attempt by the people handling him to reframe Trump’s lies. Instead, it became a mantra on the left, watching first in surprise and then in horror as Trump was permitted to spew lies without any check from people in his own political party.

Among the many lies the Post’s Fact Checker documented are the following:

• The coronavirus would disappear on its own, along with pitching bogus cures;

• Trump created the best economy in U.S. history;

• Caravans of criminals were approaching the southern border every time an election loomed;

• Trump passed the biggest tax cuts of any president;

• A modified map altering the scientific assessment of a hurricane’s path in Sharpie marker, and of course, the biggest lie;

• The 2020 election was rigged, and Trump lost due to fraud.

Trump, unchecked, has been free to repeat those lies over and over again, even when the falsehood has been thoroughly exposed and his claims debunked. So it was refreshing to read that Judge Merchan was having none of that in court in Manhattan Friday morning. On Thursday, Trump lied, telling a gathering of reporters outside of the courtroom where he is on trial that he would not be able to take the stand and testify in his own defense, because of the gag order imposed by Judge Merchan. Of course, that’s a lie. Trump has been promising he would testify—perhaps he was looking for a way to walk that back as the reality of being on trial settled in. But Trump was peddling trash in classic fashion, blaming the Judge and lying about the gag order.

Judge Merchan got right to the point Friday morning in court, before the jury was brought in. He told Trump the gag order “does not prohibit you from taking the stand.” He continued, “As the name of the order indicates, it only applies to extrajudicial statements.” That means Trump is only limited in statements he makes outside of the courtroom. In other words, Trump is free to testify in court; the choice is his.

Judge Merchan undoubtedly knew Trump didn’t need to have him explain the gag order to him. Trump has excellent lawyers who are well aware of this. Trump had even walked back his Thursday comments with reporters as he walked into the courthouse Friday morning. But the Judge took the issue on directly, not giving Trump a pass for the rollback, because after all, with the clip still out there, what do you think Trump’s base is going to see and hear where they get their news? And how many times have we heard Trump continue to repeat a debunked lie? So Judge Merchan told Trump he had learned that there might be a “misunderstanding,” and he wanted to clear it up. He did that, advising Trump clearly that he has an absolute constitutional right to testify. That’s it, just like that. The authority Trump was lying about refused to bend the knee and called Trump on the lie.

Republican political leaders who have never mastered this art should take note. This is how it’s done.

It's crucial that we share this information with Trump supporters and others in our circles. The Judge, whom Trump has often criticized and called “conflicted,” has made it unequivocally clear that Trump has constitutional rights, including the right to testify, and the Judge is committed to protecting them. By sharing this, you can help spread awareness about the truth.

We’re in this together,

Joyce