Regarding the Presidential Address, Steve Benen has his list of top ten lies., which is useful in its reinforcement of the President’s relative consistency in lying; many liars are tripped up by their inconsistency, brought on by yielding to the impulse to lie when the truth is, at best, inconvenient to one’s ambitions[1].
His #1 bears repetition:
#1: “I negotiated directly with the drug companies and foreign nations, which were taking advantage of our country for many decades, to slash prices on drugs and pharmaceuticals by as much as 400%, 500% and even 600%.” This whopper claimed the top spot for me, because on top of the absurdity of the lie, one has to layer the fact this guy still doesn’t understand how numbers work.
That President Trump continues to make claims that would result in patients being paid to take drugs suggests he either considers his supporters to be dunderheads, or that his intellect has decayed to the point where he should be replaced.
It’s not a good look. Observers remarked that he appeared to be in a panic, which is certainly justified for the champion mendacity machine who’s finally failing in the face of reality. When will Vance dare to make his grab for glory? Does Trump have to drop in his tracks?
1 Robert Heinlein remarked, probably in his fiction, that there were two categories of lying. I forget the one, but the other was to tell the truth, but in such a way as to make it seem like a lie.
