… and agree to treat President-elect Trump in a singular way. This occurred to me as I was reading Steve Benen discussing, One More Time (yeah, I’m crabby about it now), how Trump likes to lie. In this case, it’s about all the illegal votes supposedly cast against him:
… it was just last week when the president-elect raised questions about the validity of his own election, insisting via social media that he secretly won the popular vote he lost “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”
A wide variety of Republican officials, each of whom know Trump was lying, have defended the falsehood. Vice President-elect Mike Pence went so far as to say it’s “refreshing” to hear Trump speak his mind, even when he’s making demonstrably false claims.
But now we have evidence that even the president-elect’s lawyers have no use for their client’s dishonesty. Trump may claim there were “millions” of fraudulent ballots cast, but Trump’s legal filings say the exact opposite.
Trump’s attorneys went on to complain in its filing that Jill Stein “aims to sow doubts regarding the legitimacy of the presidential election.” And that, evidently, is problematic – because it’s Donald Trump’s job to sow doubts regarding the legitimacy of the presidential election.
The interviewers would agree to a simple protocol. During the interview, on his first attempt to assert a whopper, the interviewer stands up, and politely says, “That’s a self-serving lie, Mr. Trump. That’s unacceptable in a President. You are dismissed from this interview. Leave now.” And then have him escorted out while the interviewer turns his back.
Yep. Shame him. Note that self-serving is emphasized; I can accept that a President lies for purposes of foreign relations, although I would hope such a tactic is used sparingly. But for self-aggrandizement? To make himself feel better about his second-place finish in the popular vote?
Shame him.
It may not correct his behavior, but it would certainly make me feel better.
And for the interviewer who worries about losing access to someone who thinks he’ll soon be the most powerful person on Earth, just remember: Donald Trump is just another American citizen. Temporarily, he has a little more power, a little more influence. But it excuses nothing. Just as we might do this to our neighbor, it should be done to him.
