Trump and the Art of the Bullshitter

32 snips

Nov 2, 2024

Eli Lake, a journalist dissecting the relationship between Americans and political bullshitters, teams up with magician and author Penn Jillette to navigate the intricate realm of communication in politics. They explore how Trump embodies modern bullshitting, weaving extravagant narratives that captivate audiences. Jillette differentiates between lying and bullshitting, shedding light on the cultural history of deception from P.T. Barnum to today. Together, they unravel the blurring lines between reality and illusion in American politics, revealing a troubling acceptance of deceit.

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ANECDOTE

Liars vs. Bullshitters

Harry Frankfurt distinguishes liars, constrained by truth, from bullshitters, who can construct any panorama of beliefs.
Trump, like a bullshitter, paints a desired reality, not the actual one.

INSIGHT

Bullshit in America

American culture and economy are pervaded by bullshit.
Bullshit is dangerous in science but essential, albeit unsavory, in politics.

ANECDOTE

Barnum and the Art of Spectacle

P.T. Barnum, like Trump, often professed belief in his own bullshit.
Audiences, much like those at magic shows, are often complicit in the deception, enjoying the spectacle.

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Bullshit is an American tradition. Think the theatrics of P.T. Barnum, miracle products sold ad nauseam on television in the 1980s and, of course, politicians. Who can forget President Bill Clinton saying “It depends upon what the meaning of the word is is” during his grand jury testimony in the Monica Lewinsky scandal?

And then there’s Donald Trump. He presents as a man with no fact-checking filter, someone happily buying his own convenient bullshit. That’s not quite the same thing as lying.

That isn’t to say Trump doesn’t lie. He’s a politician, after all. But he exists outside the binary of truth and lies. It’s the netherworld of flimflam, hyperbole, sales pitches, and ad copy delivered with all the quiet dignity of a wet T-shirt contest. Donald Trump is a very modern artist, weaving a barrage of anecdotes, fake and real statistics, gossip, and memes into a nebulous and suggestive species of patter.

Democrats have tried to paint Trump as an American Hitler, a Russian agent, a man consumed with evil and hatred. But what they fail to understand is that Trump’s casual relationship to the truth is an echo of past politicians. He is hardly the first bullshitter to ascend to the White House; he’s just the best ever to do it. He paints a picture of a reality he would like us to see, not as it really is.

In this respect, Trump is the crack cocaine variant of many of his predecessors. Ronald Reagan was a folksy, sentimental bullshitter, a president as a Hallmark greeting card. Bill Clinton was a slick bullshitter, perfect for spinning stories at the dawn of the cable news era.

Today, Eli Lake explores the soft spot that Americans have for bullshitters like Trump, and their disdain for liars like Richard Nixon. He argues that if you want to understand why Trump may be on the verge of winning the White House again, you have to reckon with our country’s relationship to the pungent brown stuff. It pervades everything from our economy to our culture. Bullshit is dangerous when it comes to science. But in politics, bullshit is sadly essential.

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