General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow many DUers knew for sure that we were dealing with a pathological LIAR
when his foolish press secretary came out with that declaration of the biggest inaugural crowd PERIOD (as if everyone didn't know that was a total and complete lie).
It was a metaphor for those horrific years - 82 days to go.
phylny
(8,389 posts)We ALL knew.
Eliot Rosewater
(31,121 posts)from everyone he ever came in contact with.
You knew he never, ever, not once ever, tells the truth unless the truth works for him, and it NEVER does.
And on and on.
Here is the insane part, after everything everyone else has now seen, almost half of them still think he is a truth telling hero.
god help us
malaise
(269,187 posts)he may have pulled off the greatest Con in history. I still can't fathom how this happened.
maxsolomon
(33,400 posts)And the Right Wing Noise Machine groomed them for decades.
Then Trump stole the whole party out from under them.
malaise
(269,187 posts)He conned the ReTHUG Cons
Dorian Gray
(13,501 posts)They own this nonsense now.
ResistantAmerican17
(3,828 posts)Ilsa
(61,698 posts)Listened to the business news every morning. Even I knew his business acumen was overstated after hearing he bankrupted a freaking casino, even though his daddy had a bagman coming in once a week to buy chips.
musette_sf
(10,206 posts)and then vicariously followed Rump's awfulness via SPY Magazine.
We ALL knew.
Jersey Devil
(9,875 posts)but for some reason his antics were not known nationally.
2naSalit
(86,802 posts)malaise
(269,187 posts)versus other crowds?
2naSalit
(86,802 posts)It was the beginning of my being sure he'd try to pull off anything, have to admit that.
malaise
(269,187 posts)What a mess
2naSalit
(86,802 posts)calimary
(81,507 posts)SHEESH!
They're acting like they were literally born yesterday. Still starting from reset - after ALL these years and ALL this exposure and ALL this very-well-documented PROOF! From WAY before the campaign started! Those of us who covered him as basically a New York curio or loud flashy buffoon were onto him back in the 1980s. And because he was a big name, and kinda controversial, and knew how to manipulate and USE the media, we covered his divorce from Ivanka, AND his carrying on with/eventual marriage to Marla, AND his dallying with every cutie who bumped into him at Studio 54 or just about anywhere else. He was a big attention whore back then, too. And a big phony back then, too. And people fell for it. Mainly because they wanted to - and it was somehow regarded as entertaining.
Squinch
(51,021 posts)malaise
(269,187 posts)I knew what to expect from DUers but even that didn't prepare me for this.
Squinch
(51,021 posts)would just destroy everything.
On election night, I kept thinking I was going to throw up because I knew what was coming.
Meowmee
(5,164 posts)I knew a long time ago and I knew it would be this bad... I was physically ill election night because I knew how bad it would be... I already felt ill before that worrying it would happen. And it has been one long nightmare being held hostage by this lunatic... and his nutcase supporters... we didnt know covid was coming eventually.
Squinch
(51,021 posts)difference in terms of misery and lives lost.
I was worried about that too and destruction of the gov etc. It had already started with what Comey did and long before that in other ways.
malaise
(269,187 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)He declared himself to be an official enemy of America that day. I knew that if he got in, we'd be in the deepest trouble this Republic has ever faced.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)was a Nursing Teacher at John Hopkins and she had some juicy crap about the Old man and his Spawn. And that was many a year ago.
csziggy
(34,138 posts)UpInArms
(51,284 posts)He was a known liar and loser
unblock
(52,331 posts)So obvious, slapping a thin veneer of shiny gold colored something and then boasting as if it was the best building ever. He was always exaggerating, always boasting, always taking credit, always blaming others, always insisting he was the greatest ever and always racist as hell.
He talks slower these days but he was always a fount of crap
2naSalit
(86,802 posts)Stories about crooks get around.
mnhtnbb
(31,405 posts)Raven
(13,900 posts)I had people in my family who gave my relative chances upon chances upon chances until he almost destroyed them.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,480 posts)The way he acted and carried himself and his words were enough to convince me back then.
I was repulsed by him.
Thought he was gross back than but than again I hated raygun in the 80s too.
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)It's very hard to fold something 10 times!
[I wish I had popcorn]
BigDemVoter
(4,157 posts)He's been a liar and bullshitter always, but I never paid him any mind, as he was always so fucking tiresome, trying to get his ugly mug on the news.
sinkingfeeling
(51,474 posts)TheCowsCameHome
(40,169 posts)handmade34
(22,758 posts)years before he was elected...
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)but people who educated themselves even slightly are not its butts.
wryter2000
(46,082 posts)And when Trump repeated it over and over. Only a pathological liar would insist on anything so obviously, visibly untrue.
malaise
(269,187 posts)It's the same way we have this groundhog day - the daily shitshow where he repeats the identical lies day after day.
JHB
(37,162 posts)malaise
(269,187 posts)but he sure fooled a lot of people
JHB
(37,162 posts)The first bunch had 40 years of training to hate anybody who didn't cheerlead the conservative agenda, and the others didn't need training. They were giddy freelance trainers, long before the Russians added themselves to the mix.
eleny
(46,166 posts)His father, Fred, grew up in my neighborhood in Queens and the whole family had a bad reputation forever.
Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)appearance or some such and in those few minutes, if that, I was always glad he was NY's problem. Sorry, but true.
I had hopes he would be contained.
I turned the channel if it was an interview or some such. I'd groan if he was mentioned in a movie or a show.
Seemed like he was everywhere for a while there. The hype was mind boggling.
Never could tolerate him.
He has always been FOS. Always been a fool.
Never watched his show.
Now? I still wobble at the stupidity of his fans.
malaise
(269,187 posts)That was enough for me
spanone
(135,885 posts)malaise
(269,187 posts)Perfect
Awsi Dooger
(14,565 posts)He lied every week during the halftime interview of the Generals' game. Then he ruined the league by attempting to shift from spring to fall, misleading and lying to other USFL owners all the way.
$3 brain and less integrity
malaise
(269,187 posts)He really thought it would compete with the Tour de France. I had never seen it before. My jaw dropped.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)It also used a lot of services (lodging, food, drinks, etc). I wonder to this day how many cities and towns and agencies and small companies that got involved with him and that race got screwed when it was time to get paid. My guess is most, or all of them. Then he pawned it off on another owner and it lasted like a year.
Whiskeytide
(4,463 posts)... amusing then. But it certainly was a harbinger of what was to come.
But frankly, Stephen Millers rant on Face the Nation told me more about where these people were really headed. I noticed that they didnt let him out in public a lot after that.
[Warning - the clip below contains images of Stephen Miller]
https://m.
malaise
(269,187 posts)will not be questioned - although that didn't work so well
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)He is so going to get his comeuppence one of these days and it will be glorious. I so can't wait to see this little nazi smacked down hard!
safeinOhio
(32,727 posts)Spotted it right away. Text book example.
RobinA
(9,894 posts)I'm from SE Pa and knew of Trump. No real details, just that he was crass and a con man from what I read. During the primary campaign it became obvious that he had a narcissistic personality. First rule of personality disorders - personality is stable. Not the person is stable, the personality is stable. Meaning all this, "he'll straighten up if he's nominated," "he'll straighten up when he wins," "he'll straighten up when he takes office," etc., etc, was never going to happen. NEVER. I think I realized how bad he was when he mocked the disabled reporter from a stage in front of a camera. No one does that sort of thing. No one. Maybe in front of their friends after a couple of beers, but not like he did. That's when I realized that social norms had no effect on him, if he even knew what the social norms are, which he seems not to. A person unaffected by social norms? Very big trouble.
sarge43
(28,945 posts)malaise
(269,187 posts)with an absolute fucking lie about Kamala's eligibility
sarge43
(28,945 posts)As if Biden and Harris aren't ready for it. Moron's so predictable.
Soph0571
(9,685 posts)No-one would decide not to pick and it would be a far higher % than the Belarus Dictation got this week in the GE. But in this case they would be honest votes honestly counted. LOL.
shanti
(21,675 posts)not to be taken seriously, since the 80's. It's mind-boggling that so many were hoodwinked.
lpbk2713
(42,766 posts):raises hand/:
I saw him in the debates and knew he was a major league bullshit artist.
LymphocyteLover
(5,654 posts)Muslims on rooftops on 9/11 with no evidence and despite reports saying otherwise. Indeed, this lie led to him mocking the disabled reporter.
malaise
(269,187 posts)but this one was even more brazen
LymphocyteLover
(5,654 posts)Mr.Bill
(24,330 posts)of bullshit the first time I saw him on a talk show. Probably around the early to mid 70s.
Sloumeau
(2,657 posts)I read about his life, and he lied about everything. He has spent his life lying, cheating people out of money, and stealing people's money through fraud. He is in the Bernie Madoff category of liars and cheats.
Cozmo
(1,402 posts)We knew about this creep back in the '80's.
IcyPeas
(21,910 posts)malaise
(269,187 posts)I'm only surprised that he didn't walk out
CloudWatcher
(1,851 posts)What I never understood is why the press kept asking his opinion as if he was someone who's opinion should matter. He was always just a transparent con. When he got the GOP nomination I considered it a damning indictment of our education system. I'm still really depressed that he has so many supporters that believe his BS.
malaise
(269,187 posts)Who the hell gives a shit about this idiot's opinion.
mountain grammy
(26,655 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)I tried to sound the alarm, but Im just one person.
Progressive Jones
(6,011 posts)634-5789
(4,175 posts)Looked to my wife and said, Yep, we're soooo fucked.
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,858 posts)The "birther" nonsense was clearly dishonest, for starters.
I also read about him from prior biographers, people who were exposed to him for months, which revealed other aspects of his sick mind. The extreme narcissism, sociopathy, mental laziness and lack of reading, extreme vindictiveness toward minor slights at him, doubling-down on his mistakes no matter who ridiculous, etc. All of which has since been on full display and confirmed repeatedly.
About the only "positive" that I read was a biographer who said, "That's really him", in regard to prior speculations that Trump was pretending to behave certain ways as some kind of genius playing "3-D chess". So he was at least being genuine... a genuine monster!
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)had screwed said LIAR in flaming letters.
Traildogbob
(8,826 posts)He was an obvious scamming shit bag from the beginning. From all the previous threats to run, we all shoulda knew he is a bag of shit. He SCAMMED the most ignorant, with Fox and Rusty Limpballs and a flood of propaganda. He DID NOT scam that media or the GOP elected(???), Criminals. They all Knew he was a front man for their evil take over. GOP have been planning this for many years. Bush was a warning, that a fool up front gives cover for the evil GOP to destroy democracy, and the planet for wealth. All under the cloak of Jesus. This has been in the works at least since RayGun. They will NOT go quietly in the night, (A tactic they use well to fuck us all), and we must fight their bullshit with equal ferocity and tactics. They will stay back and send their brain deads to fight till death to keep their wealth. This is a dire point in our history, a point I believe at minimum equal to the civil war. THEY are willing to spill others blood, as they have for most of our wars for their profit. Buckle up, maybe even load up. The tea Lea is are in bold print. Not instigating violence, just prepare to protect yourself and family. Putin wins, or we fight. This soldier will take a stand, for my daughter at minimum.
barbtries
(28,811 posts)i knew he was dangerous the day i saw him going down the escalator. no, that's not true, i still thought he was a joke then. i knew he wasn't well at that point. had no idea he'd become the nominee let alone the president.
malaise
(269,187 posts)although I maintain to this day that he stole it and expect history to absolve me.
llmart
(15,555 posts)We've already learned plenty about how he had Russia interfere, but there were other shenanigans that we absolutely will eventually find out the truth of in the coming years.
malaise
(269,187 posts)I hope some of his people turn on him after he loses. More than that though, I hope the State of New York keeps him busy with trials for the rest of his remaining demented years.
phylny
(8,389 posts)to see the movie version.
I just want the truth but I'd also like to see the movie
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)So since at least 2000, but I would say even before that I was aware of him and knew he was a lying, cheating POS. How could any reasonable person not see him for who he was?
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)It's truly breathtaking how complete the brainwashing has been on these FOX automatons.
malaise
(269,187 posts)employees and all the fake businesses. I mean when you have to refund students for fraud and have your charity shut down for fraud, how on earth do people still believe you?
Look how many cities are still waiting to be paid for his rally costs. They must be lining up to sue him in January
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)2) they pawn it off on a liberal media desperate to smear their Chosen One.
malaise
(269,187 posts)at a time when all the details are available
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)They've been told to ignore any information that doesn't come from them. I'm looking at you, Rush Limbaugh. I'm looking at you FOX News.
And then, having brainwashed them and cut them off from genuine news, they continue to lie their asses off to perpetuate this propaganda.
So when information seeps out that exposes the right wing lies, the typical Republican can't cope with a disruption in their bubble. Really, one tiny little prick of the bubble and all of it explodes to high heavens. Their world is over.
That's why they don't listen. If they listen, their entire creed gets flushed down with the dirty stuff. The disillusionment alone makes lying to oneself a better alternative for them. And the cycle continues.
relayerbob
(6,558 posts)Time to fumigate the Oval Office, for sure!
paleotn
(17,989 posts)warmfeet
(3,321 posts)I learned very quickly, however.
Paladin
(28,276 posts)mnmoderatedem
(3,729 posts)but honestly, I NEVER envisioned things being THIS bad.
And never knew how far the GOP would go to enable this asshole.
malaise
(269,187 posts)THIS
That said they've been dropping hints like the country is a republic and not a democracy and their complete and total disrespect for the Democratic Party which they call Democrat Party Both were clear signs that they're OK with being a one party country.
They believe in democracy the same way their fundie churches believe in Christianity.
Joinfortmill
(14,467 posts)reACTIONary
(5,788 posts)Evolve Dammit
(16,778 posts)catbyte
(34,458 posts)to be his publicist "John Miller" way back in the early 1990s. I don't know why it stuck out so much to me at the time. I was in Michigan and he was a lame "businessman" in New York City but I remember thinking how pathetic he was.
I had no idea just how pathetic that thing really was.
LuckyLib
(6,820 posts)Flim-flamming, corruption, lying, scheming, and claiming to play with the big boys. Money from big laundering projects and of course Russia. Who could have thought this would work? Only Russian oligarchs and the Rethuglican party.
The truth
dmr
(28,349 posts)we were worried that by a fluke he might win, though we were certain that Hillary Clinton would be our next president. I'd worried about the possibility of him winning. My son made me feel better by reminding me about the checks and balances, that Congress would keep him in line..
Once it was determined Donald would be the next POTUS, my son's words kept a heartbroken me from going over the edge.
But we now know differently.
So the question about knowing Donald was a pathological liar. Is yes, I did know.
But if you ask if I'd known that more than 99% of the Republicans would betray their oath of office -- that's a huge NO!
I could never imagine the scenarios that have played out over the last 4 years.
malaise, it has been absolutely heartbreaking. And now, watching how he, and they plan to cheat by destroying the USPS at such record speed has me frightened to my core.
malaise
(269,187 posts)is painful - he will be stopped.
Bernie Sanders is destroying him on Anderson Cooper right now
electric_blue68
(14,946 posts)... I had many more things of Interest to me, and extra worries to pay that much attention to him.
I did know he was scummy, heard a bit about his rascism, and casinos going bust, saw ? parts of 2 eps of his Apprentice show. Then when he started that Obama "birther" BS, I thought here's a new level of crazy rascism, and anti-Democratic Party tactics (having already lived through Newt Gingrich's modalities).
Then hearing/seeing his lies about his Inauguration attendance numbers vs Obama's numbers (and I had been both '09 & '13 so was an eyewitness), I guess on some level I was like "uh, oh" now what. Then the evidence kept mounting fairly quickly especially his fondness for "Strongmen" governments.
malaise
(269,187 posts)He has to go
Cha
(297,723 posts)were on the birther trail to steal the wh.
betsuni
(25,645 posts)a lot of people chose to completely forget this and believe obviously easily debunked fake scandals about Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. They said about Hillary, "Oh, she's got baggage."
As I've said many times before, a child or pet could look at Trump in 2016 and know he was out of his mind.
Idiots.
Nasruddin
(754 posts)From outside, non NYC resident:
I think the lying could be guessed from his obvious malignant narcissism.
That it would be chronic, reflexive, and hemorrhagic - wow, surprise.
I didn't know that he was so stupid. I didn't get the Fran Lebowitz quote until recently
(https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/mar/20/fran-lebowitz-you-do-not-know-anyone-as-stupid-as-donald-trump)
But probably well known to NYCers.
I didn't know he was totally incompetent (this is different than stupid). He had a long history of problems but always seemed to come back. I didn't understand the role of enablers, especially for the very wealthy, until recently. Stuff I should've guessed or known, probably, but didn't.
I didn't expect him to be such a racist. He's from the north! But people who knew well his and his family's history in real estate probably could work that out.
betsuni
(25,645 posts)I'm from Washington State and have lived abroad for decades, but The Donald has been in the press for decades as an idiot conman. No need to be from New York! His bankruptcies and love life were extensively covered by tabloids and other press, even remember Melania's picture in Harper's Bazaar as Trump's "on-and-off-again girlfriend" (everyone knew what that meant). People give male celebrities the benefit of the doubt.
electric_blue68
(14,946 posts)... serious racists up North.
New Jersey was said to be a hotbed of racists.
I remember maybe 20 - 25 years ago using a payphone
in Greenwich Village ( "The Village" ), and stuck on the inside of the metal encasement that the phone was attached to was a little sticker - "NAAWP".
Which stood for "National Association for the Advancement of White People". A racist organization that I'm not sure is still around as it was back then.
So, yeah, a fair amount of racists up north, too.
tenderfoot
(8,438 posts)eom
malaise
(269,187 posts)They should have seen through all the fake shit
tenderfoot
(8,438 posts)He was to be the poster boy for Reaganism and that's how they presented him and proceeded to smooch his backside no matter how many of business his failures.
They own this, especially NBC.
spanone
(135,885 posts)Demsrule86
(68,696 posts)Fairfield County near New York. Trump is scum and always was. He bankrupted some of my Dad's friends, stiffed working guys sending one of my high school friend's Dad into bankruptcy in my home town. And later in the early 90's Trump stiffed my brother in a business deal. He has always been a liar and a grifter. He also was in bed with the mob.
Trump had filthy mouth too and once made obscene comments as my girlfriends and I went to have lunch in the plaza after seeing a Broadway play. I have seen construction workers with more class and better manners (and walking by construction workers was always like running a gauntlet in New York and other places). Trump was always a racist scumbag and those in the New York area knew this...the banks there stopped lending to him years ago. No one would do business with him.
malaise
(269,187 posts)He's a piece of work and not in a good way
electric_blue68
(14,946 posts)... your dad's friends, and your brother being on the other end of his greedy pathology!
.
May he yet get to wear that Orange Jumpsuit sometime in 2021, 2022 after all appeals have been exhausted!!!
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Back in the 1990s the Republican/RW leadership realized they would have to integrate and embrace women's rights or dwindle into an angry, obsolete white man's party. They chose a third way: to destroy the people's ability to control them through elections.
All the signs of their subversions of democracy were there in the 1990s and have accelerated alarmingly in this century. W was an authoritarian president whose administration both systematically and opportunistically smashed laws and institutions and transferred wealth and power to the ruling business/wealth classes the Republicans had been building ever since 1980.
Obama's elections were a huge setback to them, but their subsequent doubling down on what W was doing and their ferociously ruthless smashing of the will of the people should have awakened everyone to their intentions then.
Trump's election and takeover is an aberration they didn't plan, but by harnessing and directing much of his power have made extreme advances under anyway. And with the orange clown revealed as the Scary Clown, more are finally waking up. Just to him, though, is a terrible mistake.
malaise
(269,187 posts)I would add that the way in which ReTHUGs and media hacks set about using Democrat Party rather than Democratic Party was an attempt at destroying the legitimate opposition party and therefore the democratic process. Note how Pence and Fucker Carson deliberately mispronounce Kamala's first name.
These fuckers want power by any means and don't give a shit about democracy.
Take a good look at the way US governments have destroyed democracies overseas for the interests of corporations and wealthy interests. Sadly both parties have been involved in these imperialistic adventures.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)tactics for both taking over and keeping power. I'm fine being called "Democrat" for itself, I'm proud of it. And it makes them sound stupid. But of course you're right in that taunting the enemy is what aggressors do to get themselves worked up to attack.
Which always makes me think of what they'd be capable of if we couldn't stop them. At this point most of the the Scary Clown's Mean People would support genocide tomorrow (QAnon's becoming a quasi-religious crusade explicitly calling for murder of Democrats) if their leader had the power to order it. He doesn't. But on the 10 stages of genocide, with Trump inflaming what the hard right has morphed into over the prior 30 years, no matter how experts argue it, they are appallingly far along.
gulliver
(13,197 posts)As the lies kept pouring in, I saw Republicans in office basically saying, "Yeah, so? What are you gonna do about it, lefty?" That's when it dawned on me that muggers mug. Calling a mugger a liar is actually a compliment. The Republican Party is not just an enabler party, passively doing nothing. It's an accessory to a political mugging of the United States. That and a liar.
malaise
(269,187 posts)The Republican Party is not just an enabler party, passively doing nothing. It's an accessory to a political mugging of the United States. That and a liar.
nolabear
(41,991 posts)I spent election night in a houseful of fellow shrinks. The despair we felt over him getting within a mile of the WH was overwhelming. Its only gotten worse.
That's the truth