It’s Not Just Trump

Some “facts” are more interesting than others. Welcome to the Twitter generation.

In a comment to yesterday’s post Rummuser gave us links to two videos claiming Trump can’t read:

and

In fact he does read, selectively. As long as the articles praise him: Here’s Where Donald Trump Gets His News.

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22 Responses to It’s Not Just Trump

  1. Rummuser says:

    In logic there is a fallacy called the fallacy of the composition, The world is falling into that fallacy seeing the present administration and generalising about the USA. Sad. The latest Der Spiegel has an interesting front cover.
    https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_small/public/thumbnails/image/2017/02/07/15/gettyimages-633904372.jpg

    • Jean says:

      Yes, great cover. Certainly all the protests show not all Americans agree with Trump. 🙂 It’s going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.

  2. tammy j says:

    great cartoon!
    back in the 60’s when I knew the birthdays of all my favorite movie stars…
    I remember my dad saying… now why can’t you remember algebra the same way?
    not a concept of just the millennials apparently!

  3. I taught ADHD kids for years. I’d bet dollars to doughnuts (does anybody say that anymore?) that Trump has a easily diagnosed disability. If he went to private school, which he no doubt did, he most likely would not have been tested. Just watching him struggle with the printed word, reminds me of the countless kids I have taught. Nothing wrong with people who have learning disabilities—they have many cognitive abilities, but they usually need help to navigate the expectations of our culture.

    • Jean says:

      The question is does Trump know he needs help? He trusts his instincts, which have served him well so far. Can he adapt to new circumstances?

  4. KB says:

    This is so scary. I find the arguments and examples compelling but I do wonder if there are counter-examples of him seeming to read. I’m no supporter of him but I have a scientific mind, and it is easy to cherry pick examples to fit your story. Let’s hope that he actually can read, for all of our sakes.

    • Jean says:

      Did you read my last sentence?

      In fact he does read, selectively. As long as the articles praise him: Here’s Where Donald Trump Gets His News.

      He clearly reads some things, and he’s been very successful as a businessman so he isn’t stupid. I too have a scientific mind and the purpose of this post was to refute the two videos.

      I’m not against everything Trump is trying, but I am concerned about his lack of respect for the idea of checks and balances. He’s used to being in charge, and seems to want the president to have complete power. We shall see if I’m right, and if so whether he succeeds in getting it. Fingers crossed!

  5. nick says:

    He certainly seems to have a lot of difficulty reading. When asked to read things, he seems to be baffled and making excuses for not reading. I imagine a lot of things are summarised for him by his staff.

  6. Looney says:

    Business men generally get news in a way that is different from the rest of us. There was another related observation from a NYT commentator that well characterizes the current climate: “Some thing are true even if Trump believes them”.

    • Jean says:

      There’s an old saying in Congress, once something is said three times then it’s a fact. The interesting thing is a recent poll says more people believe Trump is more truthful than the news media.

      At least the Ninth Circuit didn’t take his administration’s statements as truth. They wanted evidence — real facts. That’s encouraging.

    • Looney says:

      The 9th circuit had exactly zero jurisdiction to rule on the case, so Trump didn’t need to present any evidence. Foreigners who reside abroad do not have rights under the US constitution. They were simply violating the separation of powers in order to preserve the Obama legacy.

    • Jean says:

      ??? Why would Clifton, an appointee of George W. Bush and a moderate conservative, want to preserve the Obama legacy?

      Presumably this is just the start, it could go to the Supreme Court or the Trump administration could issue a less sloppy ban, or both, or…?

    • Jean says:

      Also, the ban originally seemed to affect green card holders who were visiting abroad. Then the government said they weren’t going to apply that part. Trust us. Yeah, sure. That’s as bad as Obama when he said he wouldn’t prosecute marijuana users in states that had legalized its use. Bad laws.

    • Looney says:

      “Moderate conservative” means “leftist” and they hate Trump as much as anyone. The original green card certainly wasn’t sensible, but that wasn’t what the 9th circuit ruled on.

    • Looney says:

      I believe the original claim was that a foreign student had been admitted to a local college, and Trump’s rule would inconvenience that student. The judge ruled in effect that the admissions rules of a random college had greater standing than federal immigration law, and therefore local judges have greater standing than the president of the US to oversee border issues. As I said, this is purely an unconstitutional grab at power by lawless judges.

    • Jean says:

      The State of Washington argued some of its residents, and its economy and universities, were hurt by the ban. The courts said there was no compelling evidence that the executive order needed to be enacted right away. Just put it off until the courts (presumably the Supreme Court) could rule on the matter.

    • Jean says:

      Yes, it’s well known he has trouble staying on topic. Some of the members of his administration are trying to straighten up some of the messes he has made.

  7. Cathy in NZ says:

    it’s certainly baffling…

    I love it (well not love it) when he says “i didn’t bring my glasses…” and then someone comments “but he has never seen with glasses”.

    then there are his extraordinary statements and signing off things, way off IMHO. I know he wants to fix USA up, or something but his way seems very off-edge, not a professional who happens to be part of a governing body.

    to me that’s a telling notion that something “ain’t right”

    (Watch out America, next thing we see we are now going to legalise our country to be re-named “Trump”)

    • Jean says:

      It is interesting to watch! He’s used to being in charge, but when you’re president not everyone goes along with what you want to do.

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