I’m not going to tell you anything about Donald Trump that you haven’t already read or heard in the last week.
I’ve got some thoughts on his disastrously juvenile debate against Joe Biden; and I have a theory around him saying that he has been infected with the Coronavirus.
All of that is irrelevant right now.
Instead, what I want to say about Trump has got to do with something that he repeats so often, that his supporters now use it as a way to instantly and automatically dismiss any criticism of their idol.
He has single-handed made it part of the global lexicon, even for those who simply use it jokingly.
Trump again repeated the catchphrase “fake news” a few times during last week’s debate.
What I want to know is this; since he is famous for his lawsuits, if it’s always “fake news,” then why doesn’t he just sue?
For example, in 2006, Trump filed a lawsuit against an author who wrote that he is at best a multi-millionaire, and nowhere close to being the billionaire that he claims.
It infuriated Trump, so he sued.
He lost both the initial lawsuit and the appeal, both of which would’ve cost him tons of money.
But the issue was obviously necessary, to take to the courts.
The point is, he could prove his “fake news” claims very easily, as the facts would be simple to prove to a judge.
And it would be a multi-faceted win; he’ll make millions from the settlement; he’d only have to do it once, because nobody would ever dare print “fake news” about him again; he would be vindicated and maybe even win over a few critics.
In other words, suing just one fake news story is an absolute no-brainer for Trump.
Unless he uses the phrase to appeal to the no-brainers.