From the mouth (or fingers) of a person who is well known and documented from multiple sources for presenting untruthful statements, yet one more statement is making the rounds this morning. S.V. Date wrote an article in the HuffPost called “Trump Blames Mike Pence For Jan. 6 Violence For Not Going Along With His Coup Attempt.” The article can be linked to below, but here are the first two paragraphs.
“Donald Trump, whose coup attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, put his vice president’s life at risk as a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol, on Monday blamed Mike Pence for the violence that day because he didn’t go along with the scheme.
‘Had he sent the votes back to the legislators, they wouldn’t have had a problem with Jan. 6,’ the former president told reporters on a flight to an Iowa campaign stop. ‘So in many ways, you can blame him for Jan. 6.'”
Really? This is the former president admitting that a coup happened and it was his scheme that his vice-president did not go along with. I think both the state of Georgia and US Attorney General need to go ahead and release their indictments against the former president. They are taking way too long.
People died because of this person. People who believed this BS have gone to jail for this person. A pseudo-news network has at least a half-dozen people, including the owner, who admitted the former president’s claims of election fraud were BS. And, people have damaged their careers for supporting the lies of this person.
To me this is yet another admission of guilt by the former president. He will likely do the following over the next two news cycles. He will back away from the comment, in part, as his attorneys will advise him to do so. Then, he will see that is not playing well with his MAGA base and double down on his statement of admitting his guilt. He will think how tough he looks.
Yet, just taking this “tough guy” persona one step further. A tough guy does not blame others, which the former president does often. “They just don’t like me” or “They are just being mean to me” are common refrains. Or, my personal favorite is when he finally came clean and said President Obama was born in the US after offering proof several times, Donald J. Trump said the following, “It is Hillary Clinton’s fault” for his pushing the birther issue for over two years. Really?
False bravado is fake bravery. It is beating on your chest to say how tough you are. In my view, the ones who are truly brave and courageous don’t need to tell you they are.
musingsofanoldfart 
This Trump action
is truly unbelievable and I hope that we never again see another trump styled pollie in any country anywhere in the world. I couldn’t see how Aussies would swallow this kind of tripe that Trump peddles. Perhaps we have a longer BS antenna but charismatic figures can be persuasive and Trump utilized his television persona to its fullest. Bravado is mistaken for strength by fools.
Amanda, well said. To me, Trump’s untruthful and bullying banter is overt and inane. He is good at one thing, selling himself. Sadly, too many people here bought and are still buying his BS. Keith
I still hope those people will find clarity and see sense, in time. And Trump is not immortal.
Amanda, and that may be our saving grace, the person in question is not immortal. It reminds me of an old Bob Dylan song called “Masters of War.” There is a line about going to the funeral making sure the war mongerers were actually dead. Keith
Just like Bob to come up with that line. And there were many who believed Elvis was not dead. I hope Trump’s followers are a few too many sandwiches short of the picnic to keep the dream alive.
“Bravado is mistaken for strength by fools.” How perfectly stated … and how very true!
Thanks Jill. To be frank, words like brave, tough, strong et al are not top of mind words to define the former president. Keith
My pleasure, Keith. No, I can think of no positive attributes I would apply to him. He is, in my book, one of the worst examples of the human species.
Thanks, Jill, and I sometimes wonder why that is! Are these folk so transfixed and blinded by persuasive charisma? Do they refuse to see the bigger picture?
I think they see only what they want to see, and the rose-coloured glasses keep them from seeing the rest. I always laugh when somebody points to his ‘charisma’, for in my eyes there is nothing charismatic about him whatsoever.
I do agree with you, Jill. I see only a buffoon that is the subject of derision and memes.
Jill, Amanda, the person in question is the kind of person you would not want to work for. He would take all the credit for the good and blame others for the bad. In the book “Fear” by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Woodward, he speaks of staff walking on egg shells around him as he manages by fear and is so mercurial. One of our blogging friends’ husband worked for Trump and said he fired the husband six times, but he kept forgetting he did so. Keith
Agreed. I wouldn’t have lasted one day in his employ, for as you know, I’m mouthy and outspoken! I’m surprised he was able to maintain any staff either in his businesses or when he was in the Oval Office! Yes, I know the friend you are referring to and remember him telling us about that.
Jill, his turnover rate in the White House staff was signficant. His mercurial nature reminds me of a story a colleague told me about having an office next to his explosive boss. He said when his boss stormed out of his office, he could not pivot quickly enough to come in his office and fume, so his neighbor next door got more such visits. Knowing his boss, this was quite funny. Keith
Hi Amanda,
Most Canadians do not believe a word Trump says (except when he self-incriminates, as suggested above). However, those who believe him cannot be swayed, even by the truth. While I cannot see anyone ever believing anything he utters, he has utterly convinced some people that he is the most honest person in the world. Honestly, what kind of power does he have over his MAGAts?
It’s bad enough Americans worship him. Canadians have no reason to follow in their footsteps. We are supposed to be reasonable people!
Rawgod, thanks for the Canadian context. I often think of how ironic it is that a populist movement can be sustained by the most self-centered, egotistical person they could find. To me at the heart of this movement, just as it was with Senator Joe McCarthy, is fear. These so-called leaders get people to fear something and sell the idea of a solution. Keith
Yeah, fear is a good motivator. But anyone with half a brain realizes the thing we should be most afraid of is fear itself. Anyone pushing a policy of fear should be more feared than their target!
Agreed on all counts. It is not surprising both Senator McCarthy and Trump were influenced by attorney Roy Cohn, who said to Trump “Never apologize and sue everyone.” Keith
So they admire Trump’s outspokenness, bullishness and misogynist, egotisitic leanings. Have they never studied history? They must be extremely insecure.
Only the minority. But that minority seems to exist all 9ver the world.
I have on my met one here, thankfully.
You are lucky. There are not rare where I live, in the middle of “their” territory. But stupid as it sounds, it is a safe place to fight them from…
Yes I suppose you can hope to influence them when they cross your path. I haven’t had much luck with doing that online.
It is not possible to influence them with words. I role model. But with Covid still high in my anti-vax area, I don’t go out much anymore. Some of they would rather die than admit they were naive, or must plain wrong!
Amanda, it is OK to be outspoken, but one has to know more about the subjects before the opine. I was sharing on another post response that I have never been surprised by Trump’s lying, bullying and shallow ego. What has surprised me most is how far beneath lies what he actually knows versus what he portrays he knows. It is all smoke and mirrors as he chooses not to study what is needed to do the job. His first major change, the travel ban, was so badly botched it was pulled in two days, eg. Keith
He also said he could shoot someone in daylight in the centre of New York and get away with it. Apparently, he was right.
VJ, scarily he did. To me, he was insulting his base of followers right to their face saying you are so naive, I could kill someone and you would still support me. Keith
Exactly
Note to Readers: The lies of the former president are many. Here is one that seems pedestrian, but we are still feeling the effects of it. Applying tariffs to imported products has been shown not to be very effective other than to solicit retaliatory tariffs. To try and convince Americans that tariffs were OK, the former president said on dozens of occasions that China was paying for the tariffs. That is not a true statement and each time he said it, economists reminded everyone that we the consumers pay for the tariffs passed along by the importers who had to upfront the cost. Yet, this fact never stopped the former president from repeating this lie. In essence, he did not want people to know he was placing the burden on them as consumers.
Well, Keith, we know he will never place the burden on his wannabe friends, the wealthy. He made it easier and easier for the wealthy to steal money from the little guys, even while convincing the little people he was on their side.
Three years later, and MAGAts still worship him. He will go to his grave with his followers believing he won in 3020!
Rawgod, see my response above about how ironic it is that this guy, of all people, can be the head of a populist movement. Keith
My jaw dropped yesterday when I read that he is now blaming Pence. What he’s saying is akin to someone saying it was the fireman’s own fault for rushing into the burning building and saving the lives of all those children, that he died of smoke inhalation. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr … I fully agree with you — it is past time for the state of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Justice to release their indictments and put to bed the potential for him to sit in the Oval ever again.
Jill, this latest example of the former president blaming someone else is par for the course. A leadership consultant who I traveled with to introduce to our clients said a true leader accepts blame even when it is not totally warranted and deflects credit to others. Think of that statement when the former president has taken credit for things that he did not do and blames others for what he did. Quite simply the insurrection does not happen if the former president is not in the White House. Full stop. Keith
Actually, he wanted to march to the
Capitol too.
Bumba, I heard that from one of the Republican staff members who testified under oath. It is lost on me that his fans don’t seem to understand fully that these folks testified under oath and Trump and his allies did not. Keith
When I was telling my daughter about him blaming Pence for January 6th, she came up with the perfect (sadly) analogy … “It was her own fault she was raped — she shouldn’t have worn such a short skirt.” How many times have we heard similar things? He simply cannot be allowed to take a seat in the Oval Office EVER again!
Jill, when he has been accused of sexual assault, his answer is often, “she is not my type.” Of course, he is not theirs either. The last time he said it, he misidentified the woman as one of his wives. Keith
Unbelievable… except, sadly, entirely believable. It’s like saying, “I wouldn’t have hit him if he had just handed over the money, so it was really his fault.” If Trump voters were on the jury, they would acquit the robber.
Janis, great example. He reminds of an Arizona Senator named John Kyl, when caught in a lie by a reporter. Kyl said it is your fault for taking what I said as the truth. In other words, it is your fault I am lying. Keith
Reblogged this on Filosofa's Word and commented:
I well remember the time my young son, who had been outdoors playing with his sister and the neighborhood kids, came running into the house, breathless, saying, “Mom … whatever they say I did, I didn’t do it!” That was in the 1970s, long before I ever heard of Donald Trump, but the refusal to accept any responsibility for anything is the same. This latest attempt by the former guy to blame others for his lies and the consequences of those lies is jaw-dropping, even though we should be used to it by now. See what our friend Keith has to say about it …
Jill, many thanks for the reblog. Keith
He really said that yet he is free to run for prez again.
Holly, to me these words can be used in court against him. Now, we need to invite him to court in Atlanta and DC. Keith
And so we wait for justice in a land of laws that seems to feel some of the most horrendous threats to our country are above those laws. Merrick Garland where are you?
He wil, of course, say he never made such statements, until forced to admit he did, and then he will say he mispoke. He mispoke all right, and admitted everything. But even that will not be enough. I think Garland is a closet Republican…
Rawgod, true, he won’t admit fault. It is not in his DNA. I think Garland is trying to get this right, as he has to to nail the coffin shut. Keith
Sometimes you don’t know what to say to something idiotic like that. When someone is caught in his own blurred reality how can you explain what clarity means…
Erika, the only kind answer is to ask “really?” Again, his propensity to lie, bully and blame is overt. What is ironic is Pence’s action on January 6 was far more presidential than anything his boss ever did in the White House. Keith
Oh, yes, Pence showed responsibility and how a person in that position is supposed to act.
He’s been overt about all his criminality for so long because he’s gotten away with it. I agree; he should have been brought to justice long ago. I heard former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner point out something that hasn’t been discussed elsewhere: As AG Garland’s charge to Jack Smith was connected solely with the Mar-a-Lago caper and January 6th, Trump will never even be charged with all the crimes that Mueller’s investigation uncovered: attempting to bribe Zelensky, obstructing justice in the Russia probe, etc. That report was essentially a roadmap to prosecution. Such an enormous missed opportunity to hold him accountable.
Annie, you are so right about the Mueller prosecution that failed to materialize. Barr may have rallied later when he found his conscious and realized the seditious nature of his boss’ efforts, but he the first thing he did was greatly weaken the Mueller investigation report. Trump is all about perception and truly lives mew cycle to news cycle. If it is a bad cycle, he changes the paradigm. He knows what we fail to know – we are so ill-informed as a nation, he can tell the narrative that will be heard by just enough folks to keep him afloat. Keith
True, Keith, but the DOJ should inform us via an indictment!
Agreed, our country so much needs for the former president to be indicted for his role in the insurrection. I believe this whole Tucker Carlson white washing of the insurrection is in anticipation of this indictment.
Trump, or Rudy, or one of his other henchmen always blurt out the truth at some point, but still no one does anything about it. Even the Democrats are scared of him. What the hell is wrong with them. He has no real power to hurt anyone except himself. His power is all in his head! Unless you belueve a known liar!
Rawgod, I do believe there will come a point when the rats start jumping ship as it is ablaze. Right now it is still at a slow trickle, but a little faster than this time last year. Keith
There is one statement that came out of his mouth that I believe. He said, “the system is rigged against its citizens.” He is living proof of that statement. No one, certainly not any of us, would be walking the street at this point, let alone standing on a stage intentionally putting the life of a former VP at risk for a second time.
This goes for our tax laws as well. How he received a refund check, and we, making under 100,000, owe a dollar more than the thousands already paid in is mind-boggling.
My prediction is he will not be going to jail. He will not pay a fine. He will not feel an ounce of remorse. He will not admit fault. There will be no retribution for his actions. It will be business as usual for DT. Why? Because the citizens of this country continue to elect the same people who made the laws that made it possible. We continuously give our permission.
Lisa, good points. Clearly, the former president rarely admits fault as his fragile ego cannot handle it. Yet, he has been on the losing end of a couple of lawsuits since becoming president and had to pay fines. His Foundation was ordered disbanded after he was forced to repay $1.6 million in money he used from it for personal reasons. And, this past summer, his company was found guilty of tax fraud and had to pay a fine of $1.6 million, ironically the same amount.
Your hypothesis on future indictments may hold true. What frustrates me is what Republican lawmakers in Georgia are considering – the ability to remove a district attorney who may bring an indictment for election tampering against Trump. That is prima facie evidence that his sycophants will lower themselves to his level of corruption.
Thanks for your comment, which is well taken. Keith
I wonder if he paid the fines or is tying it up in a court of appeal? He is notorious for exhausting the court system, because he has the means to do it. Sadly, the general population does not have this luxury, which makes it an unbalanced system
Lisa, at some point the attorney fees exceed tax the fine, so you cut your losses. Yet, he has a fix for that, as he is notorious for not paying fees, even the attorneys fighting for him. Keith
Note to Readers: As evidence of my concerns, this poll result from a you.gov survey from yesterday, sheds light on how adrift the party has become. Per Politico:
“More than a quarter of Republicans approve of the January 6 Capitol attack, according to a new poll. More than half think the deadly riot was a form of legitimate political discourse.”
Real leaders would be hyper critical of those who believe this kind of narrative which is so far off base. This is what happens when lies are left to fester. This is the legacy of the deceitful acting former president.
Note to Readers: I saw this morning that the former president is bracing his followers for a potential arrest on Tuesday. Why Tuesday, I don’t know? But, he of course is not accepting any responsibility for wrongdoing and is encouraging his followers to take the country back. There is a reason a group like VoteVets are pointing out the risks of divisive rhetoric, focusing on the self-confessed gaslighting of Fox News opinion hosts, producers and even the owner promoting Trump’s Big Lie, when they knew his election fraud claims are not true.
We the People are owed the truth from people who are elected, running for office or presenting themselves as news people. I have grown long past weary of people who are not only lying to us, but gaslighting us. The top-of-mind names are dozens long and include the former president.
Note to Readers: One of the things I have observed about the former president dating back to before he was president is he is all about perception. Most of what he says is marketing schtick, so it truly needs to be taken with a grain of salt, at a very minimum.
“My gut is smarter than most scientists’ brains.”
“I know more about taxes than anyone, maybe in the history of taxes.”
Really? The last one is funny, since he has been convicted or settled two separate tax fraud cases, one corporate and one for his foundation.