Putin’s dishonesty, his Stalin language, was part of his Soviet legacy. Trump’s falsifications show his contempt for democratic integrity, for the public, for even his supporters. Both men know they can lie with impunity and they know they won’t even suffer a reputational penalty.
More than a decade before Russia’s current attack on Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry falsely accused Ukraine of “heroizing the accomplices of fascism”, of violating the rights of Ukrainian Russian-speakers” and eliminating “the Russian language from the public life of the country”. (In fact, Russian had been given official status in parts of Ukraine.) Similar accusations from Moscow preceded its invasion of Georgia in 2008.
Now according to Putin, Ukrainian leaders were neo-Nazis and drug dealers holding Ukraine hostage. The Russian military intervention, according to Putin, would protect Russians in eastern Ukraine from being victims of genocide. Added to this fabrication was Putin’s insistence that NATO is an external military threat and Ukraine must be prevented from joining it.
Putin lies, and lies big. His falsehoods lead to serious, deadly consequences. In contrast, after most of Trumps brazen falsehoods, the dust settles and nothing happens.
Remember when Mr. Trump said that the head of the US boy scouts called to praise him for a speech? No such call took place. It was a flagrant untruth. A rather insignificant white lie? But still in a moral lock-step with Putin.
It’s known that sometimes Trump gets confused about policy, so his intent isn’t always to deceive. But is he befuddled about his own behaviour? Towards the end of his term a reporter asked him: “Mr. President, after three and a half years, do you regret at all, all the lying you have done to the American people?” “What?” “All the lying, all the dishonesty.” “That who has done?” “You have done.” No answer.
Was he confused? Not likely.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 27. mai 2022 paber- ja PDF/digilehest)
