There are two forms of lying:
- Saying things that others believe to be untrue.
- Saying things that you believe to be untrue.
Trump likely does 1 but not 2. Why?
Because he has a superpower of totally convincing himself
that what is factually untrue, is actually true. This
happens in the moment of what others call lying. Before and
after, he may understand what is true, but when he needs to,
he can totally believe anything. The power of this
superpower is that the conviction with which he states his
?truth? is enough to also convince many other people, or at
least sow seeds of doubt in the facts.
He is not alone in this skill.
Salespeople, politicians, lawyers and others do it all the
time as a part of their job. Fantasists do it to feel good
about themselves and their lives. A reason Trump is so
successful is that he is a grand master at it, able in the
moment to adapt and shift to make new convincing lies. Yes,
successful. Millions voted for him. He dominates the news
and the Republican party. That?s something that few others
could do.
So yes, he will lie under oath, yet
in the moment will not realize he is lying.
And yes, his lying will bring him
crashing down, once he finds himself in a place where he
cannot bluster, bully or buy his way out of trouble. If he
is convicted, he will be outraged as he lies to himself
further, telling himself that he is wholly innocent, that
this is all a plot, and so on. A danger from this is the
civil unrest that could result as his convinced supporters
rise up in protest. And who knows where that would go.