To Tell the Truth

For a long while, there’s been a sort of “He said/ She said” sort of thing to a part of the Trump investigation for January 6.  It’s that some people have said that in private Trump has said he believed he really did win – and a few people have said that in private Trump has acknowledged losing.

I have a theory on this which says, no, it is not a “Which person do you believe?” question for the jury to figure out.  It requires a sort of logistical explanation, but I’ll try to make it as un-convoluted as possible.  Bear with me.

For the statement where people testify that Trump said in private he believes he really won, there are two possibilities.  Either he’s telling the truth, or he’s lying.

If he’s telling the truth, as delusional as that is, it’s believable. He’s convinced himself that he won.

If he’s lying, that’s believable, too.  We can see why he’d lie, to convince others that he won.

Now, let’s look at the other scenario.

So, for the statement where people testify that Trump said in private he believes he actually lost, there are two possibilities.  Either he’s telling the truth, or he’s lying.

If he’s telling the truth, it’s believable.  He sees reality, but only wants to admit it in private.

If he’s lying – I can see absolutely no reason in the world why that’s believable.  Why on earth would someone who believes he really, truly won…tell others in private that he knows he lost???  It makes zero sense to me.  None.

So, there are four possibilities here, and three are believable.  Only one isn’t and doesn’t make any sense.  And that’s lying to people that you lost if you actually think you won.

The point being, when Trump told people in private that he thinks he won, that may be true or not.  But when Trump told people he knows he lost – that can only be true.  It doesn’t make sense for him to be lying about.

In other words, when people swear under oath that Trump told them one thing or the other, him dropping the protective shield and letting on that he knows he lost is the only statement of his that is believable.

Is it possible that witnesses are lying?  Sure.  On both sides.  But given that they’re under oath under risk of perjury, and there are others who corroborate the same things, it’s most fair to believe what they’re all testifying to.  The only question is what Trump actually, truly believes.

And the only thing that is even remotely believable, that makes any sense is when Trump let down his guard several times and said something about knowing that he lost.

This is not “He said / She said.”  It’s – He said / he lied.  And what Trump said is…he knows he lost.

I do think that – Trump being Trump and maniacal – is that by repeating a story over and over and over, and with his need to be right, his need to always win, his hatred of “losers,” it very possible that at this point Trump has convinced himself that he “won.”  (It’s also possible that he still knows he lost.)

But at the time he’s being investigated for, the period leading up to January 6, 2001, the only story that makes sense and is remotely believable from all the evidence we have is that – Trump knows he lost.