Mythomania is an unusual or pathological tendency to exaggerate or tell lies.
Mytho, from ancient Greek, means “the telling of fables, fictional tales, or inventions of the imagination.” Mania is Latin for "insanity marked by uncontrolled emotion or excitement."
Donald Trump is perhaps the greatest living example of a pathological mythomaniac.
His transgressions from the truth are epic. Daily. Endless. Absurd. Never in American history has a President gotten away with uttering such endless streams of self-serving, deceitful, manipulative falsehoods.
My 2016 inauguration crowd was the largest ever. Russian interference in the election was a “hoax.” The 2020 election was stolen. The January 6 insurrection was peaceful. Windmills cause cancer. Bleach treats COVID. China operates the Panama Canal. Mexico will build the wall. I am a stable genius. I know more than the Generals. I will have peace in Ukraine on Day One. My uncle taught the “Unabomber” at MIT... It is mythomania defined and on display writ large.
The latest big lie involves his long-lasting bromance with the most notorious sex-trafficking pedophile of our times, the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump and Epstein were close friends for fifteen years. Partying together at Trump's Mar-a-Lago with NFL cheerleaders, they were seen on camera ogling the women as they danced. Trump described Epstein as a "terrific guy" and noted his enjoyment of "beautiful women," including those "on the younger side”.
Records show Trump flew on Epstein's private jet, infamously nicknamed the "Lolita Express," at least seven times between 1993 and 1997, traveling between Palm Beach and New York. Epstein used the jet, which reportedly included a queen-size bed and red velvet seating, to fly his friends, associates, and often underage girls around the country and to his island in the Virgin Islands that came to be known as "Pedophile Island."
Trump used the story of the Epstein sex trafficking scandal to gin up his QAnon base and MAGA podcasters, who spread the conspiracy theory that “deep state” liberal elites were running a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic child molesters operating a global child sex trafficking ring and that Donald Trump was secretly leading the fight against them and would crush them once he returned to office.
But it all blew up this month when the Trump Administration did a 360 on its promise to release the Epstein files. The MAGA base went ballistic about the betrayal. Trump denounced the files as a hoax and blamed everything on the Democrats.
Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal published an exclusive story this week furthering the connection between Epstein and Trump, alleging that Trump sent a lurid and telling birthday card to Epstein in 2003.
According to the Journal, it included an outline of a naked woman drawn with a large black marker with Trump’s staccato signature in the pubic area. It contained an imaginary dialogue between Donald and Jeffrey:
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note started.
Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
The President quickly issued an angry denial, insisting, “I Never Wrote a Picture in My Life!"
OOPS. Except for when he did “write pictures,” like the ones auctioned off during his first presidency at several auction houses.
As the Washington Post reported, “as a businessman and reality TV star, Trump created two sketches of the New York skyline, both prominently featuring Trump Tower, a third of the Empire State Building and one of the George Washington Bridge. Each of them bears the future president’s characteristic squiggly signature in heavy marker.”
The ‘biggest scam’ in American history.
The most telling response to the administration’s flip-flop on the Epstein Files comes from longtime Trump supporter Nick Fuentes, who is a white supremacist, Hitler admirer, and Holocaust denier.
Resources:
Epstein Client List Doesn’t Exist, Doj Says, Walking Back Theory Bondi Promoted ~ PBS
Trump Said He ‘Never Wrote a Picture in My Life.’ Here Are Four. ~ Washington Post
Trump Says He Doesn’t ‘Draw Pictures.’ But Many of His Sketches Sold at Auction. ~ NYT
A Timeline of What We Know About Trump and Epstein ~ NYT
QAnon Conspiracists Believe in a Vast Pedophile Ring. The Truth is Sadder. ~ The Guardian
Nicholas J. Fuentes: Five Things to Know ~ ADL
The Zombie Apocalypse Has Arrived ~ Perspectives
Trump Administration Acknowledges Lack of Evidence From Epstein Documents~ NYT
Pam Bondi’s Botched Handling Of The Epstein Files ~ CNN
Conspiracy Theorists Are Turning on the President ~ The Atlantic
Video Shows Trump Partying with Jeffrey Epstein at Mar-A-Lago In 1992 ~ Washington Post
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Partied Together. Then an Oceanfront Palm Beach Mansion Came Between Them ~ Washington Post
"Mythomania" Now I have a word for it. What affliction do the delusional die hard supporters suffer from? And how do we explain his hold on the the MAGA universe?
this breaks my brain.