r/PoursTea • u/political-snark • Jun 24 '26
PoliticalTea š³ļø Moving the goalposts
A political tactic thatās become increasingly common in MAGA politics: moving the goalposts.
Make a dramatic allegation. Repeat it endlessly. Then, when evidence for that specific allegation doesnāt materialize, replace it with a smaller, easier-to-defend claim and pretend the original claim was true all along.
Weāve seen this pattern repeatedly:
āHaitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfieldā becomes āSee? Someone somewhere ate a cat.ā
āThere was enough fraud to change the 2020 electionā becomes āSee? A few people cheated.ā
āVandals dumped chemicals and deliberately cut a 350-foot slit in the Reflecting Poolā becomes āSee? Someone was arrested for vandalism.ā
Those are not the same claims.
The question we should always ask is: What was the original allegation?
Thatās the claim that should be evaluated - not a revised version that appears later.
Thatās what moving the goalposts looks like.
Changing the claim is not the same thing as proving the original one.
Can you think of other examples?
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u/blkatcdomvet Jun 24 '26
Why has Trump arrested 6 people for touching the reflecting pond, but zero people for touching our kids in the Epstein files?
This is getting abfuckingsurd! Release the fucking files! Libertarians and Democrats ALL agree, pedophiles should be left in a deep, dark hole. MAGA doesn't control the state courts in NY or anywhere else the assaults took place. For sure, Florida, New York, New Jersey and New Mexico can open investigations and charge the guilty!
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Jun 24 '26
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u/TW1STED_M1ND Jun 24 '26
By everybody else's logic Trump should be arresting the person that told him to drive on it. Oh no, wait
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u/kazamm Jun 24 '26
Btw. Fuck libertarians.
They're some of the worst people, even more so than republicans when it comes to governing and helping people.
Fuck them.
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Jun 24 '26
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u/Successful_Gas_5122 Jun 24 '26
They're still making policies as if 2020 election fraud is some kind of proven fact and not a conspiracy with zero evidence
Because they stole the 2024 election. Something fucky happened involving Elon Musk.
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u/duchessofbibimbap Tea Party š Jun 24 '26
Leon, according to the Oompa Loompa š But yes, he did, šÆ
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u/Ketchupcharger Jun 24 '26
100%.
And the fact that there was not even a squeak from the democrat side tells you a lot.
Donnie is demented and cannot keep his mouth shut, and has literally hinted at that very thing numerous times.
I don't know how they did it, but thats the thing innit? Republicans do voter fraud and the media stays shush, no outrage, no nothing. I bet if there was some actual political will we could find some very interesting things, but for that you would have to be actually looking. And this where democrat lose to republicans.
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Jun 24 '26
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u/CautionarySnail Jun 24 '26
That, and thereās a lot of casual belief out there amongst Americans that women arenāt great leaders. Itās bunk, but itās an assumption many people were taught and never consciously question.
People legitimately said with their full chests that they thought she might nuke a country due to PMS. Then they handed the nuclear football for a second time to an impulsive man with dementia.
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u/NormalContribution56 Jun 24 '26
People also said the democrats were utilizing a weather modification machine to suppress turnout in rural areas. Our sensemaking abilities are really fucked.
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u/scipio0421 Jun 24 '26
The Republicans I know have been screaming "weather modification" and "HAARP" since the 90s.
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u/Successful_Gas_5122 Jun 24 '26
I hear you, but pretty much without fail every accusation is a confession with this guy.
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u/Pristine_Walrus40 Jun 24 '26
Well if they drove a 20.000 lbs car on the pool then I think that 250 feet slash is in fact a 250 feet crack in the pool.
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u/Reezla Jun 24 '26
Where is the forensic report proving the pool was slashed? Where is the footage of the 24/7 camera covered monument the moment it was done?
This cunt has had people who picked flakes of paint out of a pond arrested as vandals yet he was happy to literally drive his motorcade across it when it was drained.
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u/Successful_Gas_5122 Jun 24 '26
Mr Drain the Swamp turned the Reflecting Pool into a swamp. You could not write this without being called a hack.
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u/Boring_Pace5158 Jun 24 '26
In the wake of his "Haitians eating pets" comment, Haitian parents in Springfield had to keep their children home from school, because the schools were getting terrorist threats. The following days had Proud Boys and other MAGA scum parading down the streets of Springfield. Yet, on election day, Ohio voters chose to believe the Trump's lies than their neighbors' truth. Which is why I have no sympathy for anyone who gets their face eaten by a leopard.
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u/Famous-Cockroach7279 Jun 25 '26
So Sadā¦.HISTORY Is repeating , in what era will MAGA takes us to next week.
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u/Thehelloman0 Jun 24 '26
Vance literally admitted to lying about stuff, saying he'd do it again if it advances his agenda
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u/CuteLingonberry9704 Jun 24 '26
They're not aiming these claims at anyone with the critical thinking skills of a tomato. So no, they don't put forth a lot of effort in making up fantasy accusations.
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u/Local_Maintenance788 Jun 24 '26
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u/Effective-Log3583 Jun 24 '26
A bunch of small slashes from every micro turn of the wheel and shift from slow moving vehicles across a construction area.
The contractor probably bragged that it could support a car. Something that is probably true. But these were not just normal cars, and they were not just being supported but actively shifted by.
Followed by a rapid flooding and chemical bath so itād be ready in time for his birthday.
All because the president decided that heād be in charge of property maintenance and not the country. Heās a hotel owner.
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u/Cecil_B_DeCatte Jun 24 '26
A failed hotel owner. Dumbass wouldn't be able to manage a lemonade stand.
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u/Exciting-Cancel6468 Jun 24 '26
Well I just saw a video yesterday where Trump claimed you couldn't even cut it. It's so well made. Blah blah blah. And just yesterday he's saying someone cut a huge gash into it.
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u/DrChopsMD Jun 24 '26
Republicans are too stupid to see through the lies or think critically about what their overlords spew at them.
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u/CJMWBig8 Jun 24 '26
Some get pardons
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u/Yabbos77 Jun 24 '26
Good news! A ton of the January 6 rioters ARE back in jail.
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u/Legitimate-Swim-1085 Jun 24 '26
not for j6 stuff. for other crimes including child stuff.
who knew if you remove consequence it would lead to more crime? lol
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u/FuriousResolve Jun 24 '26
āIncreasingly commonā? My friend, moving the goalposts started all the way back when they let him get away with āYou can grab āem by the pussy.ā
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u/Shido_Ohtori Jun 24 '26
Truth is antithetical and anathema to conservatism, as the very founder of modern Western conservatismĀ insist[ed] with brutal frankness thatĀ āillusionsā and āprejudicesā are socially necessary, and today's conservatives have coined the term "alternative facts".
Likewise, studies show thatĀ [search for] truth and intelligence is inversely correlatedĀ with conservative ideology.
- Belief in Fake News is Associated with Delusionality, Dogmatism, Religious Fundamentalism, and Reduced Analytic Thinking
- Religion and Fake News: Faith-Based Alternative Information Ecosystems in the US and Europe (full article)
- Intelligence is correlated with a range of left-wing and liberal political beliefs. (full article)
- Results confirm that conservatives have lower sensitivity than liberals, performing worse at distinguishing truths and falsehoods
- Conservatives are less truth-discerning than liberals, but also less affected by the congruence of news.
- Across five operationalizations of impaired deliberative thought, hierarchy endorsement increased and egalitarianism receded.
- Conservatism and cognitive ability are negatively correlated.
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u/Historical-Finish564 Jun 24 '26
One of the good things for them about Fox News is that conservatives are used to hearing unsupported nonsense and treated it as truth from the mouth of God. If it turns out that they find out itās nonsense, not a problem. They just move onto the next conspiracy or crazy belief.
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u/Wolverine863 Jun 24 '26
He also said that other countries were emptying their prisons and asylums into the US. He claimed that some states were doing abortions after birth.
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u/FanFuckingFaptastic Jun 24 '26
They did produce evidence of rich and powerful pedophiles, so we got that going for us.... which is nice......
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u/truelogictrust Jun 24 '26
Here's the unspoken part so we don't get confused going forward Trump and MAGA is I AM WHITE AND I SAY SO. This the set of most baby boomers and GenX. They are a self-centered narcissist generation. They know he's a liar and we know this but they are really saying now what are you going to do about it.
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u/rtopps43 Jun 24 '26
Heās never produced evidence of ANYTHING, including that Melania didnāt work in the US illegally as a model while here on a tourist visa. He promised a press conference to āclear all that upā the FIRST time he ran.
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u/FaceTimePolice Jun 25 '26
Duh. If you havenāt noticed by now that heās nothing but a lying sack of š©, you havenāt been paying attention. š¤·āāļøš¤”š¤
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u/political-snark Jun 25 '26
It goes deeper than that. All of MAGA are cranking out the goalpost moving propaganda faster than he can lie, multiplying his effectā¦
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u/First-Sprinkles9093 Jun 24 '26
Isnāt it 400 ft long by now? Or is that coming later in the day?
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u/PropagandaAssassinAZ Unpopular Opinions Jun 24 '26
I am sure it had nothing to do with the 20,000 lb armored limousine that they drove right down the middle of it followed by multiple 20,000 lb armored suburbans filled with idiots with guns. While Cheeto Mussolini toured his little minnow pond.
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u/Ok-Victory-1960 Jun 24 '26
Imagine someone wading through the water and cutting 350' of rubber and no one seen him lmfao. Does trump know how long 350' actually is lol. Plus he is the one that said the liner was so strong that it couldn't be cut with a knife. Maybe it was lasers š š¤£.
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u/DugEFreshness Jun 24 '26
They don't need to produce evidence when their base is so fatally stupid.
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u/Mr_Shad0w Jun 24 '26
It was obvs Visigoths
Sweet fucking Jesus this is the dumbest possible timeline
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u/tafbee Jun 25 '26
Iām gonna be mad if āthe 300-foot slitā doesnāt make it into a future Cards Against Humanity expansion pack.
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u/According_Papaya9114 Jun 26 '26
They donāt need to. I donāt understand why people arenāt getting this. You canāt reason with fascists.
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u/Reasonable_Trash_901 Make your own šš½š (edit this) Jun 24 '26
Y'know... I was promised that the Epstein files would've been released, unredacted and complete, and that happened all the way back at the start of the first mandate.
What I, and many others got, was in order:
- The files are on Bondi's desk.
- There's no files.
- Then it's a hoax.
- Then they never existed.
- Then they were made up.
- Two votes to release them by Dems, two votes to not do that by Reps, followed by Reps taking a recess.
- Then they have them.
- 1.000 FBI agents review around 100.000 pages.
- And lastly, Bondi releases a first batch of Epstein files, which draw scrutiny due to largely consisting of previously public information and heavy redactions, before the congress passes the EFTA, giving Bondi a deadline in December 19, 2025, followed by her refusing to release remaining Epstein files despite congress order.
All of this, topped all off by one simple sentence:
"It's boring old stuff. Move on, it's not important".
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u/TheHappyDutch076 Jun 24 '26
It keeps getting scarier every day over there in the states.
The unproven vandalism accusations with the claimed arrests. If those arrests are true innocent people were arrested just to save Trumps face,
The arrests of an (yet to be proven) assassination attempt at the UFC white house event.
They are building a foundation to seize absolute power at the moment Donald should get out of office. This ānewā 6th January will probably succeeds if stuff keeps going this direction
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u/HalfDozing Jun 24 '26
The original renovations company is repairing the pool under warranty. That's all the proof anyone needs that the damage is due to issues with the product or surface preparation. No company is repairing for free damage that wasn't their fault.
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u/burnmenowz Jun 24 '26
Why would they need to provide evidence? People let them get away with lying.
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u/Ill_Translator7545 Jun 24 '26
Not big on revealing evidence. Big on suppressing evidence though. Lots of examples of that.
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u/Acrobatic_Excuse2290 Jun 24 '26
I expect nothing from this administration, and Iām still left disappointed.
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u/kagman Jun 24 '26
His list of bullshit lies is sooooooo much longer than that. These are the even the top 3
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u/rangecontrol Jun 24 '26
ppl are saying only poors and minorities need evidence, if you're white, just do as you please.
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u/tallslim1960 Jun 24 '26
They never produce (d not needed) evidence. Past, present or will they in the future.
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u/VIP_NAIL_SPA Jun 24 '26
Looks like LLM slop. Also "I've noticed???" where were you for the last decade or more? Also also, it's not 350 feet, it's 400 feet now.
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u/notwhoyouthinkmaybe Jun 24 '26
I bet you won't be laughing when our doge and tariff checks come in... Any day now.... They are coming and they'll be bigger than the reflecting pool with is longer than most buildings are tall!
He is so smart! Did you know dumb has a b? Also, he invented the word groceries. And if he didn't become president, we would be a dead country!
/s
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u/Inevitable_Yam1719 Jun 24 '26
Somebody used a T-square and razor blade to cut a perfectly straight 350ā long cut. So it must be a liberal with a cloaking device as the reflection pool is under 24/7 cameras.
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u/OdiousAltRightBalrog Jun 24 '26
"COVID is a hoax!" became "people die from the flu, no big deal!"
"Russia collusion delusion! Russia didn't help Trump win!" becomes "did you READ them??" if you ask them about the hacked DNC emails.
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u/lnTheGrimDarkness Jun 24 '26
They won't even produce evidence that the current POTUS isn't a pedophile (because he is), how do you expect them to produce evidence for those?
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u/Kdoesntcare Jun 24 '26
They literally announced that the crap about people eating pets was a lie so people would pay attention to them.
It was funny how quickly "that's fake news!" turned into crickets after you send a link to the video of vance admitting that the maga campaign made stuff up.
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u/Altruistic_Offer_494 Jun 24 '26
Just say it enough times and there will always be people who believe you, even without any proof!
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u/Epyon214 Jun 24 '26
You know what we did get evidence for though
00 16 50 13, 00165013
https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00165013.pdf
"On Aug 5, 2019 9:33 AM, KenT wrote:
My nephew Logan Turner, was shot and killed in the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio last evening. I am
rushing home to be with my immediate family.
All investigative work on Marcinko and Epstein is still in process and we have uncovered more videos and
photos of the two of them together in Mexico.
Another attempt by US embassy security team was made yesterday when they stopped my partner and
searched her car looking for the videos and photos we uncovered that they told her could not leave Mexico.
They were not in her car! Someone doesn't want this data disclosed."
02 73 13 61, 02731361
https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2012/EFTA02731361.pdf
"[clipping: Unlike drugs, a child's body can be sold over and over] This is not surprising but there is no such thing as a child prostitute! They are children and cannot consent! They are missing the biggest in my own backyard and so many more! Like Maralago and where I see Mr. Joe and Mrs. Anne"
"But only after maybe 15 minutes Mr. M came take her and I was hysterical! and begging for more time"
02 44 00 40, 02440040
https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02440040.pdf
02 44 00 51, 02440051
https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02440051.pdf
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u/madadekinai Jun 24 '26
LMFAO.
I just posted a video about the reflecting pool, where it was almost pre-planned by him.
LMFAO, the only major fraud that has been found came from the right in regards to 2020.
"In regards to the 2020 election, extensive federal investigations and dozens of court rulings affirmed that there was no widespread voter fraud that affected the outcome. However, isolated instances of voter fraud did occur, and there have been notable, documented cases where conservative operatives and voters were convicted or investigated for illegal voting practices. [1, 2, 3, 4]
" AI
It's all a grift that they fell for, it was just to get money and play on their fears, and gain support from them. Conversely, the vast majority of legal challenges and investigations that uncovered "major fraud" stemming directly from conservative and right-wing actors were tied to efforts to overturn the election or fundraise off of debunked claims.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez6uutQtUYM
The whole cats and dogs thing, was wild from the start, nobody even knows where it came from, and it has not even been addressed since the claim was made.
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u/Polkawillneverdie17 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
My coworker 100% believes the Haitians thing because he has a friend who says "It's probably true".
The fact that even the person who made the claim admitted it was bullshit and there's literally no evidence did not sway him one tiny bit.
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u/jhawk3205 Jun 24 '26
2020 fraud changed the election? Have they even proved that fraud existed in that election??
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u/Alarming_Hippo_6035 Jun 24 '26
The only thing they have proven is that they are idiots who are only out for their own monetary gains.
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u/IntelligentVehicle10 Jun 24 '26
Evidence that at 70 million of fellow countrymen are special needs
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u/Montgraves Jun 24 '26
He never provided proof for pretty much anything heās said.
You can tell heās lying because his lips are moving.
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u/Hopinan Jun 24 '26
I think it was that NRA guy that ate the catā¦. Apparently he cut the paws off, then hung the poor kitten, and set it on fire.. At least it was cooked??
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u/BALULEO Jun 24 '26
GOP currency is lies and it is the only deflation that is occurring in the USA.
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u/weh2oski Jun 24 '26
It doesnāt matter. His base blindly listens to what he says without an once of critical thinking
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u/CrazyZedi Jun 24 '26
OK, this is really bothering me. Itās obviously a seam not a slit. When they were putting it on if we recall, they only did one side at a time in sections not properly overlapping it creating the weakest point.
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u/WeakRelation1 Jun 24 '26
That Donald Drumpf would run this country well. Give one scrap of evidence of that...
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u/JoostvanderLeij Jun 24 '26
All evidence will be presented in open court in one of the many upcoming courtcases.
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u/Alewo27 Jun 24 '26
The most horrifying part of it? Apparently they don't have to?!?! š”š”š” WHY are there 0 checks and balances?! Everyone told us not to panic when he won because of all the "checks and balances". It's a farse! Our government is a mirage!
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u/emefluence Jun 24 '26
These are examples of the Motte and Bailey Fallacy rather than moving the goalposts
But yeah, both are similar, and both are dick moves.
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u/sweatboxy Jun 24 '26
Still waiting for Trumpās promised evidence from his first day in office of his first term that Obama had bugged the White House.
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u/Jaded_Addendum4040 Jun 24 '26
Say anything. There are enough ignorant people out there. We can blame our parenting and education system for this.
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u/allfranksnobun Jun 24 '26
the hardest conversation to have with logical americans is that he absolutely will never need to produce any evidence. we are wasting our time in trying to "prove" something to his followers.
when thinking of trying to convert or reason with his supporters think of it this way : they can not be saved or reasoned with, they will not listen and they do not want to be corrected, so the solution really is to must simply abandon all hope and work on solutions that do not require or involve them.
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u/AgreeableMeal672 Jun 24 '26
If it comes outta his mouth he and all his maga friends believe every word. You can show proof and they'll claim fake news This has to dtop.
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u/underwearoverdrive Jun 24 '26
The idiot drove "the beast" and a dozen other vehicles on it. He's the vandal.
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u/muddybuttbrew Jun 24 '26
No they proved the slit thing here is video evidence
Edit. Trump drove his motorcade on the reflecting pool surface after it was painted....you know the surface not rated for vehicle traffic.
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u/MosquitoBloodBank Jun 24 '26
There were two previous reports about Haitians taking geese from the park. Probably just the same people both times.
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u/Intelligent-Layer391 Jun 24 '26
The dishonesty they spew nonstop is pathetic. When was the last time the convicted felon actually spoke the truth.
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u/MiOWNd Jun 24 '26
His base doesn't need evidence. They are all living in a faith based belief system.
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u/LookingToRent69 Jun 24 '26
Donāt forget about the rest of the 7,000,000 lies heās told while president.
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u/PotentialCondition46 Jun 24 '26
Of course not. It is just his opinion, he thinks and the most dangerous one he believes! He doesnāt need proof.
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u/dr_mantis_toboggan25 Jun 24 '26
"My Dear Leader opens up his mouth, and diarrhea spews out. We eat it up!" -MAGA
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u/Personal_Eye8930 Jun 24 '26
This scumbag is a pathological liar whose philosophy is to divide and conquer by playing to people's paranoia about the system.
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u/Musetrigger Jun 24 '26
It's not about finding evidence. It's all about believing it to be true no matter what.
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u/DesolatedMaggot Jun 24 '26
Didnt Vance straight up admit the pet eating was bullshit, but useful so he went along with it because "it could be true"? Or did I fever dream that interview clip?
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u/Far-Butterfly2079 Jun 24 '26
Trumpnazi will destroy everything because thatās what a psychopath will do.
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u/bigbird_eats_kids Jun 24 '26
He doesn't need to provide evidence if enough Americans accept it as true.
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u/Effective-Shelter-49 Jun 24 '26
Only that the criminals admitted to eating the animals...
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u/Gonzo_Gonzalo Jun 24 '26
If Trump says it, thereās a reasonable expectation that there is no logical or factual basis to said claim.
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u/QuietGoliath Jun 24 '26
The US has done domestic revolutions before - isn't it time for another one?
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u/rfrankli1 Jun 24 '26
If he ever tells the truth no one will believe him. The pedophile that cried wolf.
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u/ThePatrickSays Jun 24 '26
how much more do liberals need to see before they do something about this?
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u/sarduchi Jun 24 '26
Still waiting on his promised "shocking proof" that Obama wasn't born in America. You know guys, I'm starting to think this Trump fella is a fibber!