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Why Do (mainly Trump critics) Take What he says literally?

Dayton3

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I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.
 
Tweety the Impeached Oaf is a liar.
 
OP: "Why would anyone actually believe what the president of the United States says and repeats over and over again? Do they think his words carry some kind of special weight or importance?"
 
I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.

Will Trump Lie to the Bitter End?

Trump claimed the House never requested testimony from Bolton. That's a lie. You gonna deny it?
 
The OP is literally asking us to not believe what a politician says.

Anyone see the irony?
 
If he's not to be taken literally, then why do his supporters use his denials to prove that he's innocent of whatever he's accused of doing?
 
If he's not to be taken literally, then why do his supporters use his denials to prove that he's innocent of whatever he's accused of doing?

And more importantly why would anyone in their right mind vote for someone they know they can not believe?
 
Well, now that I know not to take Trump literally, I guess I can safely dismiss his denial of the Bolton revelation:

"I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens."
 
I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.

Because he is not a private citizen any longer. He is the President of the United States and his comments and even his tweets as Sean Spicer informed us are official statements of the President. So there ya' go.
 
I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.
Don't you think you pretty much made our argument there for getting rid of the guy?
 
If he's not to be taken literally, then why do his supporters use his denials to prove that he's innocent of whatever he's accused of doing?
His supporters are now reduced to making the argument that we should not believe anything our President says. Need we say more?
 
You can't impeach the President for anything he says or does! He's too insane to know what he's doing!! YOU CAN'T IMPEACH A MAN JUST BECAUSE HE EXISTS IN A REALITY THAT BEARS NO RESEMBLANCE TO OUR OWN!!!
 
Why Do (mainly Trump critics) Take What he says literally?

Uh, because he's the President?

Since I was a child, by nurture and example the word of the President of The United States was taken very seriously, beginning with my most memorable grade school lesson: "I cannot tell a lie" -George Washington. Now, I admit the way this criminal in the White House lies that paradigm has lost it's purchase on reality. But, even though a large portion of the rest of the world has stopped taking him literally, he is the president.

I take what he say's literally and, frankly, he scares the **** out of me.
 
Uh, because he's the President?

Since I was a child, by nurture and example the word of the President of The United States was taken very seriously, beginning with my most memorable grade school lesson: "I cannot tell a lie" -George Washington. .

You're using by way of example something that never happened?
 
I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.

I'm sure I'm completely alone in thinking this (not) but I'd like to be able to hear the leader of my country make a statement and not have to play some kind of word games on "what the president really means is". At this point in time not a damn thing comes out of his mouth that I don't mistrust or find impulsively in poor taste. In the past, I've felt that our presidents (regardless of party) have misspoke on occasion. We all do. In general though I never had some overbearing question on everything leaving their lips. With Trump? I do, and I'm a person who actually voted for him, which I now deeply regret in spades.

As already mentioned, Spicer told us in the beginning that Trump's tweets are official WH statements, so it kind of sounds like you want people to just up and ignore official statements put out by the POTUS. Or we're suppose to decipher them? The problem there is, this man makes absolutely ludicrous statements, his administration tries to jump in and say NO that's not what the president was saying, and he comes back and says YES that is what I was saying.

Guessing games are for kids. Not American presidents.
 
I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.

Everything? Let's just start with his official statements. Would it be unreasonable to expect that when the president of the United States gives a press conference or issues a statement (either prepared in front of a podium or extemporaneously as he desperately tries to look important in front of a helicopter that's running for no reason) he means what he says? Words have meanings. Literal meanings. It's unsettling to me that Trump can't string together a five-word sentence that means what any objective English speaker knows it means. It's odd that every single statement he makes has to be translated by an aide later using language completely different from whatever he said at first. That's not media bias. That's not any bias. I don't mind presidential statements being clarified from time to time, but denying that he said what he said, saying he said something he didn't, and claiming that the entire English speaking population of the planet has been operating under the wrong definitions of words for their entire lives is insulting. It's frustrating. It is the primary reason why no one who is serious takes anything Trump says seriously.

I was critical of GWB's language deficiencies. He was less skilled with words than I think a president should be. It was more amusing to me than dangerous, though, in the same way I smile at people who say "a whole nuther" and "I could care less". Trump's not just incompetent with language. He's a pathological liar. He's notoriously uncommitted to any position, policy, person, or ally. He doesn't mean what he says because he doesn't know what he means himself. That isn't the public taking him too literally. That's the public expecting the president's words to actually mean something.
 
I'm a critic and I don't take most of Trump's claims literally like he knows more about windmills than anyone else, he won Michigan man of the year, his dad was born in Germany, he is a stable genius, windmills cause cancer, he had a larger inauguration crowd turnout, he could be the most popular person in Europe, he knows more about drones than anyone, he knows more about ISIS than the generals, Mexico will pay for a wall, etc...
 
You're using by way of example something that never happened?

It absolutely happened that I was taught to respect the word of the president. That the tale, "I cannot tell a lie", is fiction doesn't change the paradigm the America of my youth and young life operated by. It was the paradigm until Nixon burst the bubble.
 
I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.

Fine, we're a bunch of pedants. We can't understand Trump because of his advanced communication techniques, which don't deal in such petty, old-fashioned considerations as "saying what you mean" or "meaning what you say."

Trump's going to be dragged through the town square (at a minimum) over his actions, not his words (though his words haven't helped much.)
 
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I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot?
Dude? Most elected officials, if not most public figures are treated this way. The most notable exception are professional comedians, and even they can't always get away with racist, sexist, anti-semitic, anti-Muslim etc statements.

Plus, he's not Howard Stern. He's the freaking President of the United States. When the POTUS says "the bombing starts in five minutes" on a hot mic, no one's default setting is "oh he's joking."

Why don't you give us some examples of things that he said that:

1) Shouldn't be taken literally
2) The implication behind the statement was substantially different than the literal interpretation
3) He was attacked for the literal meaning, that was completely different than a reasonable interpretation


Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny?
We've had 44 previous Presidents who figured it out.


I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.
Spicer clarified on June 6, 2017: "The President is the President of the United States, so [Trump's Tweets are] considered official statements by the President of the United States."

If he is making utterly ridiculous comments during official White House statements, that is on him. Not us. Him.
 
I've noticed over the last three years that a key part of the claims about President Trump "lying" and saying various things that are offensive or just stupid is that people (especially his critics) takes what he says literally.

Does anyone think they could have everything they've said taken literally without looking like a liar and/or an idiot? Could the utterances of any American president stand up to that kind of scrutiny? I doubt it.

I'll freely acknowledge that President Trump has said (or tweeted) so many over the top and/or inflammatory things that it is often impossible for many to give him the benefit of the doubt in what he says, but that doesn't change the utter ridiculousness of taking what he says or tweets literally.

Trump said his father was born in Germany. Three times, at least. That was a lie each time he said it.
 
Dude? Most elected officials, if not most public figures are treated this way. The most notable exception are professional comedians, and even they can't always get away with racist, sexist, anti-semitic, anti-Muslim etc statements.

Plus, he's not Howard Stern. He's the freaking President of the United States. When the POTUS says "the bombing starts in five minutes" on a hot mic, no one's default setting is "oh he's joking."

Why don't you give us some examples of things that he said that:

1) Shouldn't be taken literally
2) The implication behind the statement was substantially different than the literal interpretation
3) He was attacked for the literal meaning, that was completely different than a reasonable interpretation
.

For starters the thing about he could "shoot someone on 5th Avenue"
 
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