Gaslighting America: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us

"The author, Amanda Carpenter, is the former press secretary to Ted Cruz and a die-hard, right-wing Republican. The very fact that she chose to write a critical book is interesting in itself. She does an incredibly good and persuasive job of deconstructing the secret to Trump’s success. She unfolds how over and over again, he takes control of any given news cycle by doing things that would cause the end of other politicians’ careers. She sees the paradox of Trump’s appeal. Like Strangers In Their Own Land , this book helps you to understand the incomprehensible—that voters like Trump not despite his lies, but in some way because of them. Trump invents reality every day, without constraints, bumpers, borders or limits. As he gets into more and more trouble, and faces the prospect of impeachment, he doubles down on convincing people that things that aren’t true are true. Most people are constrained by conscience. That’s the part of you which says, “I couldn’t do that because it’s wrong,” or “I couldn’t do that because people would think poorly of me,” or “I couldn’t do that because it doesn’t feel right.” Freud called that superego and Trump doesn’t have one."