The world’s attention is on the American elections. After all, who sits in the White House concerns everyone. In this context, the TV debate that took place last Tuesday evening was closely watched from all corners of the globe.
After the hour-and-a-half broadcast, Kamala Harris had the upper hand over her opponent, Donald Trump, but what stuck in people’s minds was Trump’s statement: “Refugees are eating cats and dogs.”
WHERE DID THIS CLAIM ABOUT EATING CATS COME FROM?
The situation is exactly as the famous Italian author Umberto Eco described: “Our job is no longer to prove something is a lie, the real issue now is proving that an obvious truth is, in fact, true.”
The TV debate between Donald Trump and his rival Kamala Harris once again demonstrated this reality. During the debate, watched live by 67 million Americans, Trump was being Trump—he told lies at will, without any regard.
For example, he claimed that the city of Springfield in Ohio had been taken over by Haitian immigrants and that these immigrants were eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. The claim was first made by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. Other Republicans supported it, and the claim went viral.
City officials denied the claims, but Trump continued repeating them. The moderators in the live broadcast stated that this information was incorrect, but Trump paid no attention. In the days following the debate, he reiterated the same claim. Yesterday, when asked about this issue, he gave similarly evasive answers.
Americans, especially Springfield residents, along with politicians and journalists, are desperately trying to debunk Trump’s claims and explain the truth. Trump casually says things like this—claims that are either unverified or blatantly false—as if they were facts.
THE INTERVIEW THAT MADE EVERYONE SAY, “NO WAY!”
My favorite example in this regard is an interview Trump gave to The Sun. The incident, which took place in June 2019, will go down in media and political history and will likely be included in textbooks. For those curious about the details, Google has the full story, but let me summarize.
The interview Trump gave to the British newspaper The Sun caused a huge stir because the U.S. president said he “didn’t know Meghan Markle was so rude.” Naturally, the British public was outraged.
In response to the backlash, Trump said, “I never called Meghan Markle rude. These are lies fabricated by the media. Once again, they’ve been caught in their lies. Will The New York Times or CNN apologize to me? I doubt it.”
As people were saying, “No way!” Trump remained unfazed. The interview had nothing to do with CNN or The New York Times. Furthermore, The Sun’s editorial team posted the audio recording of the interview online, where it was clear that Trump indeed used the word “rude.” So, he was lying. And what did Trump do? Nothing. He continued repeating the same lie.
His claim during the debate that refugees were eating cats and dogs follows a similar process. Even the Republican figures who initially made the claim have backtracked, but Trump remains persistent. This isn’t a new occurrence. During his presidency, Trump lied so frequently that newspapers created fact-checking services specifically for his statements.
According to The Washington Post’s fact-checking service, Trump told 23 lies per day during his presidency. In fact, the 20,000 lies Trump told were displayed as part of a “Wall of Lies” exhibit in New York.
NO ONE BELIEVES ANYTHING ANYMORE
Fast forward to today.
There is no longer any point in listing Trump’s lies and trying to explain the truth. In fact, attempting to fact-check Trump’s lies can sometimes inadvertently serve him. As political scientist Hannah Arendt famously noted, “With constant lying, eventually no one believes anything anymore.”
This creates a perfect environment for politicians like Trump.
So why should we care about this?
The answer is simple. Telling big lies and repeating them often isn’t unique to Trump. From Hitler to modern times, all dictators and authoritarian regimes have meticulously followed the tactics of Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels.
A version of this tactic is widely used by contemporary politicians. Erdoğan is also a strong adherent of this approach. Like Trump, he repeatedly makes claims that have been proven to be false.
In short, there’s no way to stop these lies.
So, what should we do?
Just as all roads lead to Rome, in this case, all solutions lead to a free press and independent judiciary. If, like in America, there is a free media, politicians’ lies can immediately be exposed. Those seeking the truth can verify it from alternative sources.
If the issue goes to court, the liar must face the consequences. But in a situation like Turkey, where there is no independent media or judiciary, things are dire. In such cases, lies replace the truth. It’s almost like a state of mass hypnosis.
For leaders like Erdoğan, complete silence is crucial, as even the faintest noise can break the hypnosis.
They have taken control of all TV channels, connected newspapers to the Palace, used internet trolls for suppression, and wielded the judiciary like a club—but it still wasn’t enough. Now, their target is the handful of journalists broadcasting on YouTube.
It has been announced that the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) is working on a licensing requirement for YouTube content creators. RTÜK Chairman Ebubekir Şahin said, “Those who do news or programs on YouTube will also need to get a license from RTÜK.” If this plan is implemented, and licensing is required, it would be nothing short of censorship. Channels that the regime does not grant a license to will not be able to broadcast at all. Once they silence this last platform, the country will become a bed of roses for them.
So don’t give up the last stronghold. Otherwise, you’ll end up like the North Koreans who believe their football team won the World Cup! Or just as Trump became a laughingstock for claiming refugees eat cats, Erdoğan’s statement that “the rule of law functions in Turkey” will become a joke.
