Trump and the Harms of Political Deception

Many people have called out Donald Trump for spreading misinformation, which has important consequences for the health of U.S. democracy and public faith in officials. At the White House meeting, Trump showed President Cyril Ramaphosa a screenshot to prove his point about what he called “White genocide” in South Africa. Videos and photos were included that showed no connection to the accused events, and were from Goma, DRC, where humanitarian workers moved body bags after an attack by M23 rebels. On February 3, Reuters published the video footage and the fact-check team confirmed the real location.

A recent example of this misinformation pattern is the Harvard University controversy sparked by Trump administration. Preventing the University from accepting foreign students by accusing it of working with the Chinese Communist Party and anti-American forces would result in Nearly 6,800 international students being targeted, which involved claims that did not hold up in court. A federal court has temporarily prevented the administration, pointing out that its move might cause unfairness and unintended damage to students and academics.

Accusing Harvard of antisemitism and threatening to stop giving grants formed part of a government campaign against academic institutions. Experts say these steps were meant for political advantage and were not backed by proper evidence. A study by Vanderbilt University revealed a correlation between the repetition of Trump's falsehoods and increased misperceptions among his supporters, particularly those consuming right-leaning media.

Polls and surveys have consistently shown skepticism regarding Trump's honesty. In September 2024, 57% of the people surveyed thought that what Trump and his campaign claimed was “rarely” or “never” based on facts. A recent poll showed that 35% of Americans believed that Trump had lied about there being classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

Mistaken information is much more likely to be given out by far-right populist parties than by similar ones. Sharing misinformation is something that radical-right populists are most known for, one study at the University of Amsterdam suggests. Looking at millions of parliamentarian X posts, it became a fact that far-right populists share the most misinformation, not just those from left- or right-wing groups. In Germany’s AfD, France’s RN and the Netherlands’ PVV, members often distribute more incorrect data on the Internet than others.

The broader issue at hand is the impact of presidential falsehoods on both domestic and international fronts. In the book"Why Leaders Lie," John Mersheimer argued that the reason why leaders misinform or disinform their own citizens more than to foreign audiences is that the domestic audience is more trusting. Such lies can lead to "blowback," where the culture of misinformation cultivated by leaders breaks public trust and damages democratic institutions in the country.

Whether in the United States, Türkiye, or elsewhere, the dissemination of lies by those in power will have far-reaching consequences, both domestically and internationally.The r citizens and institutions demand transparency and truthfulness from their leaders to guard democratic values.