Understanding TrumpSpeakTM

United States President Donald Trump has, on occasion, been economical with the truth. And, when I say "on occasion," I really mean over 17,000 times in the three years that he has been President. Apparently, being economical with the truth is catching.

Like all high stakes players (and the world is about as high as stakes as one can get outside of a science fiction novel), President Trump has tells. He often comes back to certain words or phrases that mean things when he says them that do not match their commonsense meanings when other, more commonsensical people say them. According to researchers at the Poynter Sisters Institute, this constitutes TRUMPSPEAKTM.

How does TRUMPSPEAKTM actually work? The Team at PSI has developed many examples to illustrate the basic principle. They include: TRUMPSPEAKTM: "I just heard..."
TRANSLATION: "I just made up..."
USAGE: "Okay, well, then, they're clients. I mean, you know, he's got a lot of clients. So, I just don't know. I haven't spoken to Rudy about it. I don't know. I will say this: From what I heard - I just heard about this - they said, ‘We have nothing to do with it. We're totally - we have nothing to do with it.'" (about personal lawyer Rudy Guiliani's involvement in the Ukraine scandal)

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "...everybody knows that..."
TRANSLATION: "Everybody loyal to me will believe that they have always known what I just said, believe me. Everybody else will be parroting fake news..."
USAGE: "The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that, everybody knows that. You take a look at the FBI a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil - less than a year ago. It hasn't recovered from that."

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "[SUBJECT] is easy..."
TRANSLATION: "I know [SUBJECT] better than any egghead who has studied it for thirty years..."
USAGE: "...trade wars are good, and easy to win."

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "A lot of people don't know..."
TRANSLATION: "I didn't know..."
USAGE: "We are your largest partner. You're our largest partner. A lot of people don't know that. I was surprised. I made that statement yesterday, and a lot of people said, ‘Gee, I didn't know that.' But that's the way it is." (to Theresa May, when she was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "Believe me..."
TRANSLATION: "Assume anything I say in the next six sentences is a lie...no, make it 12 jut to be on the safe side…"
USAGE: "Those people, all of those people - excuse me. I've condemned neo-Nazis. I've condemned many different groups, but not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists, by any stretch." (Charlottesville - what else?)

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "I love..."
TRANSLATION: "I hate..."
USAGE: "I am a big fan of the FBI. I love the FBI."

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "...all they really know how to do is obstruct, resist, demolish, destroy and delay..."
TRANSLATION: "Have you ever heard of a little thing called psychological projection...?"
USAGE: "They want to get the power that they so desperately crave that was taken away from them. All of the Democrats know and all they really know how to do is obstruct, resist, demolish, destroy and delay."

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "…winning…"
TRANSLATION: "…losing…"
USAGE: "The only reason to vote Democrat is if you are tired of winning."

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "…the greatest [PERSON OR EVENT]…"
TRANSLATION: "…the idea that Hillary Clinton got more votes than me or would have made a better President than I am is a lie! A lie I - sob! - tell you!"
USAGE: "You know, we had probably - and even the fake news would tell you - the greatest victory in the history of this country in 2016. There's never been anything like that. The people came from the hills and the valleys. They came from all over. And they voted, voted, voted. And they love Trump, and they loved us."

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "…real collusion…"
TRANSLATION: "I have no idea what the word means, but if I'm being accused of it, the Democrats or their supporters must have done it!"
USAGE: "Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC! Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!"

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "We have the best people..."
TRANSLATION: "We have the best people...who aren't concerned about destroying their reputations by working for us..."
USAGE: "It hit the Virgin Islands, but not as bad as it could have, but it really began to form and form big, and now it's looking like it could be an absolute monster. We're ready. We have the best people in the world ready, and they're gonna help you." (Hurricane Dorian)

TRUMPSPEAKTM: "Grab them by the pussy..."
TRANSLATION: "Grab them by the pussy..."
USAGE: "You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."

On the other hand, just like a stopped clock that correctly tells you that you need to get a new clock twice a day, sometimes what President Trump says is exactly what President Trump means. Alas…