Trump Amnesia and Normalization

"Trump Amnesia" refers to the phenomenon where individuals or groups forget or overlook past controversial or negative actions and statements made by former U.S. President Donald Trump. This term can be used to describe a variety of behaviors, such as:

1. Selective Memory: Supporters or political allies might downplay or forget past scandals, inflammatory remarks, or controversial policies.
2. Media Coverage: Media outlets might shift focus away from past controversies, either to cover current events or due to the sheer volume of new developments.
3. Public Perception: The general public may move on from past incidents, either due to fatigue from constant news coverage or because new issues have taken precedence.

The term highlights how the continuous news cycle and political dynamics can lead to a collective forgetting or diminishing of the significance of past actions.

"Trump Normalization" refers to the fact that Trump lies so often, it sounds normal. For example, regarding the June 27th debate, when so many people were critical of Joe Biden, Trump’s performance was awful if we looked at it through the lens of debates prior to 2016.

Or, as Lucien K. Trustkott put it . . .

"He started the June 27th debate as a convicted felon, and he lied for 90 straight minutes.  Every time he opened his mouth, another lie came out.  He lied about the big things, like his loss in the 2020 election.  He told a lie when he said Nancy Pelosi had “taken responsibility” for what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6.  He lied when he said he had “offered” her 10,000 National Guard troops and she turned him down.  He lied about everything right up to and including his pathetic golf game.  And he refused to answer the big questions asked of him, such as one on abortion and whether he would accept the results of this year’s presidential election.  

"It used to be when a candidate told that many lies about so many important issues and ducked and dodged when confronted with his own record and previous lies, he would be declared the loser of the debate.  But Donald Trump, who starred on television for a decade and knows the medium as well as anyone who has ever run for political office, didn’t stutter or hesitate in his delivery.  No, he told his lies quite competently in a clear and understandable voice, even if what we were listening to was utter and complete horseshit and everyone knew it, even Republicans."