By Steven Flagg
Guest Column
When a public figure calls something a scam, a hoax or a witch hunt, it should signal something serious. Those are not casual words; they imply a world where evidence is faked, systems are rigged and powerful forces are conspiring to take someone down.
Donald Trump has used those labels so often that they have become second nature. Russia investigation: hoax. Impeachments: witch hunt. Indictments: scam. Negative stories from reporters: hoax, fake news. Unfavorable election results: rigged, hoax, scam. And now even broad concerns about affordability are labeled as a “Scam” and “Con Job.” These same words appear, again and again, whenever scrutiny lands at Trump’s doorstep.
Set aside how you feel about Trump. Stand him next to any ordinary person in your life. If a neighbor, coworker or pastor responded to every criticism, investigation and accusation with “it’s all a hoax,” what would you think over time?
Once or twice, you might take their side. Maybe you would even admire their toughness. But if it happened every single time, without exception, wouldn’t you wonder if this pattern says something about them?
Most of us say we value honesty. We teach our children to tell the truth, even when it hurts: if you are wrongly accused, explain yourself and trust the facts to stand. Those instructions did not include, “If anyone questions you, just shout ‘witch hunt’ and walk away.”
Now apply that standard to Trump’s language. When he calls each new inquiry a hoax or scam, the underlying claim is enormous. It means investigators, judges, journalists and sometimes even his own appointees are lying or corrupted every single time. Is that really the world we live in? Or is it a story that protects one man from ever having to admit fault or unpleasant news?
Do we use the same standard for politicians we dislike? Imagine an opposing party politician who answered every investigation and damaging report by calling it a witch hunt. Would you accept that at face value, or would you say, “Hold on, that sounds like deflection; are they hiding something”?
If the answer changes depending on the jersey the politician is wearing, then the issue is not just their honesty. It is our own.
Unfavorable outcomes draw similar assertions. After the 2020 election, more than 60 lawsuits alleging fraud were rejected by courts around the country, including by judges Trump appointed. State officials from his own party certified the results. If all of that is still a hoax, then we are saying the only valid verdict is the one that favors Trump. Any other result is, by definition, corrupt.
At this point, “hoax” no longer means “carefully proven deception.” It simply becomes “something I do not want to accept.”
Going forward, as Trump and his supporters keep making these claims, it seems worth asking one quiet question: If anyone else in your life behaved this way, insisting that every challenge was a scam or witch hunt, would you call that person honest? Or would you sense that something doesn’t quite add up?