Post-truth

As Rudy Giuliani so eloquently put it, “Truth isn’t truth.” What a good way to summarize the world we live in today. There has always been divisions in politics, but somehow the differences seem more pronounced today than in the past. We live in a post-truth era where truth and facts have somehow become subjective.

For example, Michael Cohen plead guilty and in court stated that he made illicit payments to Stephanie Clifford and Karen McDougal under the direction of Donald Trump. Cohen stated he did this with the intention to influence the 2016 election. And now Donald Trump is attempting to distance himself from his own personal lawyer! I sometimes can’t believe the world we live in. Sure, this doesn’t prove anything. This case needs to go to a court to determine guilt or innocence. But to any rational person, this is an issue.

Now, there are some logistical considerations for this unprecedented situation. For instance, the very practical consideration that a sitting president cannot be indicted due to the time it would take away from the presidency seems like a reasonable one. Just watch an episode of the West Wing and you can see that presidents don’t have much time. But what does this mean for justice? We all know justice isn’t the same for the rich and the poor, but it seems this case is so blatant. As the head of the executive branch, perhaps President Trump is above the law in more ways than one.

I find Michael Cohen’s confession shocking. I don’t exactly understand how this case could be made without his confession. Let me clarify, I don’t know how the prosecution could prove Cohen’s intent. It seems like a difficult thing to do.

Let me add one more thing. I am not anti-Trump; I am simply pro-truth. I think I relate to Penn Jillette’s sentiments about pre-presidential Donald Trump: “[Donald Trump] plays a kind of Scrooge McDuck role in our society that is kind of fun... Having a guy that's flamboyant and really really rich is a nice thing for us all to ruminate on. I think he's playing kind of a good role.” Donald is human, like the rest of us. And sure, the wealth he was born into changes how he sees the world. But we shouldn’t hate him. The world is full of different people, and that is part of what makes it great, diversity, whether it be of background, thought, or otherwise. While I disagree with Trump on many issues, an open exchange of ideas is how truth is discovered. So let’s be open, to ideas, and, most importantly, the truth.