Fallacious Trump

In the ninety-ninth episode we explore the Need for First Hand Accounts, starting with Trump claiming historians can't know whether a Civil War battle took place because they weren't there, and that Maggie Haberman has no way of knowing whether Trump clogged White House toilets with documents . In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Sir Robert Goodwill MP's claim that the fac...

In the ninety-eighth episode we explore the Silent Majority Fallacy, starting with Trump implying people who don't protest are on his side and that people with ten flags on their boats are part of the silent majority. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at David Cameron's invocation of the silent majority in the run up to a vote on Scottish independence, and Scottish Tory leader...

In the ninety-seventh episode we explore the Argument by Vehemence, starting with Trump yelling at Peter Alexander and shouting over Joe Biden during their first debate. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson shouting and pointing at Kier Starmer during Prime Ministers Questions. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from Matilda, The West Wing, and Citi...

In the ninety-sixth episode we explore the Toupée Fallacy, starting with Trump claiming he can always tell if an entrepreneur has read his books, and then claiming to be able to spot a contractor. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Priti Patel's claims about what the British people are tired of hearing about, and then what the British people actually think. In the Fallacy in the...

In the ninety-fifth episode we explore the Appeal to Loyalty, starting with Trump accusing the press of hating America and the GOP accusing Cheney and Kinzinger of disloyalty for investigation Jan 6. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Debbie from the Midlands calling into talk radio to accuse anyone questioning Dominic Cummings' ridiculous Barnard Castle story of disloyalty. He t...

In the ninety-fourth episode we explore the Reification Fallacy, starting with Trump mischaracterising both Antifa and Science. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at various people claiming Jeremy Corbyn was unelectable, and hear Boris talking about the control we would get back after Brexit. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out examples from The Mothman Prophecies, Leviatha...

In the ninety-third episode we explore Incomplete Comparison, starting with Trump pulling out of the Paris Accord and giving his opinion on Boris Johnson, and Dan Bongino getting the health outcomes in Democrat-run cities about as wrong as it's possible to get anything. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris building back better and claiming the Tory's plans for fuel discou...

In the ninety-second episode we explore Fractal Wrongness, starting with Trump being wrong on many levels about the National Debt and Voter ID, and then Don Jr being about as wrong as you can be about Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris's excuses and apologies for partying while everyone else was locked down. In the Fallacy in the Wild...

In the ninety-first episode we explore Amazing Familiarity, starting with Trump claiming to know what the Founders intended when writing the Constitution, and whether anybody has ever said I love you to a politician. Kevin McCarthy claims he knows why people voted for Biden, and Kayleigh McEnany claims Trump has never lied. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris knowing what it&#39...

Happy New Year! Here's part 2 of our Holiday treat for you, a breakdown of Disney+'s latest shameless cash grab, a film made by people who either didn't watch Home Alone or didn't understand why people liked it. It's part scholarly film theory analysis, part snarky nitpicking, part exasperated diatribe. Yes, each of the two parts is technically about as long as the film itself,...

In the ninetieth episode we explore the Argument from Silence, starting with Trump assuming everyone is flirting with him even if they don't know it themselves, and assuming people who take the fifth are guilty, and Marjorie Taylor Greene harassing school shooting survivor David Hogg. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Simon Case not answering any questions, and Boris suggesting...

Merry Christmas! Here's our Christmas gift to you, a breakdown of Disney+'s latest shameless cash grab, a film made by people who either didn't watch Home Alone or didn't understand why people liked it. It's part scholarly film theory analysis, part snarky nitpicking, part exasperated diatribe. Yes, each of the two parts is technically about as long as the film itself, but we t...

In the eighty-ninth episode we explore Survivorship Bias, starting with Trump talking to literal survivors of coronavirus about using hydroxychloroquine, and telling people not to be afraid of Covid after he survived it, and South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace citing a study on natural immunity that relies heavily on this fallacy. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at MPs on both sides...

In the eighty-eighth episode we explore Conflating Views, starting with Trump lumping New Mexicans in with Californians regarding the Wall and claiming Biden had vowed to defund the police; and Candace Owens suggesting Rittenhouse disbelievers were more charitable to OJ. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Priti Patel being unsympathetic to immigrants (shock!) in the wake of the Liver...

In the eighty-seventh episode we explore the Gotcha Argument, starting with Trump revealing how unprepared he was to answer foreign policy questions as a candidate, and failing to clarify Jared Kushner's statement on the Strategic National Stockpile. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Matt Hancock refusing to answer a question he didn't like, and Boris Johnson waffling an ans...

In the eighty-sixth episode we explore the Appeal to Fiction Fallacy, starting with Trump confusing a movie with real life around the southern border, and comparing himself to a notorious movie villain, before Don Jr misunderstands Orwell. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson attempting to pepper his speech on how great we all are with allusions to Greek mythology and mup...

In the eighty-fifth episode we explore the Broken Window Fallacy, starting with Trump claiming tariffs would help the economy, and Texas and Mississippi Attorneys General arguing that banning abortions empowers women and stimulates interstate commerce. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson boasting that the abolition of Free Trade with the EU since Brexit means exporters o...

In the eighty-fourth episode we explore the Sunk Cost Fallacy, starting with Trump justifying sending 4000 more troops into Afghanistan in 2017 based on the loss of life so far, then being unable to back down from his mistake about Hurricane Dorian hitting Alabama. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Tim Loughton complaining about the ongoing cost of paying the French not to stop migr...

In the eighty-third episode we explore the Double Standard Fallacy, starting with Trump selectively accepting the media 'calling' the election depending on who won, Kayleigh McEnany claiming Biden's phone call to Ghani was impeachable due to a quid pro quo, and Candace Owens invoking absolute medical freedom but definitely not for abortion. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look...

In the eighty-second episode we explore the Appeal to Nature, starting with Trump complaining about artificial light, Mike Pence asking how natural things like CO2 and coal can be bad, and Rand Paul suggesting the natural immunity gained by those who survive a deadly disease is way better than the artificial vaccine and never getting the disease in the first place. In Mark's British Politics C...

In the eighty-first episode we explore the Appeal to Common Folk, starting with Trump claiming he's a blue collar worker, and then claiming he and his followers are actually super elites. Then Don Jr talks about how much he loves trucks, guns and meat. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Nigel Farage, who embodies this fallacy. In the Fallacy in the Wild section, we check out exam...

In the eightieth episode we explore the Just World Fallacy, starting with Trump blaming black victims of police shootings for resisting arrest and the site of a mass shooting for not having armed security. Then Eric Trump blames women who are sexually harassed for allowing themselves to be subjected to it, and Mo Brooks blames sick people for not living good lives. In Mark's British Politics C...

In the seventy-ninth episode we explore the Appeal to Accomplishment, starting with Trump talking about how successful his imaginary friend is, and suggesting non-successful people shouldn't be able to criticize people like him. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson touting the success of the very unsuccessful Track and Trace system. In the Fallacy in the Wild section,...

In the seventy-eighth episode we explore the McNamara Fallacy, starting with Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeld, then moving on to Trump focusing on money instead of the environment and Don Jr equating refugees to Skittles. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson focusing on COVID cases to justify lockdowns and switching deaths to justify opening up again when the cases are...

In the seventy-seventh episode we explore Ignoring Linear Time, starting with Trump saying Biden should have already done all the things he promised to do when he became President (including fixing the mess Trump made). In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Chris Philp defending Priti Patel's stance on immigration reform against claims that if the Tories could fix immigration they a...