Fallacious Trump

In the seventy-sixth episode we explore the Fallacy of Worse Evil, starting with Trump saying Covid could have gone worse, and China is worse than Russia, then Louie Gohmert saying the insurrection wasn't the worse possible thing. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Matt Hancock, Dave Caesar and Dominic Cummings claiming Covid could have been (even) worse in the UK. In the Fallacy...

Happy Birthday Fallacious Trump! This is the third of our birthday presents to you - Jim's Skeptics in the Pub talk about his work at the BBFC. Streamed live on 25th March 2021 For over a hundred years, a small, secretive group of people in Soho have decided what you can see in UK cinemas and, more recently, on video and DVD. Who are they, how do they make their decisions, and why was Monty Py...

Happy Birthday Fallacious Trump! This is the second of our birthday presents to you - the second episode of our Q Anon Book Club! In our second Q Anon Book Club episode we look at some of the best proofs Q followers (or 'anons') can come up with, which - as far as they are concerned - prove Q is real to a statistical certainty. Of course, the Q community is big on not being sheeple and doi...

Happy Birthday Fallacious Trump - this is your first of three birthday presents! In the very first episode of our new Q Anon: An Invitation to the Great Awakening book club, we discuss the criminals who run the world and who are either the most famous people you can think of or people behind the scenes who you've never heard of, and the 'good guys' genius plan to unseat the all powerfu...

In the seventy-fifth episode we explore Tokenism, starting by explaining why Trump appearing in a photo with Rosa Parks doesn't mean he's not racist, and looking at other times he claimed he wasn't racist. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Sajid Javid not being an ally of the Windrush community, and Matt Hancock lying about Boris Johnson's track record on racism. In...

In the seventy-fourth episode we explore the Accent Fallacy, starting with Trump misrepresenting what Ilhan Omar and Joe Biden said, and Mitt Romney misrepresenting what Obama said. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson being intentionally vague about which Bill Labour wants to kill. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from My Cousin Vinny, Book of Mormon, Su...

In the seventy-third episode we explore Circular Reasoning, starting with the GOP's reasons for not allowing witnesses in Trump's first impeachment trial, and then Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker arguing against legal weed. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at the Boris Johnson kind of arguing both for and against lockdowns, and the UK Home Office questioning how sincerely a re...

In the seventy-second episode we explore the Appeal to Sincerity, starting out with Trump sincerely believing Covid is almost over (7 months ago), Democrats are pro-crime, and all his rallies were full. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at the Boris Johnson being very confident about how well the UK is handling Covid, and Matt Hancock being so pleased with himself he even expects Piers...

In the seventy-first episode we explore the Anecdotal Fallacy, starting out with Trump telling stories of employees whose children were turned autistic with vaccines, and friends who were cured by hydroxychloroquine. In Mark's British Politics Corner (yes, Mark is actually back!) we look at the Irish and Thai leaders explaining why they relied on anecdotal evidence when they stopped vaccinatin...

In the seventieth episode we explore the Appeal to Anonymous Authority, starting out with Trump claiming 'the best analysts' predicted a stock market crash if Biden won, and that there are those who say you can test too much. We also heard about his extremely credible source for birtherism, and got a masterclass in combatting this fallacy from WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki. In Mark's Br...

In the sixty-ninth episode we explore the Imposter Fallacy, starting out with Trump claiming the Deep State have infiltrated the FDA and various people claiming Antifa attacked the Capitol on January 6. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Alistair Campbell claiming Corbyn supporters are actually trying to bring down the Labour Party. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples f...

In the sixty-eighth episode we explore Failing Occam's Razor, starting out with Trump not understanding why he didn't get more mail in ballots and Lou Dobbs wondering why there's no proof of election fraud. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Therese Coffey and Baron McColl claiming obesity, age and population density are the reasons for the UK's atrocious COVID respon...

In the sixty-seventh episode we explore the Argumentum ad Lunam, starting out with Trump claiming that we can give every child school choice since we put a man on the moon. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson claiming we can solve Brexit since we put a man on the moon. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, Scott Pilgrim vs Th...

In the sixty-sixth episode we explore Promised Proof, starting out with Trump promising proof for rain in France and Mexico sending their criminals to the US, and a Trump supporter promising proof of Antifa attacking the Capitol. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson promising that he has seen evidence that Dominic Cummings didn't do anything wrong, but you can't s...

Happy New Year! It's part two of our special present to our lovely listeners, our breakdown of the Donald Trump movie Ghosts Can't Do It! And this part has the actual Donald Trump cameo in it (which won him a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor) and you don't even have to wait long, as it's pretty much the first scene we talk about this time! Anyway, enjoy part two of our take on one...

Merry Christmas! As a special present to our lovely listeners, we thought we'd give you the breakdown we did of the Donald Trump movie Ghosts Can't Do It! OK, technically, it's a Bo Derek movie, but the Donald does have a cameo (for which he won a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor) - but you'll have to wait until part 2 on New Year's Day to hear us laugh at his bit. Yes, like a...

In the sixty-fifth episode we explore the Argument from Consequences, starting out with Trump unable to accept either the results of the election or climate change. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson promising we wouldn't end up in the No Deal situation we are currently in. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Conta...

In the sixty-fourth episode we explore the Thought-Terminating Cliché, starting with Trump dismissing hundreds of thousands of dead Americans as "It is what it is", and arguing that election fraud is common sense. Then various Republicans claim now is not the time to talk about gun control. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Rishi Sunak and others deflecting questions on the...

In the sixty-third episode we explore the Ad Hoc Fallacy, starting with Trump making shit up about why he lost the election (and also pretending he didn't lose the election). In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Piers Morgan interviewing Matt Hancock and Nigel Farage. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from 12 Angry Men, The Simpsons Movie, and Uri Geller's appea...

In the sixty-second episode we explore the Ambiguity Fallacy, starting with Trump vaguely claiming the coronavirus will go away on its own. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson being ambiguous about how much money he'll pay the EU to leave. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from The Simpsons and No Country For Old Men. Jim and guest host Rachel go head...

In the sixty-first episode we explore the Prosecutor's Fallacy, starting with Trump misrepresenting a CDC study about masks and coronavirus. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Mark Francois confusing a claim by Will Self, and the Telegraph's reasoning regarding false positive coronavirus tests. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out real life legal cases including People v....

In the sixtieth episode we explore the Contextomy Fallacy, starting with Trump taking London Mayor Sadiq Khan out of context, and Bill Barr and Mike Pence doing the same to Robert Mueller and Ron Klain. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at both Boris Johnson awkwardly quoting song lyrics and Keir Starmer probably quoting himself. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from a...

In the fifty-ninth episode we explore the Argument by Slogan, starting with Trump rally crowds chanting "Lock her up!" and "Build that wall". In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at the various slogans the UK government have tried out for Coronavirus. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from Friends, Ryan Reynolds and the Colombian Tourist Board. Jim and Mark...

In the fifty-eighth episode we explore the Argument by Gibberish, starting with Trump talking nonsense about Obamacare and economic plans. In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at the drivel Matt Hancock talks about coronavirus tests. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from Spies Like Us, Peter Sellers, a toothpaste ad and Billy Madison. Jim and Mark go head to head in Fake...

In the fifty-seventh episode Jim and special guest host Chris (Mark's away this week) explore the Politician's Fallacy, starting with Trump explaining his motivations for the China tariffs and the Muslim ban. In Chris' British Politics Corner we look at Brexit. In the Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from Yes Minister and the world of British professional football. Jim and Ch...