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Jonathan Swan interviews President Trump on the COVID pandemic response, Russian accountability, and U.S. racial unrest.

By Nathan Yax
08/14/2021 • 02:53 AM EST

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: Click or tap on any techniquesee definition - the definition will be displayed here.
 that appears in bold to show its definition.
: appeal to authoritysee definition - asserting a claim is true because it is supported by an authority whose expertise, independence, or identity is unreliable or unverifiable.
: While all the experts who opposed travel bans are now said to be grateful Trump instituted them, it's unclear who any of those experts are. more...
: cherry pickingsee definition - presenting only evidence that supports a conclusion while ignoring or withholding a broader portion that contradicts it.
: Trump lists only countries that are worse off with Covid than the U.S., while ignoring that most comparable developed nations are better off. more...
: presuppositionsee definition - presenting information in a way that assumes shared knowledge, such that the assumption passes as uncontested, giving the appearance of agreement.
: "you know that" Before the pandemic, China had their slowest economic growth in 29, not 67 years.[2]
: fault as virtuesee definition - portraying a weakness or undesirable trait as a strength by highlighting any positive aspect of it.
: Trump suggests his pandemic response—which could be viewed as chaotic and reckless—instead was highly successful compared to "going herd." (taking no action at all). more...
: appeal to authoritysee definition - asserting a claim is true because it is supported by an authority whose expertise, independence, or identity is unreliable or unverifiable.
: While "those people that really understand it" think the Trump administration did an incredible job handling the COVID-19 crisis, it's unclear who any of those people are. more...
: red herringsee definition - throwing irrelevant information into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
: Trump emphasizes the crowd size and security barriers at his Tulsa rally, which may seem relevant but does not address the criticism of holding a large indoor rally during the pandemic. more...
: red herringsee definition - throwing irrelevant information into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
: Trump highlights his ratings for the Tulsa event, which may seem relevant but does not address concerns about the public health risks of holding the rally itself. more...
: scapegoatingsee definition - shifting blame onto a convenient target for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from more likely causes.
: Trump shifts blame for shortcomings in the federal COVID-19 response onto state governors and away from potential missteps of his administration. more...
: appeal to authoritysee definition - asserting a claim is true because it is supported by an authority whose expertise, independence, or identity is unreliable or unverifiable.
: While there are "those who say you can test too much," it's unclear who any of those people are or what books or manuals are being referenced. more...
: false equivalencesee definition - implying that two things are essentially the same, despite being significantly different, by focusing on anecdotal or superficial similarities.
: Between the low U.S. COVID fatality rate and the exceptionally high U.S. COVID mortality rate, ignoring that only the latter shows whether Americans are dying at a higher rate per capita than in other countries. more...
: innuendosee definition - implying something negative or controversial without explicitly stating it, leaving the audience to infer the intended meaning.
: By repeatedly saying "you don't know that" and adding that he's holding back out of diplomacy, Trump implies that South Korea may be falsifying its COVID statistics, without explicitly making the accusation. more...
: cherry pickingsee definition - presenting only evidence that supports a conclusion while ignoring or withholding a broader portion that contradicts it.
: Trump lists only three states where Covid rates have fallen, while ignoring that the nationwide death toll has been rising for weeks. more...
: red herringsee definition - throwing irrelevant information into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
: Trump brings up his reading comprehension, meeting times, and global conflicts, which may appear relevant but does not address why he failed to act on reports that Russia placed bounties on U.S. troops. more...
: muddying the waterssee definition - introducing irrelevant information or overly complex reasoning to confuse or complicate an issue that is otherwise straightforward and easy to understand.
: Trump introduces tangential points, like prior U.S. intervention, Nicholson's job performance, and Soviet history in Afghanistan, which confuses and dilutes the question about Russian accountability. more...
: false equivalencesee definition - implying that two things are essentially the same, despite being significantly different, by focusing on anecdotal or superficial similarities.
: Between Clinton considering contesting the 2016 election results over foreign interference and Trump refusing to accept the results, overlooking that Clinton ultimately conceded even after evidence of interference emerged. more...
: appeal to fearsee definition - inducing fear, anxiety, or uncertainty about an issue to shape how it is perceived or responded to.
: The statement raises uncertainty by relying on anecdotes about balloting errors and claims that millions of mail-in ballots are going unaccounted for, sowing doubt about election integrity without providing any nonanecdotal evidence to support the alarming claims. more...
: appeal to fearsee definition - inducing fear, anxiety, or uncertainty about an issue to shape how it is perceived or responded to.
: The statement raises uncertainty about the integrity of election results by using vague assertions like "lots of things will happen," which sows doubt about the vote-counting process without offering any historical parallels or concrete evidence to justify the concern. more...
: scapegoatingsee definition - shifting blame onto a convenient target for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from more likely causes.
: Trump shifts blame for the country’s economic issues and broader social divisions in the U.S. onto China and away from domestic root causes. more...
: trollingsee definition - making inflammatory or controversial comments to provoke a strong, emotional reaction from an opponent.
: post hocsee definition - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship may exist.
: Taking credit for African American economic advances while in office, even though those trends were already well underway in the final years of Obama’s tenure. more...
: red herringsee definition - throwing irrelevant information into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
: Trump brings up feeling personally snubbed by John Lewis, which may sound like meaningful but is largely irrelevant to Lewis's place in history. more...

Number of techniques detected in the 37:54 video runtime:

PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES

19 OCCURRENCES

appeal to authority:      
appeal to fear:    
cherry picking:    
false equivalence:    
fault as virtue:  
innuendo:  
muddying the waters:  
presupposition:  
red herring:        
scapegoating:    

DISINFORMATION TACTICS

1 OCCURRENCES

post hoc:  

SUMMARY

20 OCCURRENCES

Trump100%