Hannah Arendt famously described the psychology of Nazi propaganda as "the point where [the masses] would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true." It's a quote that comes to mind often when contemplating the lies of Donald Trump and his MAGA movement. And it cropped up for me again while reading about the new right-wing conspiracy theory targeting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his dog.
It's a twisty road that led us to this point. Scout, the beloved pet of Kamala Harris' running mate, stands accused by rabid Trump fans of being a fake. While this story is a silly sideshow, it has serious implications. Unable to handle the strong possibility that their candidate will lose in November, Trump's followers are preemptively immersing themselves in a fantasyland where everything they don't like is "fake," from Harris' crowd sizes to the pet photos of their opponents. This isn't just a coping mechanism, either. As we saw on Jan. 6, 2021, the non-stop accusations that Democrats are "faking" everything can lead Trump's followers down dangerous and even violent pathways.
