--- title: Donald Trump Is BS, Says Expert in BS Harry Frankfurt description: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump: Is he lying or is it something else? canonical: https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-12T14:40:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:38.455Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Donald Trump Is BS, Says Expert in BS og:description: And that makes him even more dangerous og:url: https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d64d3330557613c/6988923dab6d77701e6a9961/donald-trump6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6000 og:image:height: 3375 og:image:alt: Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W. V., on May 5, 2016. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump Is BS, Says Expert in BS twitter:description: And that makes him even more dangerous twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d64d3330557613c/6988923dab6d77701e6a9961/donald-trump6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Is BS, Says Expert in BS > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=f2fe0fdb-fbfe-4f3b-b266-42f966cb3753&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=f2fe0fdb-fbfe-4f3b-b266-42f966cb3753&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=f2fe0fdb-fbfe-4f3b-b266-42f966cb3753&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=f2fe0fdb-fbfe-4f3b-b266-42f966cb3753&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A More "Presidentially Correct" Trump? [Watch (HLS stream): A More "Presidentially Correct" Trump?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jq72wMzX.m3u8) (1:38)  _Published 2016-05-05. We're tracking Trump statements with Time's Presidential-o-Meter to see how "Presidentially Correct" he can sound._ by [Harry G. Frankfurt](https://time.com/author/harry-g-frankfurt/) ## Harry G. Frankfurt May 12, 2016 2:40 PM UTC  Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W. V., on May 5, 2016. Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W. V., on May 5, 2016. Mark Lyons—Getty Images by [Harry G. Frankfurt](https://time.com/author/harry-g-frankfurt/) ## Harry G. Frankfurt May 12, 2016 2:40 PM UTC Donald Trump provides a robust example of someone who is, with respect to matters particularly relevant to the exercise of high political authority, neither well-informed nor especially intelligent. Moreover, even apart from these rather egregious cognitive deficiencies, much of what Trump has said during his presidential campaign has been—to put it mildly—quite unconvincing. This goes not only for his sometimes boorishly insulting characterizations of the personalities, behaviors and even the physical features of others, but also for his bizarrely self-congratulatory claims concerning his own capacities, plans and intentions. It is generally easy to identify which of Trump’s assertions are, in one way or another, unworthy of belief. What is somewhat more difficult to establish is whether his unmistakably dubious statements are deliberate lies or whether they are just bullshit. The distinction between lying and bullshitting is fairly clear. The liar asserts something which he himself believes to be false. He deliberately misrepresents what he takes to be the truth. The bullshitter, on the other hand, is not constrained by any consideration of what may or may not be true. In making his assertion, he is indifferent to whether what he is says is true or false. His goal is not to report facts. It is, rather, to shape the beliefs and attitudes of his listeners in a certain way. When Trump said that he observed thousands of people in Jersey City [celebrating](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/11/22/donald-trumps-outrageous-claim-that-thousands-of-new-jersey-muslims-celebrated-the-911-attacks/) the destruction of the twin towers by dancing in the streets, it is clear enough that he was lying. After all, there was a great deal of reliable testimony that no such thing had happened. Also, records of Trump’s earlier statements make it abundantly [clear](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/02/donald-trump/trumps-absurd-claim-he-knows-nothing-about-former-/) that he lied when he recently said that he knew nothing about David Duke or about the Ku Klux Klan. Further, in discussing U.S. medical costs since Barack Obama became president, Trump [said](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/oct/25/donald-trump/trump-obamacare-health-care-premiums-going-35-45-5/) that “we have lousy health-care, where it’s going up 35, 45, 55 percent.”The truth is that, as readily available public records show, medical premiums rose by an average of 5.8% a year since Obama took office, compared to 13.2% in the nine years prior. However, it is often uncertain whether Trump actually cares about the truth of what he says. This makes it unclear whether his assertion is a lie or merely bullshit. Since a person does not lie unless he makes an assertion that he himself takes to be false, we cannot properly say that he is lying if he actually believes what he says. For example, on May 5, 2016, Trump [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/728297587418247168): “The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!” This could hardly be anything other than bullshit. Does he have any real evidence about where the best tacos are, or was he just making it up? Does he really love Hispanic people? Both assertions come across—at least to me—as little more than hot air. Consider, also, his pronouncement that millions of illegal immigrants will be [deported](http://time.com/3977763/donald-trump-immigration-policy/) when he becomes president. This is probably also an instance of bullshit: surely, given the uncertainty of whether he would have both the authority and the means to do so, it’s likely (a) that Trump doesn’t actually have any settled intention to deport those millions and (b) that he doesn’t really care whether or not what he says is true. He most likely made that pronouncement merely in order to create certain expectations and impressions in the minds of his listeners. He wanted people to think of him as a person who would settle upon and carry out intentions like the one he declared to be his. On the one hand, Trump makes false assertions, which he surely knows, or knows he could easily ascertain, to be false. On the other hand, he makes statements of whose truth he is uncertain—and he is indifferent to the fact that he doesn’t actually regard them as true. In the first case, he is telling a lie. In the second case, it’s bullshit. Trump freely offers extravagant claims about his own talents and accomplishments. He maintains, for example, that he has the greatest [memory in the world](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/amid-latest-controversy-trump-claims-worlds-greatest-memory-n468621). This is farcically unalloyed bullshit. He has also made deceptive claims concerning his business experience. Some of these probably include ingredients both of bullshit and of lies. But his characterization of himself as an extraordinarily successful busi­nessman is, in any event, open to question. Thus, his biographer, Michael d’Antonio, makes the following [comment](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/29/the-myth-and-the-reality-of-donald-trumps-business-empire/): “He tried to run an airline and failed at that. He tried to run casinos and failed four times. That’s not evidence of brilliance when it comes to operating a complex business.” It is disturbing to find an important political figure who indulges freely both in lies and in bullshit. What is perhaps even more deeply disturbing is to discover an important segment of our population responding to so incorrigibly dishonest a person with such pervasively enthusiastic acceptance. ## Transcript So there have been reports that you've been getting pressure from your staff to act more presidential, is that the case? Do you need to act more presidential? No, no, not at all. We have had no pressure to act more presidential. The Trump administration will lead a free world. Sir, with all due respect, that's the argument of a five year old. I didn't start it. That is properly armed and funded. Every parent knows a kid who says he- That's not a five year old. Excuse me, when I become president, the days of treating Israel like a second class citizen will end. Now I have a lot of friends, by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them. Did he choke? I would like to talk today about how to develop a new foreign policy direction for our country. We can't continue to allow. To rape our country. One that replaces randomness with purpose. Ideology with strategy and chaos with peace. Here's a guy, throwing punches, nasty as hell, screaming at everything else. I'd like to punch him in the face. The countries we are defending must pay For the cost of this defense. We're gonna knock the **** out of ISIS. [ APPLAUSE ] Gonna knock the **** out of them. Governor Kasich and Senator Cruz have really, really hurt themselves. Somebody has to be where the belt's going in because the belt moves this way. It moves this way. [ LAUGH ] It moves that way. We have won millions of more votes than Senator Cruz, a lying Ted, lying. He's a lying guy! I felt that I had to hit back very hard, but at the right time I will be so presidential you will be so bored. You will say can he have a little bit more energy? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Is BS, Says Expert in BS","datePublished":"2016-05-12T14:40:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:55:38.455Z","description":"And that makes him even more dangerous","url":"https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/","keywords":["politics","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d64d3330557613c/6988923dab6d77701e6a9961/donald-trump6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Harry G. Frankfurt","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/harry-g-frankfurt/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d64d3330557613c/6988923dab6d77701e6a9961/donald-trump6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W. V., on May 5, 2016.","caption":"Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W. V., on May 5, 2016.","creditText":"Mark Lyons—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/","name":"Donald Trump Is BS, Says Expert in BS"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A More \"Presidentially Correct\" Trump?","description":"We're tracking Trump statements with Time's Presidential-o-Meter to see how \"Presidentially Correct\" he can sound.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Jq72wMzX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-05-05T21:04:27.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jq72wMzX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/","duration":"PT1M38S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4321036/donald-trump-bs/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```