--- title: People Are Comparing This Trump Quote to George Orwell description: Trump drew George Orwell comparisons when he said in a speech: "What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening." canonical: https://time.com/5347737/trump-quote-george-orwell-vfw-speech/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-07-24T22:06:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:56:44.894Z article:section: Politics og:title: People Are Comparing This Trump Quote to George Orwell og:description: "What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening" og:url: https://time.com/5347737/trump-quote-george-orwell-vfw-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt020084a41881b551/6989361f86f68e2b846e9b75/trump-vfw-george-orwell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4500 og:image:height: 2531 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-TRUMP-VFW og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: People Are Comparing This Trump Quote to George Orwell twitter:description: "What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt020084a41881b551/6989361f86f68e2b846e9b75/trump-vfw-george-orwell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'What You're Seeing... Is Not What's Happening.' People Are Comparing This Trump Quote to George Orwell > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jul 24, 2018 10:06 PM UTC  US President Donald Trump waits to speak at the 119th Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention on July 24, 2018, in Kansas City, Missouri. US President Donald Trump waits to speak at the 119th Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention on July 24, 2018, in Kansas City, Missouri.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI—AFP/Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jul 24, 2018 10:06 PM UTC President Trump drew comparisons to George Orwell’s _1984_ in an attack on the media during a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention Tuesday. In his address to the convention in Kansas City, Trump defended his decision to slap tariffs on the U.S.’s trading partners. As Trump told the crowd that “it’s all working out,” he warned those in the audience against believing what they see in the news. “What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening,” Trump said. For some, the quote immediately recalled a line from Orwell’s dystopian novel _1984_: “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” > [](https://twitter.com/DavidPriess/status/1021827954941337600) Those on Twitter quickly connected Trump’s words to what Orwell wrote. > [](https://twitter.com/TitusNation/status/1021841458079428608) > [](https://twitter.com/greenfield64/status/1021814047597969408) > [](https://twitter.com/WajahatAli/status/1021841053077385217) > [](https://twitter.com/AmoneyResists/status/1021836481994940416) It’s not the first time Trump’s speeches has reminded people of something out of an Orwell story. Last week, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake called Trump’s words at his [summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin](http://time.com/5341795/president-trump-russia-putin-summit-criticism/) in Helsinki an “Orwellian moment.” Earlier on Tuesday, the U.S. government announced a [$12 billion plan](http://time.com/5347398/trump-trade-billions-farmers-tariffs/) to help farmers affected negatively by Trump’s trade disputes with China. The plan will assist soybean producers located in the Midwest who have been hurt by duties imposed by China on their products in retaliation to Trump’s tariffs. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5347737/trump-quote-george-orwell-vfw-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5347737/trump-quote-george-orwell-vfw-speech/"},"headline":"'What You're Seeing... Is Not What's Happening.' 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