Vivek Is Not Donald

Ramaswamy not only says he never says things he said, or says things that are misleading, but is unapologetic about it in a way that mimics Trump's impulse to double down. @gettinviggy @jonathanweisman me https://t.co/HweO7xOmD6

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 30, 2023

Trump believes his own lies. He’s not self-aware enough to agree with George Costanza: “It’s not a lie, if you believe it!” Trump just can’t distinguish between lies and reality. For him, there is no distinction. Challenge him on a statement, he just crawfishes and makes up a new lie. He escapes in a cloud of squid ink; or tries to.

Vivek isn’t even George Costanza. Vivek knows he’s lying and tries to defend his current lie. That only keeps attention on the lie and his defensiveness. He doesn’t escape, he digs in, and soon the interview is only about his lies. Trump believes what he says; truth doesn’t even enter into it. Vivek knows he’s lying; that makes him just another sleazy politician.

He’s trying to be Trump-lite without being as unlikeable as DeSantis. But the GOP doesn’t need a “mini-Trump,” and Trump will never pick someone like that to be his VP.