Not sure why anyone thinks Trump is lying about this diagnosis. He hates looking weak (and would think any disease makes him look weak). He doesn’t need an excuse to back out of the debates; he was already floating that he would if they were going to mute his mic

I don’t see any possible gain for him out of this, and he just tanked the markets, the one thing he’s obsessed with

Listen, there are basically two kinds of compulsive liars, in my unfortunately personal and extensive experience: those who lie to puff themselves up, claiming all kinds of superlatives and exaggerating or making up their experience and knowledge, and those who want sympathy

The two types aren’t particularly compatible. Trump is the first kind. He lies because he can’t bear to have anyone think he’s anything other than the best ever at everything he’s ever done and probably everything he’s never done. But he doesn’t lie for sympathy. He hates it.

For some liars (say the kind who pretend to have cancer), the pity is everything. The sympathetic attention is the point. Everyone being nice to you, everything thinking “oh, poor X.” Trump doesn’t go for that.

Because that doesn’t work with the self-aggrandizement. You can’t have people feeling sorry for you AND thinking you’re some kind of invincible superhuman at the same time. And Trump has clearly demonstrated that self-aggrandizement is his jam, again and again

Anyway, it seems they already got caught in the actual lie: trying to cover it up.

Remember how Trump reacts to people who are sick or disabled. He thinks they’re disgusting. He thinks “nobody wants to look at” amputee veterans, remember? He has told us again and again what he thinks of sick people. His ego would never allow him to be painted that way.

As for the idea I’ve seen floated a couple of times that this is how he gets to fake his own death and flee...1) he would never. That would mean no more attention ever. He’d literally rather die. And 2) flee what? He thinks he’s going to win.

Because his ego won’t let him think otherwise now. And even if Biden wins, Democrats in Congress have not been telegraphing any stomach to actually go after him and prosecute his crimes. Not even a little.

Oh, and my last point? If he were going to make up a fake crisis, it wouldn’t be related to COVID. Because that is one topic his campaign would really, really rather not be talking about right now. It’s probably his largest weakness. Why bring attention to it??

Nah, if he were going to do a wag the dog thing right now, it would be a military threat or something along those lines. Something where he gets to look heroic and importantly, distract people from his COVID record