--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Donald Trump is a master salesman. And he…" description: "\"Donald Trump is a master salesman. And he creates his own reality. So if he tells you, \"This is a middle-class tax cut, and I, Donald Trump, won't bene..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/david-cay-johnston-10155_believe_donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he_2798135.jpg" --- # Donald Trump is a master salesman. And he creates his own… ![“Donald Trump is a master salesman. And he creates his own reality. So if he tells you, "This is a middle-class tax cut, and I, Donald Trump, won't benefit," he expects you to believe that. It doesn't matter that it's not true. It's he said it, you're supposed to believe it. And that's how he's run…” quote by David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/david-cay-johnston-10155_believe_donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he_2798135.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/david-cay-johnston-10155_believe_donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he_2798135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/david-cay-johnston-10155_believe_donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he_2798135.jpg) > “Donald Trump is a master salesman. And he creates his own reality. So if he tells you, "This is a middle-class tax cut, and I, Donald Trump, won't benefit," he expects you to believe that. It doesn't matter that it's not true. It's he said it, you're supposed to believe it. And that's how he's run his entire administration. If he says it, that makes it true.” [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trump uses assertive statements as reality‑shaping tools, relying on authority to make false claims accepted. **In simple terms:** He makes lies seem true by insisting they are. Key Takeaway Question claims of authority critically. Themes politics media manipulation Mood critical analytical Type political media‑literacy When to use this quote - campaigns - public discourse Key Concepts propaganda truth bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify political statements? - What role does confidence play in persuasion? A Different Perspective Risk of dismissing all political statements as false. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Donald trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donald-trump/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-tells-3126640/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Salesman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salesman/) [Tax cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tax-cut/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Tells Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tells-middle-3428265/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Trump Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump-master-1657215/) ## Related quotes > [People want a reality that tells them they're right all of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/people-want-a-reality-that-tells-them-they-re-right-all-of-the-time/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [People want reality that tells them how right they are all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/people-want-reality-that-tells-them-how-right-they-are-all-the-time/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [God teaches me about reality, so when he tells me to do something, I do, because I'm led to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/god-teaches-me-about-reality-so-when-he-tells-me-to-do-something-i-do/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [In general, while Trump has been a master of Twitter, he has shown an aversion to, and ignorance of, technology itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/in-general-while-trump-has-been-a-master-of-twitter-he-has-shown-an/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Trump is a master obfuscator. Like an octopus escaping a predator, he releases a cloud of ink when called to the carpet on one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/trump-is-a-master-obfuscator-like-an-octopus-escaping-a-predator-he/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [“Trump’s unexpected win created a persuasion bomb that no one knew how to defuse. The anti-Trumpers were locked into their Hitler movie, and confirmation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/trump-s-unexpected-win-created-a-persuasion-bomb-that-no-one-knew-how/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [I think Donald Trump is a master of moving on from losses when he suffered them, and if he can't find a way in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-halperin/i-think-donald-trump-is-a-master-of-moving-on-from-losses-when-he/) [Mark Halperin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-halperin/) > [ Here in America we have a man \[Donald Trump\] who is a master of a medium that is all about self-aggrandizement and/or cruelty to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/here-in-america-we-have-a-man-donald-trump-who-is-a-master-of-a/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [When a pointed question is beaten back with an attack or threat of, 'How dare you...' it's a reliable signal that deception is involved.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/when-a-pointed-question-is-beaten-back-with-an-attack-or-threat-of/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [You can't look at the tax cut on a family until you realized how - how much better off they're going to be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mulvaney/you-can-t-look-at-the-tax-cut-on-a-family-until-you-realized-how-how/) [Mick Mulvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-mulvaney/) > [First of all, I don't have a $5 trillion tax cut. I don't have a tax cut of a scale that you're talking about.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/first-of-all-i-don-t-have-a-5-trillion-tax-cut-i-don-t-have-a-tax-cut/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [A tax cut means higher family income and higher business profits and a balanced federal budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/a-tax-cut-means-higher-family-income-and-higher-business-profits-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Democratic priorities remain clear: to provide a tax cut for working families, to promote policies that produce jobs and economic growth, and to assist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/democratic-priorities-remain-clear-to-provide-a-tax-cut-for-working/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [There are some Republicans who say that any time you raise new revenue, you have to have a tax cut to match it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-flake/there-are-some-republicans-who-say-that-any-time-you-raise-new/) [Jeff Flake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-flake/) > [If the goal of the Trump tax cut is to make America look more like tax-cutting North Carolina and less like soak-the-rich Connecticut and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/if-the-goal-of-the-trump-tax-cut-is-to-make-america-look-more-like/) [Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/) ## More by David Cay Johnston > [“Wage insurance works best when all workers are covered under the same plan and the coverage starts at the beginning of their working lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/wage-insurance-works-best-when-all-workers-are-covered-under-the-same/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Pope Francis I, denouncing “an economy of exclusion,” has made inequality a centerpiece of his reign: Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/pope-francis-i-denouncing-an-economy-of-exclusion-has-made-inequality/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“We have created a society in which all the nation’s economic gains flow to the top and the vast majority sees income stagnation or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/we-have-created-a-society-in-which-all-the-nation-s-economic-gains/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [Congress is supposed to fund the IRS, and it has been steadily reducing the number of auditors and tax collectors the IRS has at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/congress-is-supposed-to-fund-the-irs-and-it-has-been-steadily/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“By 2012 the average income of the vast majority had shrunk to the equivalent of 45 weeks of 1973 income—a 13 percent decline to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/by-2012-the-average-income-of-the-vast-majority-had-shrunk-to-the/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“No person, I think, ever saw a herd of buffalo, of which a few were fat and the great majority lean. No person ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/no-person-i-think-ever-saw-a-herd-of-buffalo-of-which-a-few-were-fat/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The worst of these are laws in nineteen states that let companies pocket the state income taxes withheld from their workers’ paychecks for up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-worst-of-these-are-laws-in-nineteen-states-that-let-companies/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“it shouldn’t be the case that the only route out of poverty is to get married to someone who also has a job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/it-shouldn-t-be-the-case-that-the-only-route-out-of-poverty-is-to-get/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Halliburton’s is a more extreme example, one in which a powerful and wealthy company transcends national borders so thoroughly that it is not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/halliburton-s-is-a-more-extreme-example-one-in-which-a-powerful-and/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The real income reported on federal tax returns by the vast majority of Americans, the 90 percent, doubled between the end of the war and 1973.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-real-income-reported-on-federal-tax-returns-by-the-vast-majority/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [You, as a wage earner have to pay your taxes every year on your income for that year. So if you have a one-time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/you-as-a-wage-earner-have-to-pay-your-taxes-every-year-on-your-income/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Social Security gives concrete expression to widely held and time-honored American commitments. Grounded in values of shared responsibility and concern for all members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/social-security-gives-concrete-expression-to-widely-held-and-time/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“The anthropologist Elliot Liebow observed it in the men he chronicled in Tally’s Corner, his insightful 1967 book on the lives and attitudes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/the-anthropologist-elliot-liebow-observed-it-in-the-men-he-chronicled/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“One change we believe should be made is increasing the maximum amount of wages on which Social Security’s contributions are assessed. Contributions are assessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/one-change-we-believe-should-be-made-is-increasing-the-maximum-amount/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“Not surprisingly, this huge American “industry” has huge political clout—with the expansion of prosecutorial and correctional workers’ power, the growing number of lobbyists for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/not-surprisingly-this-huge-american-industry-has-huge-political-clout/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) [Explore all 67 David Cay Johnston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Donald Trump is a master salesman. And he creates his own reality. So if he tells you, \"This is a middle-class tax cut, and I, Donald Trump, won't benefit,\" he expects you to believe that. It doesn't matter that it's not true. It's he said it, you're supposed to believe it. And that's how he's run his entire administration. If he says it, that makes it true.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Cay Johnston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he-creates-his-own-reality-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he-creates-his-own-reality-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/david-cay-johnston-10155_believe_donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he_2798135.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/david-cay-johnston-10155_believe_donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he_2798135.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/david-cay-johnston-10155_believe_donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he_2798135.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Donald Trump is a master salesman. And he creates his own reality. So if he tells you, \"This is a…” — David Cay Johnston", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Cay Johnston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Donald Trump is a master salesman....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he-creates-his-own-reality-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/donald-trump-is-a-master-salesman-and-he-creates-his-own-reality-so/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```