If you’re thinking that maybe you’re hallucinating because this administration’s leaders are saying the opposite of what they have professed in the past, you are not crazy. The concept of standing by your previous words and promises has been tossed to the curb. Let me give you just a few examples.
Here are some of President Trump’s past statements.
“I’m not going to start wars. I’m going to stop wars.” (2025)
“I’m especially proud to be the first president in decades to have started no new wars.” (2021)
“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end—and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.” (2025)
“We will have prosperity and peace; remember I’m the president of peace they said.” (2026)
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, “I think the country is surprised that he’s proud to be an agent of peace.” (2025)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, “The U.S. forces have “maxed out” authorities with no intention of getting bogged down in or repeating prior dumb wars.” (2025)
And let’s not forget current Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments about Trump when he ran for president the first time. “He is a con artist and vulgar. He runs on the idea he is fighting for the little guy, but he has spent his entire career sticking it to the little guy—his entire career.” (2016)
Here’s Senator Ted Cruz’s quote when he ran against Trump, “This man is a pathological liar.” (2016)
Here’s J. D. Vance’s quote about Trump during his first run for president: “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad or that he’s America’s Hitler.” He described himself as a “Never Trump” guy and called Trump “cultural heroin.” (2016)
Here’s Vice President J.D. Vance’s quote: “Going to war with Iran would not be in the interest of the U.S., and that would be very expensive. It would be a huge distraction of resources.” (2025)
Elon Musk invested in Tesla to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy aiming to revolutionize the automotive industry and prove that electric cars could be superior high performing vehicles. He then, under Trump’s DOGE initiatives, proceeded to fire thousands of environmental and regulatory Federal workers impacting staff involved in climate science, conservation, energy, and land management. In addition, Musk has contributed at least $20 million to Republican candidates who are running in 2026 and who have supported Trump’s environmental cutbacks. Supposedly such support will guarantee this administration’s continued support for the now more than $20 billion in contracts Musk has received for rocket launches and satellite internet.
When Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post, he encouraged the perception of himself as a savior to one of the most prestigious newspapers in the U.S. Then, in 2024, he decided not to print The Post’s endorsement of Kamala Harris in the off chance that Trump should win the election and cut off funding for his Blue Origin space initiatives. He was also interested in a continuing favorable regulatory environment for Amazon. As of early 2026, Bezos has received $5.8 billion in government contracts for lunar landings and national security missions. In recent months, Bezos has decimated The Washington Post firing more than 300 employees which has charitably been described as a “bloodbath.” (Ironically when Bezos took control of The Post, he adopted the slogan, “Democracy dies in darkness.”)
So how to deal with all this political hypocrisy? Experts suggest that we focus on the substance of the arguments, not the persona. Also, it’s important to focus on the potential damage caused by the behavior rather than just the contradictions made by the politicians.
In short, it is important to focus on the damage of the political action, regardless of who is performing it. It’s also important to focus on harmful hypocrisy such as policy reversals that endanger public safety or violate core democratic principles rather than minor trivial inconsistencies. In essence, point out when leaders fail to meet standards that they themselves have set.
Clearly, we all can change our opinions when new information comes to light and new insights emerge. But be honest. How often have you had an about face the likes of which I have described by these politicians and businessmen above?
The author Anne Applebaum once wrote, “What links Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Andrej Babis, Jaroslaw Kaczyinski and Marine La Pen is one simple character trait: hypocrisy. These politicians aren’t tribunes of the people. They are hucksters. They aren’t bitter enemies of the Western system; they are con artists who seek to profit from it.”
In Hamlet, when Shakespeare said, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” he implied that there was a deeper, systemic issue thereby hinting at wrongdoing and deceit.” Sound familiar?