Reprinted with permission from AlterNet.
Biographer Tim O’Brien told Vanity Fair an amazing anecdote about how President Donald Trump owns a Renoir print and straight-up refuses to acknowledge it’s not the original painting.
O’Brien spotted the print on Trump’s plane and asked him if it was an original, apparently to see if he’d lie.
Trump told O’Brien it was. The biographer responded, “No, it’s not Donald.” Instead of letting it go, Trump argued with him.
“I grew up in Chicago, that Renoir is called Two Sisters on the Terrace, and it’s hanging on a wall at the Art Institute of Chicago,” O’Brien countered. “That’s not an original.” The conversation was eventually dropped.
The very next day, after the two boarded his plane, Trump said without prompting, “You know, that’s an original Renoir.”
Fast-forward to 2016. That fake Renoir was spotted hanging in Trump Tower during Trump’s infamous 60 Minutes interview.
O’Brien said Trump “believe[s] his own lies in a way that lasts for decades,” because he perceives himself to be the final authority on truth.
That should terrify anyone who believes in the concept of truth.
Chris Sosa is an associate editor at AlterNet. His work has appeared in Mic, Salon, Care2, Huffington Post and other publications. Previously, he was a campaign specialist and media spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisSosa.
