When Trump finally wrapped up his soliloquy and took questions, a reporter pointed out that both Obama and George H. W. Bush got more Electoral College votes than he did, and asked why Americans should trust him when he peddles blatant falsities. “I was given that information,” Trump replied blithely. “I’ve seen that information around.” Another reporter asked Trump whether he was concerned that, by labelling stories he didn’t like as “fake news,” he was undermining public faith in the First Amendment. He threw the question back. “The press—the public doesn’t believe you people anymore,” he said. “Now, maybe I had something to do with that. I don’t know. But they don’t believe you.”
As far as many of Trump’s core supporters are concerned, that may be true. When he walked out of the room, some of his aides appeared to be delighted. Rush Limbaugh, another Palm Beach resident who has made his career by going loco on the mainstream media, was busy hailing what he had just seen. In parts of Trumpland, then, this was seen as a big win. Practically everywhere else, the reaction was: Wow! He really is a nut.