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| We sat right here, in the water, by the steps |
She's from Long Island, in New York, over here seeing her grandkids and enjoying the balmy pool with them.
I lived on Long Island, I say. "Well, right opposite Long Island" I correct. In New Rochelle in the early 1960s. I went to New Rochelle Primary School. "Which was still there when I went back in 2008", I tell her, gratuitously. "Oh, right", she feigns interest.
Turns out that we're both the same age, THL and I. Mid seventies.
We both recall the 1960 Nixon-Kennedy Debate. We sat there in 1960 New York City -- she in Long Island, me in Manhattan, in our temporary digs before we moved to New Rochelle -- in front of our creaky, our cranky, black & white television sets, glued to the spectacle. [*]
THL recalls that her family were the first on their block with a television set so they had all their neighbours around to watch the debate. They were all Nixon supporters, she told me. "But me, I loved Kennedy", she said. "Only nine years old, but for some reason I loved him!". I think I knew the reason.... JFK, the Charmer.
I was also for Kennedy I told her. Me, the ten-year old. Loved the looks! Could I possibly have had any view of his policies, as a ten-year old?
THL asked me why I was in New York. "My dad worked at the United Nations", I said. "He was a junior Australian representative to the General Assembly." "Oh", she says, impressed.
Nothing to be impressed by, I now think. The UN is a corrupt organisation and was even then as my father was to find out. But that's another story, which I didn't want to share with THL. What I did share with her was: "My dad came home from work one day and said 'guess what Kruschev did today? He took his shoe off and banged it on the table!'". She giggles and remembers. "That was famous", she says.
At some stage THL let's rip against Trump, something about not being able to be proud of the US, of being American, not even worth becoming an American citizen, until "we've changed to a better president". I don't say much other than that the younger generation, Millenials and Gen Z, especially the men, are trending Rep supporting, as are Latinos and even parts of the Black community. We Boomers, I note, are mostly Dems, but I changed along the way. Have become a non-American who supports Trump.
THL is shocked. Shakes her head, sadly.
She says she used to think that maybe Trump was generally authentic if crude, but now she thinks he is an out-and-out liar. "He lies about everything", she says, "every single thing".
"Like what?" I ask. Just tell me. I'm interested to know.
She comes up with four things. All lies. She says.
I'll summarise them here:
1. He has claimed that America's international reputation has improved. That's a lie. The world now despises America. (She says)
2. He says he's never been to Epstein Island. That's a lie. (She says)
3. He says he negotiated peace between India and Pakistan. That's a lie. (She says)
4. He says he negotiated peace between the Congo and Rwanda. Again, that's a lie. (She says)
I didn't respond to these allegations at the time. I haven't paid much attention to any of these issues. I've only read the headlines. So I muttered something along those lines, and then moved on. THL then said she had to organise the kids and move on. I said, a bit cheekily: "you aren't cutting me off, are you? Now that you know I'm a Trump supporter?". "Oh, no", she says, "I'm sure we'll see each other again!". Well, hehe...
So, now let me look a bit more closely at these alleged lies of Trump's.
1. United States' World Reputation
This one, it seems to me, is not a matter of truth or lie. It's more a matter of perception. THL believes that the world sees the US more negatively. I don't think so. I can remember Trump term 1 (T45) when the German delegation to the UN openly giggled and mocked Trump's claim that relying on Russian gas would be a disaster (as it indeed turned out to be). And I recall the ways he was treated in Europe in his first term visits. By contrast, in his second term visits as T47, like to the NATO summit and recently to Scotland, the body language of leaders towards him was much more respectful and even obsequious.
Democrats are going to believe that the US reputation has been sullied by him, no matter what he does and no matter what the evidence. I'm going to believe what I see of his interactions with world leaders. On that basis, it seems clear to me, if not to the THL's of the world, that president Trump is now very much respected, if not admired in the world.
I forgot to mention his Middle East trip, where he was treated like a King. Of course that's the wrong metaphor for Dems, who fear an alleged Trump penchant for "king-hood", but it was clear that the leaders of the Gulf states treated him with enormous respect.
In NATO, meanwhile, Trump got them to agree to a 5% of GDP (up from 2%) spend on defence. "Of course they won't do that", says THL. But how does she know? In any case, the first step to getting an increase in defence spend by Europeans, who have been living off American largesse since WW2, is to get a commitment and that's what Trump has done. Something that no other president has been able to do, to now.
Net-net on that one: if you're a Dem, you think Trump has ruined the global brand of the US. And if you're a Rep, you think Trump has improved the global brand of the US. I think there's more evidence for the latter. But whatever, it's not a "lie". It's a perception.
2. Epstein Island
Has Trump been to "Little Saint James", aka Epstein island? Trump says no. THL says he has and that he's lying.
I don't know what the truth is. THL doesn't know what the truth is. No one in that swimming pool knows what the truth is. No one in Discovery Bay, in Hong Kong, knows what the truth is.
That being the case, I don't know how THL can make a bald, bold statement like "Trump has definitely been to the island".
Apart from Trump's denials, there is no evidence in the public domain that suggests he ever visited. There is not a scrap of evidence. ZERO evidence that he has done so. None, nada, zip.
3. India-Pakistan peace
Trump never said "I negotiated peace between India and Pakistan", or anything similar.
However, according to reports, Trump's proactive engagement, supported by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, facilitated a ceasefire. This intervention is credited with halting a conflict that risked spiraling into a broader war, potentially saving countless lives and stabilizing the region.
Pakistan's leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, publicly praised Trump’s “pivotal and paramount role” in securing the ceasefire. He has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize (!) for his "strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship."
Pope Leo, and European diplomats lauded the ceasefire, and the part Trump played in it.
I'd say that counts as having played a part; at the very least. And surely gives lie to the THL assertion that Trump had nothing to do with having "achieved peace". He was clearly instrumental in doing so. Which debunks THL.
4. Congo-Rwanda peace
Trump never said "I negotiated peace between Congo-Rwanda", or anything similar.
He did call it a “glorious triumph” during the signing ceremony at the White House on June 27, 2025. I watched that signing ceremony. Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner called it a “remarkable milestone”.
That's two nominations for a Nobel Peace prize, for having actually been involved in and instrumental in, actually achieving peace. Contrast that with the Nobel awarded to Obama, immediately after his inauguration, effectively for being Obama.
That's that.
1. The reputation of the United States has improved since Trump.2. Trump was never on Epstein island. At least as far as any public record exists.3. President Trump was instrumental in bringing peace to two world conflicts: in India-Pakistan and Congo-Rwanda, for which he has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace prize.
Somebody that hates Trump makes statements about Trump's alleged "lies", which turn out themselves to be lies.
Here endeth the lesson.
ADDED: For the avoidance of doubt: Trump has lied and does lie. So has and so does every politician in the history of the world. Does Trump do so more than others? I don't know, though perhaps. He most surely does more hyperbole than every other president in history, although I'm not sure that's a bad thing. And I do know that Joe Biden lied more, with more consequential lies than ever Trump did. And if challenged on that, I could well do another post.
Bottom line: if you're going to accuse someone of lying, especially a president and especially of "lying all the time" you better be able to back it up. THL would not be able to, at least for the specific accusations made.
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[*] ADDED: That September 1960 Nixon-Kennedy presidential debate is remembered for being the first ever presidential debate. It was said that people who listened to the debate on the radio thought Nixon had won; those that watched it on TV, like THL and me, thought Kennedy had won. His good looks! His youth! Wikipedia notes:Nixon insisted on campaigning until just a few hours before the first debate started. He had not completely recovered from his stay in hospital, and thus looked pale, sickly, under-weight, and tired.[51]
His eyes moved across the room during the debate, and at various moments, sweat was visible on his face. He also refused make-up for the first debate, and as a result, his facial stubble showed prominently on black-and-white TV screens.
Furthermore, the debate set appeared darker once the paint dried up, causing Nixon's suit color to blend in with the background, reducing his stature.[51] Nixon's poor appearance on television in the first debate was reflected by the fact that his mother called him immediately following the debate to ask if he was sick.[52]
Kennedy, by contrast, rested and prepared extensively beforehand and thus appeared tanned,[f] confident, and relaxed during the debate.[54] Some estimated that 70 million viewers watched the first debate,[55] ....
