Title: Trump's absurd projection reveals his anxiety (opinion) | CNN
Headings: Trump’s absurd projection reveals his anxiety
Trump’s absurd projection reveals his anxiety
Avlon: Trump's projections serve a serious purpose
(CNN) —
Get our free weekly newsletter

Content: This impulse to deflect and project continued in the general election against Hillary Clinton. So, when Trump was accused of being the “ most corrupt candidate ever ,” she became “Crooked Hillary.” When Trump came under fire for racist appeals, he called Clinton a “bigot.” When Clinton raised questions about Trump’s erratic and impulsive behavior, he called her unstable, unhinged, lacking the “judgment, temperament and moral character to lead this country.” And who can forget his, “No puppet … You’re the puppet,” response when she accused him in a debate of being a puppet for Vladimir Putin. To be sure, that one was more of an impulsive bleat than evidence of strategy, but of course the pattern of projection has continued in the White House: For example, during the Mueller investigation, when he kept asserting without evidence that “there was no Collusion except bye Crooked Hillary and the Democrats.” And in saying that Russia really wanted Clinton to win – despite Putin saying the exact opposite. These projections may be absurd, but they serve a serious political purpose. They muddy the water between fact and fiction and make people think that everyone is guilty of what Trump’s been credibly accused of.