Why MAGA buys Trump's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool hoax - Salon.com

Theory Briefing

• Trump falsely claimed a crowd filled the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a claim his supporters accepted despite clear evidence against it.
• Salon argues the appeal isn't truth but wish-fulfillment: the story validates the idea that critics and mockers deserve comeuppance.
• Belief in the hoax functions as in-group loyalty — accepting the claim signals tribal belonging more than factual agreement.
• The GOP base's desire to see detractors punished may make emotionally satisfying false claims stickier than accurate but neutral ones.