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It\\u2019s bad enough that we have to deal with one Donald Trump here in the U.S. of A. What\\u2019s worse, Mehdi Hasan explains on the latest episode of The New Abnormal, is that Trump has become a template for a whole planet full of bad-faith actors and wannabe strongmen. Before he became the host of his own TV show in America, Hasan interviewed all sorts of international politicians. \\u201cWhat I noticed over the last few years is that they all now start talking like Trump. They all use the same verbal tics, the same \\u2018fake news,\\u2019 the same completely brazen lies,\\u201d Hasan tells Molly Jong-Fast. \\u201cThis is not a coincidence. People around the world have said, \\u2018well, it worked for Donald Trump. Why can\'t it work for me?\\u2019 Of course, all politicians are bullshit artists. But what\\u2019s different today, Hasan adds, \\u201cis the way in which Trump and co. have turned lying into not just an art form, but an instrument of power. They don\'t lie just to get their way. They lie because they want to destroy our shared reality. They want to demonstrate their power. They want people to back them and say, yes, \\u2018I don\'t believe my lying eyes.\\u2019\\u201d Speaking of belief, you\\u2019ll be gobsmacked by the lengths Alex Gibney had to go to in order to make \\u201cTotally Under Control,\\u201d his documentary about the government\\u2019s response to COVID. For some interview subjects, he\\u2019d drop off a high-tech camera rig so they could basically film themselves. For others, \\u201cthe camera person would go in alone to an Airbnb, kind of scrub it down, and then set up this shield\\u2014a series of shower curtains and tarps\\u2014between the subject and the camera person. And then there would be a lens sticking through,\\u201d he tells Molly. \\u201cThat was a way\\u2026 to do a proper lighting setup, but also be safe.\\u201d Then! Rick Wilson asks the questions on everyone\\u2019s mind, like: How much cash would it take to turn Texas blue? Why does Mike Lee hate democracy? Is mail order herpes a thing? And will Ted Cruz even remember Trump\\u2019s name on November 4th?

Want more? Become a Beast Inside member to enjoy a limited-run series of bonus interviews from The New Abnormal. Guests include Cory Booker, Jim Acosta, and more. Head to newabnormal.thedailybeast.com to join now.

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