As he spins his way along the campaign trail, voters can't help but notice certain ambiguities in Donald Trump's plan for a great America. Throughout his campaign, the question has persisted: okay, but how? Tonight's debate, in headlines alongside stories of Republicans withdrawing their support, especially seemed to emphasize the repetitive rhetoric in which Trump responds to questions. Logical fallacies occur when a person's claim lacks evidence to support their argument. They also occur when Donald Trump is talking.
The Either/or Fallacy
Oversimplifies an argument, offering only two options in an ultimatum.
After being asked about his infamous "Grab them by the P***y" comments, Trump dismissed his behavior as "just locker room talk." He used his speaking time to rail against ISIS, then declared "we should get on to much more important things and much bigger things" when moderator Anderson Cooper restated the question.
The Circular Argument
Justifies an argument through restatement, without actually offering proof.
Trump vilified the Affordable Care Act, declaring that "Obamacare will never work, it's very bad, very bad health insurance." As always, he made his opinion clear with strong words but vague plans as to how he hopes the "disastrous" plan can be repealed and replaced "with something absolutely much less expensive and something that works."
Genetic Fallacy
When audience member, Gorbah Hamed, questioned the candidates about what measures they would take to combat discrimination towards Muslims, Trump argued that the problem isn't the rising Islamophobia in the United States, but Radical Islamic Terror and the failure to report it. By making it sound as though Muslim citizens were the sole reason for domestic terrorism, Trump dismissed the valid worries of Muslim Americans concerning their safety in their own country, and went on to justify his plan for the complete "Muslim [immigration] ban" or "extreme vetting".
Red Herring
In the continuing saga of What Can a White Male Get Away With in the United States, Trump has now openly admitted to avoiding paying federal taxes. On national television. Twice. Just as he failed to repent any of his discriminatory comments towards women/minorities/people with disabilities, Trump showed no shame in cheating the laws he's running to represent, and simply cited other celebrity businessmen who he claimed utilized the same tactics to evade federal taxes.
