Amanda Carpenter is the former communications director for Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a CNN contributor, and the author of the new book Gaslighting America: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us, released earlier this week.
Carpenter joined the Never Trump movement during the 2016 election and even found herself in the middle of a made-up scandal when the National Enquirer implied that she and several other women had affairs with then-GOP presidential nominee Cruz.
She discusses the incident in her book, along with an apt description of the 2016 election, the stunning tactics of the Trump campaign, and why Americans seem to enjoy it.
I spoke with Mrs. Carpenter about Gaslighting America, the current state of the Never Trump movement, and why the Democrats are having a tough time formulating a strategy to combat the Trump Administration.
Q: Why did you name the book “Gaslighting America.”
AC: I believe the concept of gaslighting really describes the feeling a lot of people have in the era of Trump, where he does mix so much truth with rumors and conspiracy that it’s hard to know what is real and what’s not.
I became fascinated with the ways all different groups became incentivized to go along with Trump’s narrative. There are many people who stand to gain from it. Republicans, even if they disagree with his policies, can gain political power. The media loves it because it always gives them things to pick apart. The Democrats love it because they keep falling for this fantasy that the next line will be the one that does Trump in.
So he has a lot of control because he’s willing to engage in such shameless tactics.
Q: I was a Never Trumper as well during the 2016 election, and I remember the moment I realized that Trump might win the GOP nomination. It was when he took Florida during the primaries. I’m curious, when did you think that Trump could win the nomination and maybe even the election?
AC: I agree with you, Florida was panic time. I was a Cruz person, and honestly I wanted it to come down to him and Marco Rubio. I would have been happy with that.
I even fell for the idea of, “oh we’ll let Trump take Jeb Bush out and clear the way for Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.” Everyone was thinking along similar lines, then it was, “Wait he’s clearing the field.”
That was the panic moment in Florida. I do think there was an opportunity to get behind Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, but unfortunately, it did not happen, so Trump was the last one standing.
Q: Now, there has been an attempt by some, not all, but some Trump supporters to lump the Never Trump conservatives in with others who chose to vote for Hillary. We’ve seen the ostracizing and firings of Trump critics for example, where do you think the Never Trumpers stand in the Republican Party?
AC: Right now it is Trump’s Republican Party. There is no doubt about that. The RNC has become a bunch of lap dogs.
There is this belief out there that some Republican is going to stand up to Trump in the primary and turn things around. I keep telling my media friends that we already tried to do that.
Ted Cruz went up at the GOP Convention and told people to vote their conscience. There was an effort to get a roll call vote at the convention and everyone said, “aren’t those people a bunch of jerks?”
That’s over. There is no fight left.
So everyone has made a conscious decision to be a standing member of the Republican Party. Also, the Republican establishment media has said, “You’re either with Trump or against him. Thread the needle, and if you don’t, get out, because you’re not supporting the president.”
On top of that, the Left will bash you because you’re not doing enough. It’ll never be enough.
I am an optimist, though. As a commentator, you need to keep your principles as a Conservative and be honest about what you’re thinking at all times. In this game, all you have is your reputation, integrity, and credibility.
I’ve made the decision to go on the air and tell the truth because otherwise I don’t have any business being there. People like me are going to put it on the line. This may not work out. I may not have a media career and I fully understand that, but I’ll be able to sleep at night. I’ll do this honesty.
Q: I want to shift gears for a moment. The Democrats are not handling this correctly. They are running on “we hate Trump” and identity politics. It doesn’t seem to be working for them. Do you think they’re going to change their strategy or double down?
AC: I don’t think they have a strategy at all. With all this chaos created by Trump, there is a crisis in the Democrat Party. It is affecting leadership, direction, and strategy. If you follow the Obama people, the Bernie people, and anyone else, there is a big conflict on how progressive they are going to be.
It doesn’t seem like they are going to support moderates who can compete in Republican districts.
Just like the Republicans had some Tea Party conflicts, they’re going through some of that in the wake of Barack Obama. They built a coalition with him and without him, there’s no glue.
You’re going to see the ungluing of how they put together the Democrat Party in the 2020 primary. They may have 17 people running and when you talk to them, they are scared because there is no clear leader and they’re going to have a food fight.
They’re going to try on everything. Being Anti-Trump is not the right strategy. I’m of the belief that if you are anti-whoever, you give that target more power. If they do that with Trump, that gives Trump the power. He’ll be in the driver’s seat.
Q: The Democrats are doubling down on identity politics even though it’s hurting them. We saw it with the Congressional testimony of Diamond and Silk, and with the grilling of now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Are they just tone deaf when it comes to that?
AC: I don’t have the right answer for that. I’m not a Democrat. Honestly, they probably think it’s a good foil for Donald Trump because he does not have any sort of sensitivity when it comes to these issues.
Q: The subtitle to your book is “Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us.” Why do you think that is?
AC: There are three main centers of influence that I believe affect those lies. Number one, Republican Trump voters. For example, they cheer when he says that Mexico is going to pay for his proposed wall even though they know it’s not true because it’s what they want to hear. It’s virtue signaling toward a shared cause.
Democrats love it when he lies because they think the next lie will do him in. They fall for it every single time.
The media loves it because it gives them endless material to cover. You don’t have to do any show prep, you just wait for Trump to tweet something and then come out and react to it. The ratings and click deliver.
Q: Anything you would like to add?
AC: People often ask me how did the Republican Party get here? I spend some time in the beginning of the book just explaining how it worked. There was a lot of talk about anger in the GOP, but I think it was largely fear, specifically of terrorism.
Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn had said during the campaign that the 2016 election was Flight 93. I’m paraphrasing, but he said that Hillary Clinton is essentially commanding the plane and is going to drive it into a building. We can storm the cockpit with Donald Trump. We might not live, but we have a chance.
That sounds crazy. “We’re probably going to die, but we have a chance with Trump.”
That terrorized mentality truly describes the state that the GOP was in that led us to Trump. I understand it. I felt that fear. I don’t blame people who made that choice, but as a party we were in a pretty scary place where that became a rational argument, and we have to get out of there.
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You can find out more information on Amanda Carpenter’s book at this website.