Biden vs. Trump — A Tale of Two Gaslights

If Trump’s first term was marked by manufactured chaos, Biden’s has been defined by manufactured calm.

Under Trump, the media lit fires daily—Russia collusion, bleach injections, “very fine people”—twisting facts or outright fabricating stories to portray a presidency in constant crisis. Every misstep was magnified. Every policy, no matter the merit, was filtered through a lens of hysteria and doom.

But with Biden, the opposite occurred: silence, suppression, and strategic omission. The media didn’t miss the story—they buried it. Or outright lied. They downplayed inflation, ignored the border crisis, and concealed the President’s cognitive decline until it became impossible to hide. Real scandals—Afghanistan, Hunter Biden’s laptop, the censorship-industrial complex—were dismissed as conspiracy theories or “Russian disinformation”… until they weren’t.

During Trump’s term, the press gaslit America into outrage.
Under Biden, they gaslit America into obedience and submission.

One presidency was relentlessly scrutinized—even when innocent. The other was shielded—even when guilty. And the cost has been high: trust eroded, truth manipulated, and the American people—especially moms, families, small business owners, veterans, and the middle class—left to navigate a fog of narrative control disguised as journalism.

Both administrations were targets of gaslighting—but only one was “held accountable”.
That’s not oversight. That’s orchestration.

The Biggest Gaslights of the Biden Administration (That Turned Out to Be False)

1. “Inflation Is Transitory”

Claim: Inflation was temporary and caused by supply chain issues.
Reality: Inflation hit 40-year highs, driven by excessive government spending and energy policy shifts. Even Democrat economists like Larry Summers warned it was not transitory.
Gaslight Tactic: Downplayed real economic pain while Americans paid the price at the pump and grocery store.

2. “Gas Prices Are Putin’s Fault”

Claim: The Russia-Ukraine war caused gas prices to soar.
Reality: Gas prices were rising well before the war due to Biden’s anti-fossil fuel policies, including killing pipelines and restricting drilling.
Gaslight Tactic: Shifted blame to a convenient foreign villain while quietly releasing reserves and begging OPEC for oil.

3. “Biden Is Sharp and Fully Capable”

Claim: Concerns about Biden’s cognitive health were conspiratorial or ageist.
Reality: Even allies in the media (including Jake Tapper) now admit there was a coordinated cover-up of his mental decline.
Gaslight Tactic: Mocked critics while staff micromanaged his public appearances and hid the truth from voters.

4. “If You Get the Vaccine, You Won’t Get COVID”

Claim: The vaccine prevents infection and transmission.
Reality: Breakthrough cases became widespread. The CDC and Pfizer later admitted it only reduced severity—not transmission.
Gaslight Tactic: Used false promises to justify mandates, passports, and job loss.

5. “No One Earning Under $400K Will See a Tax Increase”

Claim: Biden’s tax plan would only hit the wealthy.
Reality: Inflation itself is a regressive tax, and Biden also signed off on tax hikes affecting energy, manufacturing, and small transactions via 1099-K.
Gaslight Tactic: Pretended inflation wasn’t a tax, and hid tax hikes behind technical language.

6. “The Economy Is Strong”

Claim: Bidenomics is working.
Reality: Real wages fell. Interest rates soared. Most Americans say they’re worse off than before.
Gaslight Tactic: Cherry-picked job recovery stats from pandemic-era losses while ignoring the lived experience of everyday Americans.

7. Afghanistan Withdrawal Was “Extraordinarily Successful”

Claim: The U.S. exit was a foreign policy win.
Reality: It was one of the worst withdrawals in modern history—13 service members killed, billions of dollars in gear abandoned, Americans left behind.
Gaslight Tactic: Reframed a strategic disaster as a triumph. Ignored the deaths of American troops.

8. “MAGA Republicans Are a Threat to Democracy”

Claim: Trump supporters represent domestic extremism.
Reality: The Biden admin targeted parents, pro-life activists, and Catholics while ignoring its own overreach.
Gaslight Tactic: Projected authoritarianism while labeling dissent as dangerous.

9. “The Border Is Secure”

Claim: Illegal immigration is under control.
Reality: Border crossings hit historic highs, with record fentanyl trafficking and known terrorists entering the country. Multiple American citizens attacked and killed by illegals, and hundreds dead because of fentanyl.
Gaslight Tactic: Denied the crisis while Americans witnessed the chaos and losses themselves.

10. “Hunter Biden’s Laptop Is Russian Disinformation”

Claim: The laptop was a fake.
Reality: It was real. Even The New York Times confirmed its legitimacy long after the 2020 election.
Gaslight Tactic: Suppressed the story using intelligence officials and Big Tech just weeks before voting.

Bonus Gaslights:

• “The vaccine mandates were never mandates.” (They were. People lost jobs.)
• “January 6 was worse than 9/11.” (Emotionally manipulative, historically absurd.)
• “Student loan forgiveness is legal.” (Struck down by the Supreme Court.)

The Biggest Gaslights of Trump’s First Term (That Turned Out to Be False)

1. Russia Collusion

Claim: Trump worked with Putin to steal the election.
Reality: Mueller found no criminal conspiracy. The Steele Dossier was Clinton-funded disinformation.
Gaslight Tactic: Used a hoax to undermine a sitting president for years.

2. “Very Fine People” Hoax

Claim: Trump praised neo-Nazis.
Reality: Full transcript shows he condemned white supremacists entirely.
Gaslight Tactic: Selective quoting to paint Trump as a racist.

3. Bleach Injection Lie

Claim: Trump told people to inject bleach.
Reality: He asked a question about disinfectant in an offhand remark—not medical advice.
Gaslight Tactic: Twisted a clumsy moment into a public health panic.

4. Trump Crashed the Economy

Claim: Trump policies tanked the U.S. economy.
Reality: Pre-COVID, America saw historic GDP growth and job numbers.
Gaslight Tactic: Ignored pandemic lockdowns pushed by Democrat governors.

5. “Kids in Cages”

Claim: Trump built cages to imprison migrant children.
Reality: The photos were from 2014—Obama-Biden’s administration.
Gaslight Tactic: Recycled old footage to generate emotional outrage.

6. Lafayette Park “Tear Gas” Lie

Claim: Trump gassed peaceful protesters for a photo op.
Reality: No tear gas was used. The crowd was dispersed for security fencing—not Trump.
Gaslight Tactic: Created a fake fascist moment for headlines.

7. Trump’s Taxes – “Only Paid $750”

Claim: Trump paid only $750 in taxes.
Reality: He paid millions over multiple years using standard legal deductions.
Gaslight Tactic: Misleading headlines crafted for class resentment.

8. Hydroxychloroquine Hysteria

Claim: Trump promoted a deadly drug.
Reality: Hydroxychloroquine was long approved and used worldwide.
Gaslight Tactic: Demonized a potentially life-saving medication simply because Trump mentioned it.

9. Mocking a Disabled Reporter

Claim: Trump mimicked a reporter’s disability.
Reality: Trump used that mocking style on various people—regardless of disability.
Gaslight Tactic: Created a viral clip lacking full context.

10. COVID Vaccine Timeline

Claim: Trump couldn’t possibly deliver a vaccine in 2020.
Reality: Operation Warp Speed succeeded—before Biden took office.
Gaslight Tactic: Media said it was reckless—until they took credit for it.

The Trump administration was relentlessly smeared, often based on lies. The Biden administration has been relentlessly protected, often despite lies. In both cases, truth wasn’t the goal—narrative control was.

The difference? One presidency was treated like a threat to democracy.
The other proved it could manipulate democracy and get away with it.

And the American people weren’t gaslit just once or twice—we were drowned in it.