How Cabinet Members Slowly Become Presidential Liars

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #377

How Cabinet Members Slowly Become Presidential Liars

Let’s cut through the polite nonsense. Not everyone on the dark side wakes up one day as spineless mouthpieces for a president who lies.

No, no—for some of them…it’s a slow rot. A drip…drip…drip of compromise until what started as a steel backbone turns into a limp noodle.

If you think they "did it for the greater good," I have a bridge to sell you.

This is the real…gritty…uncomfortable truth about how a cabinet member—someone who once had values…reputation…maybe even a conscience—slides into the mud and starts parroting presidential lies like a trained parrot who forgot what freedom even feels like.

Let’s walk through exactly how the gears grind these people down—psychologically… mentally…emotionally…and yes…even physically.

1. The Hero Complex: "I'll Be the Adult in the Room"

It always starts with the same delusion.

They walk in thinking, "I’ll be the stabilizer. I’ll be the moral compass. I’ll keep this administration from flying off the rails."

Spoiler alert: The rails are gone. The train is gone. There is no map.

But the ego tells them, You’re special. You’ll be the one who makes a difference.

That delusion is the first nail in their own coffin.

2. The First Lie: "It's Just a Little Spin"

The collapse always begins with a baby step.

The president says something that is so obviously false it makes their teeth itch. And when the press asks them to comment…they hedge.

They don’t push back. They don’t correct it. They just massage the language.

"What the president meant to say was…"

"Well, if you look at it from another angle…"

They tell themselves, I didn’t really lie. I just smoothed it over. It’s part of the job.

Congratulations, you’ve just rented out the first corner of your spine.

3. The Bubble: Where Only Yes-Men Survive

Suddenly…the phone calls from old friends get awkward.

The critical voices disappear. Either they stop calling or you stop answering. Who needs that hassle?

You’re surrounded now by people who nod. People who wink. People who say, "You're doing the right thing."

And here’s the kicker: You start believing them.

The bubble isn’t an accident. It’s a system. It isolates you…praises you…and feeds you just enough approval to keep you obedient.

4. The Pressure Cooker: The Cost of Saying "No"

Say the wrong thing…and you’re out.

Public humiliation. Career destruction. Social media exile. You know the playbook because you’ve seen it used on others.

It doesn’t even have to be said out loud. You can feel it in the room.

So you comply. You bend. You adjust.

And each time you do…the pit in your stomach gets a little smaller…a little quieter… until one day—you don’t even feel it anymore.

5. The Lie Becomes the Job

Now you’re not spinning. You’re selling.

You go on TV and you don’t flinch when you deliver the lie. In fact, you defend it aggressively. You push it like a salesman who knows the product is garbage but loves the commission.

Why? Because at this point…telling the truth would feel like setting yourself on fire.

The lie is the safer place now.

6. Loyalty Theater: You’re Playing to One Audience

You’re no longer speaking to the American people. You’re not even speaking to the press.

You’re speaking to the president.

You need to be seen. You need to be praised. You need to show you’re loyal.

It’s a desperate performance. A dance for one.

Because you know—and everyone else knows—if you show even one crack…there’s a line of replacements ready to step over your political corpse.

7. The Point of No Return: The Exit Vanishes

Could you leave? Technically, yes. But what would you do? Who would hire you? Who would believe you?

If you leave now…you face questions you can’t answer without setting your own resume on fire.

"Why did you stay so long?"

"Were you lying then or are you lying now?"

So you double down.

You keep going. You ride it out…hoping to make it to the finish line with your skin still intact.

8. The Emotional Numbness: Survival Mode

By now…you’ve walled off the parts of yourself that used to care.

Family notices. Friends notice. You’re a little colder…a little harder…a little less human.

You might develop headaches…stomach issues…insomnia. Your body knows what your brain refuses to admit:

You’re choking on the lies.

But you keep showing up. Because stopping feels more terrifying than the sickness you’ve normalized.

9. The Post-Game Spin: The Great Reinvention

When it’s finally over…you rebrand.

Maybe you write a book. Maybe you go on a speaking tour and talk about “The Difficult Choices of Leadership.” Maybe you try to buy your way back into polite society by saying, “I did what I could from the inside.”

Maybe you even convince yourself that’s true.

But deep down…you know the truth: You traded your name for access. And you cashed the checks while the house was burning.

10. Why It Happens: The Ugly Mechanics

Let’s be clear. This isn’t about left or right. It’s not unique to one president. It’s a human failure that happens anytime power…ego…fear…and self-preservation collide.

Is it worse in the Trump administration than at any other time in history? My assessment would be, “You can probably bet the farm on it!”

You’re not immune. I’m not immune.

People like us are one small rationalization away from joining the parade.

It starts when you think you’re too smart to fall for it.

It accelerates when you think "just this once" won’t matter.

And it locks you in when you start calling cowardice "strategy."

11. This Is Not an Excuse

Let’s get something straight. None of this is an excuse. This isn’t a sympathy tour. This isn’t a hall pass.

Just because the process is understandable doesn’t mean it’s forgivable.

These people made/are making choices—over and over again. And when appropriate…they must be held accountable.

No one is above consequences just because their collapse happened in slow motion.

The purpose here is to make it crystal clear how it happens.

To expose the pathway. To burn it into your memory so you can spot it in real time the next time a cabinet member…a leader…a politician starts their slow slide.

Understand it. Recognize it. Call it out.

But never, ever excuse it.

For Those Who Like to Nerd Out on Greater Detail

What we’ve walked through is the street-level reality. But for those who like to crack open the hood…let’s look at the psychological wiring.

The first domino is often cognitive dissonance—the psychological discomfort that comes from holding two conflicting beliefs at the same time.

When a cabinet member knows something is a lie but says it anyway…the brain screams for resolution.

One common fix? The mind bends reality until the lie becomes “not that bad” or “justifiable.” This reduces the discomfort without requiring integrity.

Over time…confirmation bias sets in. When you’re surrounded by loyalists and media echo chambers…you start filtering information to only support what you want to believe.

The inconvenient truths? You ignore them. You start believing the lie is the more socially acceptable truth inside your circle.

This also activates the amygdala-driven threat response.

When public humiliation or career death becomes a real risk…the fear center of the brain kicks in…triggering fight…flight…or freeze.

Most freeze—they conform. They self-censor. The short-term survival instinct overtakes long-term principle.

Finally…neuroplasticity plays a nasty role. The more you practice a behavior—even lying—the more the brain hardwires it as the default.

The neural pathways of rationalization and dishonesty literally get stronger.

It becomes easier to lie next time, and the time after that.

This is why the first step matters so much. It’s why the first spin…the first dodge…the first compromise isn’t small—it’s the on-ramp to the freeway of collapse.

Once you understand the machinery…you’ll spot it faster…you’ll name it sooner…and you’ll know that while the process is common—it is never, ever excusable.

The Bottom Line: Watch the Process

The warning signs are always there:

• The first dodged question.

• The first friendly spin.

• The first public defense of something they know isn’t true.

It’s not about who screams loudest. It’s about who quietly reshapes themselves to survive the room they’re in.

Because here’s the brutal part: Most of them don’t jump off the cliff. They slide.

And by the time they hit the bottom…they’re not even sure how they got there.

But you know. You watched it. You saw the drift. You saw the steps.

Don’t let anyone sell you the fairy tale that it was some "tragic accident."

They chose it.

They chose it every single day.

I’ll be back soon…with even more!

Warmly,

Jack