Liberal Forum

“What long cons rely on is that we’re emotional about the people we like, about the people we trust…we feel some sort of emotional connection and we dismiss red flags…because the moment where we’re emotionally invested, we are no longer logical, we are no longer looking objectively, we are subjective…and so you dismiss the evidence.”

Konnikova believes that this is exactly what is happening to those traveling with tickets on the Trump Train. Victims of con artists tend to be emotionally vulnerable because they are experiencing moments of change and transition—much like the shifting landscape of America that is happening now.

“If you look at the types of people to whom Trump appeals, they are typical victims…He found his marks and he is actually reeling them in the way a very good con artist would,” Konnikova declared.

“Once you’re hooked, once the con artist has you…basically nothing anyone else can say can convince you are being conned because you become a true believer,” she said.

“In order to acknowledge that you are being conned, you have to acknowledge that you are the type of person who could be conned, that you didn’t see it and that you have been taken along for a ride by a con artist.”

“Most people will say ‘of course I’m smart, of course I’m a good judge of character…I’m not someone who is easily taken in’…and to say ‘I’ve been taken in by a con artist’…that really hurts at that core self….So no matter what evidence you put before them, their ego, they clamp down and protect themselves.”