People say things are “unbelievable” more often to express amazed admiration than to convey genuine incredulity. President Trump does it all the time, as when he said, “We are going to have an unbelievable … turnout for the inauguration.” It was a boast, not a warning that he’d make implausible claims.
It’s worth remembering this when reading the Atlantic magazine’s story about the president insulting American war fighters. Meaning depends on context. Even aside from any dishonesty among the magazine’s anonymous sources — many on-the-record sources say the claims are false — there is room for skepticism about the horrible malignancy of some of Trump’s reported comments.
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