“Subjectively Believes”

I just read an article that talked about the defense strategy that Trump’s team of lawyers would use if he were criminally charged.

Although the article itself is related to a suit being filed against CNN, the “defense” being offered is relevant to any charges that might be filed against Trump. In fact, it …

signals a strategy that is likely to be a central defense should he ever face criminal charges related to his role in attempts to cling to power despite losing his 2020 reelection bid.

What was particularly eye-catching were the words the legal team used in their email to CNN:

CNN’s portrayal of Trump was inaccurate because Trump “subjectively believes” there was election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. (My emphasis)

The article goes on to say that one of the strategies available to Trump’s lawyers would be …

to argue that he genuinely believed there was election fraud and didn’t have the intent to commit a criminal act.

“Subjectively Believes” … ???

Now think about those two words. Can you imagine situations in your own life when this combination of words might come in really handy?

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Just as a refresher — from Dictionary.com:

Generally speaking, subjective is used to describe something that exists in the mind of a person or that pertains to viewpoints of an individual person.

Sometimes, subjective means about the same thing as personal. Everyone’s experience of an event is subjective, because each person’s circumstances and background are unique, leading to different interpretations.

Objective most commonly means not influenced by an individual’s personal viewpoint—unbiased (or at least attempting to be unbiased). It’s often used to describe things like observations, decisions, or reports that are based on an unbiased analysis.

Something that’s truly objective has nothing to do with a person’s own feelings or views—it just deals with facts. When someone says “Objectively speaking,” they’re indicating that they’re going to give an unbiased assessment—not one based on their personal preferences.