@inthehands Totalitarian leaders never derive their power from facts. According to Hannah Arendt, the facts are a problem to be solved with propaganda, conspiracy theories, and terror. What's true is whatever the leader says is true, and may change from day to day. Fortunately for leader, his followers profess an odd mix of gullibility and cynicism, making it possible for him to make contradictory statements and not lose his power.
https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/-gullibility-and-cynicism-2022-01-09