Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or sensed in any way. This is a fundamental concept in the field of developmental psychology that addresses the development of young children's social and mental capacities. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1261017121078861826

He's said things like this enough times that occam's razor would suggest that this is simply what he believes. That one doesn't actually have Covid-19 until you test positive for it, so if you don't test for it then you won't have it. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1258853971164368896?s=20

It's also related to his habit of thinking that if he doesn't know something, then it's generally not known. Lincoln being a Republican is not common knowledge in Trump's mind, it's something "not many people know." Reality exists entirely in his head. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/03/22/trump-most-people-dont-know-president-lincoln-was-a-republican/

It also helps explain why he is such an ineffective liar. To lie well one must be able to accurately gauge what other people might know or could come to know. It does not compute that a truth might exist wholly independent of the reality he constructs. https://twitter.com/markberman/status/824467479690932229?s=20