Donald Trump has apparently made 1,950 false claims since taking office
It’s no secret that President Donald Trump frequently misleads the public. Trump has a reputation for playing fast and loose with the truth, often sharing what his administration has dubbed “alternative facts” with the press. All in all, according to a report in the Washington Post, Trump made 1,950 false or misleading claims by the end of 2017.
The Post‘s fact-checking database found that this averages to about 5.6 lies each day. Trump has repeated his two most common falsehoods 61 times each. These two claims include the idea that Obamacare is in the process of being repealed and that Trump is responsible for business investments and job creations that took place before his inauguration.
The Post isn’t the only outlet that documents Trump’s falsehoods. According to the fact-checking website Politifact, about 16 percent of Trump’s statements were all or mostly true — a remarkably low percentage for the leader of the U.S. On the other hand, Politifact found that President Barack Obama’s statements were all or mostly true 48 percent of the time.
Trump’s presidency kicked off with former Press Secretary Sean Spicer claiming that the president’s inauguration had the largest audience on record. When members of the press reported that this was not true, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway denied that Spicer had lied, saying the press secretary had simply used “alternative facts.”
WATCH: Kellyanne Conway defends WH press secretary's "alternative facts." #MTP pic.twitter.com/q4PVzhpA1g
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 22, 2017
We can’t say for sure why Trump continues to mislead the public about his actions. But the president’s false claims are misleading and possibly manipulative — some have claimed that Trump is gaslighting the country with his lies. Based on the Post‘s report, it doesn’t seem like the president will stop spreading falsehoods any time soon, so in the meantime, it’s important to continue to fact-check his statements and call out government deception.
