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False or misleading statements by Donald Trump: Difference between revisions

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new section. We can add more, but only major ones. It would be impossible to keep a running tab of every one. We could have a list of those which he has repeated many times, even after they are debunked. Such lists exist.
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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Donald Trump series}}
{{Donald Trump series}}
[[Donald Trump]], the [[President of the United States]], has made numerous false or misleading statements. Commentators have described the rate of his falsehoods as unprecedented in politics.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McGranahan |first1=Carole |title=An anthropology of lying: Trump and the political sociality of moral outrage |journal=American Ethnologist |date=May 2017 |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=243–248 |doi=10.1111/amet.12475}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 17, 2018 |first=Peter |last=Baker |title=Trump and the Truth: A President Tests His Own Credibility |accessdate=October 23, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/trump-truth-lies.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=October 22, 2018 |first=Daniel |last=Dale |title=Donald Trump's strategy as midterms approach: lies and fear-mongering |accessdate=October 23, 2018 |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/10/22/donald-trumps-strategy-as-midterms-approach-lies-and-fear-mongering.html}}</ref>
[[Donald Trump]] has made false or misleading statements have described the rate of his falsehoods as unprecedented in politics.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McGranahan |first1=Carole |title=An anthropology of lying: Trump and the political sociality of moral outrage |journal=American Ethnologist |date=May 2017 |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=243–248 |doi=10.1111/amet.12475}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 17, 2018 |first=Peter |last=Baker |title=Trump and the Truth: A President Tests His Own Credibility |accessdate=October 23, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/trump-truth-lies.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=October 22, 2018 |first=Daniel |last=Dale |title=Donald Trump's strategy as midterms approach: lies and fear-mongering |accessdate=October 23, 2018 |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/10/22/donald-trumps-strategy-as-midterms-approach-lies-and-fear-mongering.html}}</ref>


==Early history==
==Early history==
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Within years of expanding his father's property development business into Manhattan in the early 1970s, Trump attracted the attention of ''The New York Times'' for his "brash, controversial style," with one real estate financier observing in 1976, "His deals are dramatic, but they haven't come into being. So far, the chief beneficiary of his creativity has been his public image." [[Der Scutt]], the prominent architect who designed [[Trump Tower]], said of Trump in 1976, "He's extremely aggressive when he sells, maybe to the point of overselling. Like, he'll say the convention center is the biggest in the world, when it really isn't. He'll exaggerate for the purpose of making a sale."<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 1, 1976 |first=Judy |last=Klemesrud |title=Donald Trump, Real Estate Promoter, Builds Image as He Buys Buildings |accessdate=October 23, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/01/archives/donald-trump-real-estate-promoter-builds-image-as-he-buys-buildings.html}}</ref> In 2018, journalist Jonathan Greenberg released audio recordings from 1984 in which Trump, [[Pseudonyms_of_Donald_Trump|posing as his own spokesman "John Barron,"]] made false assertions of his wealth to secure a higher ranking on the [[Forbes 400]] list of wealthy Americans, including claiming he owned "in excess of 90 percent" of his family's business.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=April 20, 2018 |first=Jonathan |last=Greenberg |title=Trump lied to me about his wealth to get onto the Forbes 400. Here are the tapes. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/trump-lied-to-me-about-his-wealth-to-get-onto-the-forbes-400-here-are-the-tapes/2018/04/20/ac762b08-4287-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html}}</ref> His 1987 book [[The Art of the Deal]] stated, "I play to people's fantasies. I call it truthful hyperbole. It's an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion."<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=February 29, 2016 |first=Ana |last=Swanson |title=The myth and the reality of Donald Trump's business empire |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/29/the-myth-and-the-reality-of-donald-trumps-business-empire/}}</ref>


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Within years of expanding his father's property development business into Manhattan in the early 1970s, Trump attracted the attention of ''The New York Times'' for his "brash, controversial style," with one real estate financier observing in 1976, "His deals are dramatic, but they haven't come into being. So far, the chief beneficiary of his creativity has been his public image." [[Der Scutt]], the prominent architect who designed [[Trump Tower]], said of Trump in 1976, "He's extremely aggressive when he sells, maybe to the point of overselling. Like, he'll say the convention center is the biggest in the world, when it really isn't. He'll exaggerate for the purpose of making a sale."<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 1, 1976 |first=Judy |last=Klemesrud |title=Donald Trump, Real Estate Promoter, Builds Image as He Buys Buildings |accessdate=October 23, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/01/archives/donald-trump-real-estate-promoter-builds-image-as-he-buys-buildings.html}}</ref> In 2018, journalist Jonathan Greenberg released audio recordings from 1984 in which Trump, [[Pseudonyms_of_Donald_Trump|posing as his own spokesman "John Barron,"]] made false assertions of his wealth to secure a higher ranking on the [[Forbes 400]] list of wealthy Americans, including claiming he owned "in excess of 90 percent" of his family's business.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=April 20, 2018 |first=Jonathan |last=Greenberg |title=Trump lied to me about his wealth to get onto the Forbes 400. Here are the tapes. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/trump-lied-to-me-about-his-wealth-to-get-onto-the-forbes-400-here-are-the-tapes/2018/04/20/ac762b08-4287-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html}}</ref> His 1987 book [[The Art of the Deal]] stated, "I play to people's fantasies. I call it truthful hyperbole. It's an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion."<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=February 29, 2016 |first=Ana |last=Swanson |title=The myth and the reality of Donald Trump's business empire |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/29/the-myth-and-the-reality-of-donald-trumps-business-empire/}}</ref>
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Alair Townsend, a former budget director and deputy mayor of New York City during the 1980s, and a former publisher of ''[[Crain Communications#Crain’s New York Business|Crain’s New York Business]]'', said “I wouldn’t believe Donald Trump if his tongue were notarized.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Malanga |first1=Steven |title=My Pen Pal, Donald Trump Or, the art of the squeal |url=https://www.city-journal.org/html/my-pen-pal-donald-trump-14442.html |website=City Journal |publisher=Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc |accessdate=21 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Hall of Fame |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/hof-2018-alair-townsend |website=Crain's New York Business |publisher=Crain Communications, Inc. |accessdate=21 October 2018}}</ref> [[Leona Helmsley]] later used this line as her own in talking about Trump in her Nov. 1990 interview in [[Playboy]] magazine.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Associated Press |title=It's Leona's Turn in Playboy--Donald Is a 'Skunk' |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-21/entertainment/ca-959_1_magnate-donald-trump |website=Los Angeles Times |publisher=Los Angeles Times |accessdate=21 October 2018}}</ref>

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Alair Townsend, a former budget director and deputy mayor of New York City during the 1980s, and a former publisher of ''[[Crain Communications#Crain’s New York Business|Crain’s New York Business]]'', said believe Donald Trump if his tongue were notarized.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Malanga |first1=Steven |title=My Pen Pal, Donald Trump Or, the art of the squeal |url=https://www.city-journal.org/html/my-pen-pal-donald-trump-14442.html |website=City Journal |publisher=Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc |accessdate=October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Hall of Fame |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/hof-2018-alair-townsend |website=Crain's New York Business |= , 2018}}</ref> [[Leona Helmsley]] later used this line as her own in talking about Trump in her Nov. 1990 interview in [[Playboy]] magazine.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Associated Press |title=It's Leona's Turn in Playboy--Donald Is a 'Skunk' |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-21/entertainment/ca-959_1_magnate-donald-trump |website=Los Angeles Times |accessdate=21 October 2018}}</ref>

[[David Fahrenthold]] has investigated the long history of Trump's claims about his [[Charity (practice)|charitable giving]] and found little evidence the claims are true.<ref name="Fahrenthold_10/4/2016">{{cite web | last=Fahrenthold | first=David | title=Trump's co-author on 'The Art of the Deal' donates $55,000 royalty check to charity | website=[[The Washington Post]] | date=October 4, 2016 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/10/04/trumps-co-author-on-the-art-of-the-deal-donates-55000-royalty-check-to-charity/ | accessdate=February 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="NPR_Farenthold_9/28/2016">{{cite web | authors=[[Terry Gross]], [[David Fahrenthold]] | title=Journalist Says Trump Foundation May Have Engaged In 'Self-Dealing' | website=[[NPR]] | date=September 28, 2016 | url=https://www.npr.org/2016/09/28/495782978/journalist-says-trump-foundation-may-have-engaged-in-self-dealing | access-date=March 1, 2018}}</ref> Following Fahrenthold's reporting, the [[Attorney General of New York]] opened an inquiry into the [[Donald J. Trump Foundation]]'s fundraising practices, and ultimately issued a "notice of violation" ordering the Foundation to stop raising money in New York.<ref name="Eder_10/3/2016">{{cite web | last=Eder | first=Steve | title=State Attorney General Orders Trump Foundation to Cease Raising Money in New York | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 3, 2016 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/us/politics/trump-foundation-money.html | accessdate=March 1, 2017}}</ref> The Foundation had to admit it engaged in [[self-dealing]] practices to benefit Trump, his family, and businesses.<ref name="Fahrenthold_11/22/2016">{{cite web | last=Fahrenthold | first=David A. | title=Trump Foundation admits to violating ban on ‘self-dealing,’ new filing to IRS shows | website=[[The Washington Post]] | date=November 22, 2016 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-foundation-apparently-admits-to-violating-ban-on-self-dealing-new-filing-to-irs-shows/2016/11/22/893f6508-b0a9-11e6-8616-52b15787add0_story.html | access-date=March 31, 2018}}</ref> Fahrenthold won the 2017 [[Pulitzer Prize]] in National Reporting for his coverage of Trump's claimed charitable giving<ref name="Farhi_4/10/2017">{{cite web | last=Farhi | first=Paul | title=Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold wins Pulitzer Prize for dogged reporting of Trump’s philanthropy | website=[[The Washington Post]] | date=April 10, 2017 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/washington-posts-david-fahrenthold-wins-pulitzer-prize-for-dogged-reporting-of-trumps-philanthropy/2017/04/10/dd535d2e-1dfb-11e7-be2a-3a1fb24d4671_story.html | accessdate=April 11, 2017}}</ref> and casting "doubt on Donald Trump's assertions of generosity toward charities."<ref name="Pulitzer_4/10/2017">{{cite web | author=The Pulitzer Prizes | date=April 10, 2017 | title=2017 Pulitzer Prize: National Reporting | website=[[Pulitzer Prize|pulitzer.org]] | url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/209 | accessdate=April 10, 2017 }}</ref>


== During presidential campaign ==
== During presidential campaign ==

Within six months of announcing his presidential candidacy, FactCheck.org declared him the "King of Whoppers," stating, "In the 12 years of FactCheck.org's existence, we've never seen his match."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2015/12/the-king-of-whoppers-donald-trump/|title=The 'King of Whoppers': Donald Trump - FactCheck.org|date=December 21, 2015|publisher=|accessdate=October 26, 2018}}</ref>
Within six months of announcing his presidential candidacy, FactCheck.org declared him the "King of Whoppers," stating, "In the 12 years of FactCheck.org's existence, we've never seen his match."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2015/12/the-king-of-whoppers-donald-trump/|title=The 'King of Whoppers': Donald Trump date=December 21, 2015|publisher=|accessdate=October 26, 2018}}</ref>


== During presidency ==
== During presidency ==
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As president, Trump has frequently made false statements in public speeches and remarks.<ref name="Qiu">{{cite news |first=Linda |last=Qiu |title=Fact-Checking President Trump Through His First 100 Days |date=April 29, 2017 |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/us/politics/fact-checking-president-trump-through-his-first-100-days.html}}</ref><ref name="KesslerLee">{{cite news |first=Glenn |last=Kessler |first2=Michelle Ye Hee |last2=Lee |title=President Trump's first 100 days: The fact check tally |date=May 1, 2017 |website=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/05/01/president-trumps-first-100-days-the-fact-check-tally/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Linda |last=Qiu |title=In One Rally, 12 Inaccurate Claims From Trump |date=June 22, 2017 |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/politics/factcheck-donald-trump-iowa-rally.html}}</ref><ref name=Dale1340330 /> Trump uttered "at least one false or misleading claim per day on 91 of his first 99 days" in office according to ''The New York Times'',<ref name="Qiu" /> and 1,318 total in his first 263 days in office according to the "Fact Checker" political analysis column of ''The Washington Post'',<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Michelle Ye Hee |last2=Kessler |first2=Glenn |last3=Kelly |first3=Meg |title=President Trump has made 1,318 false or misleading claims over 263 days |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/10/10/president-trump-has-made-1318-false-or-misleading-claims-over-263-days |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 10, 2017 |accessdate=November 5, 2017}}</ref> which also wrote, "President Trump is the most fact-challenged politician that The Fact Checker has ever encountered&nbsp;... the pace and volume of the president's misstatements means that we cannot possibly keep up."<ref name="KesslerLee" /> On Trump's 601st day in office, their tally exceeded 5,000 false or misleading claims, and it had risen to an average of 8.3 per day from 4.9 during his first 100 days in office.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=September 13, 2018 |first=Glenn |last=Kessler |first2=Salvador |last2=Rizzo |first3=Meg |last3=Kelly |title=President Trump has made more than 5,000 false or misleading claims |accessdate=October 16, 2018 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/09/13/president-trump-has-made-more-than-false-or-misleading-claims/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New Yorker]] |date=August 3, 2018 |first=Susan B. |last=Glasser |title=It's True: Trump Is Lying More, And He's Doing It On Purpose |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/trumps-escalating-war-on-the-truth-is-on-purpose}}</ref> According to one study, the rate of false statements has increased, with the percentage of his words that are part of a false claim rising over the course of his presidency.<ref name="Dale1340330">{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Daniel |title=Trump has said 1,340,330 words as president. They're getting more dishonest, a Star study shows |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/analysis/2018/07/14/trump-has-said-1340330-words-as-president-theyre-getting-more-dishonest-a-star-study-shows.html |accessdate=July 14, 2018 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=July 14, 2018}}</ref> In general, news organizations have been hesitant to label these statements as "lies".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/reader-center/donald-trump-lies-falsehoods.html |title=Lies? False Claims? When Trump's Statements Aren't True |date=June 25, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=July 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Daniel |title=Donald Trump has spent a year lying shamelessly. It hasn't worked |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/analysis/2017/12/22/donald-trump-has-spent-a-year-lying-shamelessly-it-hasnt-worked.html |accessdate=July 14, 2018 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=December 22, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Dale1340330" />


Trump's presidency started out with a series of falsehoods initiated by Trump himself. The day after his inauguration, he falsely accused the media of lying about the size of the inauguration crowd. Then he proceeded to exaggerate the size, and [[Sean Spicer]] backed up his claims.<ref name="PolitiFact_1/21/2017">{{cite web | title=From the archives: Sean Spicer on Inauguration Day crowds | website=[[PolitiFact]] | date=January 21, 2017 | url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/21/sean-spicer/trump-had-biggest-inaugural-crowd-ever-metrics-don/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Snopes_1/22/2017">{{cite web | title=FACT CHECK: Was Donald Trump's Inauguration the Most Viewed in History? | website=[[Snopes]] | date=January 22, 2017 | url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-inauguration-viewership/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="FactCheck_1/23/2017">{{cite web | title=The Facts on Crowd Size | website=[[FactCheck.org]] | date=January 23, 2017 | url=https://www.factcheck.org/2017/01/the-facts-on-crowd-size/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Rein_3/6/2017">{{cite web | last=Rein | first=Lisa | title=Here are the photos that show Obama’s inauguration crowd was bigger than Trump’s | website=[[The Washington Post]] | date=March 6, 2017 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/03/06/here-are-the-photos-that-show-obamas-inauguration-crowd-was-bigger-than-trumps/ | accessdate=March 8, 2017}}</ref> When Spicer was accused of intentionally misstating the figures,<ref name="Hirschfeld_Davis_Rosenberg_1/21/2017">{{cite web | first1=Julie | last1=Hirschfeld Davis | first2=Matthew | last2=Rosenberg | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/politics/trump-white-house-briefing-inauguration-crowd-size.html | title=With False Claims, Trump Attacks Media on Turnout and Intelligence Rift | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=January 21, 2017 | accessdate=March 8, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Makarechi_1/22/2017">{{cite web | url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/sean-spicer-inauguration-statement-lies | last=Makarechi | first=Kia | title=Trump Spokesman Sean Spicer's Lecture on Media Accuracy Is Peppered With Lies | work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | date=January 2, 2014 | accessdate=January 22, 2017 }}</ref><ref name="Kessler_1/22/2017">{{cite web | last=Kessler | first=Glenn | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/22/spicer-earns-four-pinocchios-for-a-series-of-false-claims-on-inauguration-crowd-size/ | title=Spicer earns Four Pinocchios for false claims on inauguration crowd size | work=[[The Washington Post]] | accessdate=January 22, 2017 }}</ref> [[Kellyanne Conway]], in an interview with NBC's [[Chuck Todd]], defended Spicer by stating that he merely presented "[[alternative facts]]".<ref name="Jaffe_1/22/2017">{{cite web | last=Jaffe | first=Alexandra | url=http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/wh-spokesman-gave-alternative-facts-inauguration-crowd-n710466 | title=Kellyanne Conway: WH Spokesman Gave 'Alternative Facts' on Inauguration Crowd | publisher=[[NBC News]] | accessdate=January 22, 2017 }}</ref> Todd responded by saying "alternative facts are not facts. They're falsehoods."<ref name="Blake_1/22/2017">{{cite web | last=Blake | first=Aaron | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/22/kellyanne-conway-says-donald-trumps-team-has-alternate-facts-which-pretty-much-says-it-all/ | title=Kellyanne Conway says Donald Trump's team has 'alternative facts.' Which pretty much says it all. | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=January 22, 2017 | accessdate=March 31, 2018 }}</ref>

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As president, Trump has frequently made false statements in public speeches and remarks.<ref name="Qiu">{{cite news |first=Linda |last=Qiu |title=Fact-Checking President Trump Through His First 100 Days |date=April 29, 2017 |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/us/politics/fact-checking-president-trump-through-his-first-100-days.html}}</ref><ref name="">{{cite news |first=Glenn |last=Kessler |first2=Michelle Ye Hee |last2=Lee |title=President Trump's first 100 days: The fact check tally |date=May 1, 2017 |website=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/05/01/president-trumps-first-100-days-the-fact-check-tally/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Linda |last=Qiu |title=In One Rally, 12 Inaccurate Claims From Trump |date=June 22, 2017 |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/politics/factcheck-donald-trump-iowa-rally.html}}</ref><ref name=Dale1340330 /> Trump uttered "at least one false or misleading claim per day on 91 of his first 99 days" in office according to ''The New York Times'',<ref name="Qiu" /> and 1,318 total in his first 263 days in office according to the "Fact Checker" political analysis column of ''The Washington Post''<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Michelle Ye Hee |last2=Kessler |first2=Glenn |last3=Kelly |first3=Meg |title=President Trump has made 1,318 false or misleading claims over 263 days |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/10/10/president-trump-has-made-1318-false-or-misleading-claims-over-263-days |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 10, 2017 |accessdate=November 5, 2017}}</ref> On Trump's 601st day in office, their tally exceeded 5,000 false or misleading claims, and it had risen to an average of 8.3 per day from 4.9 during his first 100 days in office.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=September 13, 2018 |first=Glenn |last=Kessler |first2=Salvador |last2=Rizzo |first3=Meg |last3=Kelly |title=President Trump has made more than 5,000 false or misleading claims |accessdate=October 16, 2018 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/09/13/president-trump-has-made-more-than-false-or-misleading-claims/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New Yorker]] |date=August 3, 2018 |first=Susan B. |last=Glasser |title=It's True: Trump Is Lying More, And He's Doing It On Purpose |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/trumps-escalating-war-on-the-truth-is-on-purpose}}</ref> According to one study, the rate of false statements has increased, with the percentage of his words that are part of a false claim rising over the course of his presidency.<ref name="Dale1340330">{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Daniel |title=Trump has said 1,340,330 words as president. They're getting more dishonest, a Star study shows |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/analysis/2018/07/14/trump-has-said-1340330-words-as-president-theyre-getting-more-dishonest-a-star-study-shows.html |accessdate=July 14, 2018 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=July 14, 2018}}</ref> In general, news organizations have been hesitant to label these statements as "lies".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/reader-center/donald-trump-lies-falsehoods.html |title=Lies? False Claims? When Trump's Statements Aren't True |date=June 25, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=July 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Daniel |title=Donald Trump has spent a year lying shamelessly. It hasn't worked |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/analysis/2017/12/22/donald-trump-has-spent-a-year-lying-shamelessly-it-hasnt-worked.html |accessdate=July 14, 2018 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=December 22, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Dale1340330" />

[[Glenn Kessler (journalist)|Glenn Kessler]], a fact checker for ''The Washington Post'', told [[Dana Milbank]] that, in his six years on the job, "'there's no comparison' between Trump and other politicians. Kessler says politicians' statements get his worst rating — four Pinocchios — 15 percent to 20 percent of the time. Clinton is about 15 percent. Trump is 63 percent to 65 percent."<ref name="Milbank_7/1/2016">{{cite web | last=Milbank | first=Dana | title=The facts behind Donald Trump's many falsehoods | website=[[The Washington Post]] | date=July 1, 2016 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-facts-behind-donald-trumps-many-falsehoods/2016/08/01/0571b048-582d-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html | access-date=April 2, 2018 }}</ref> Kessler also wrote: "President Trump is the most fact-challenged politician that The Fact Checker has ever encountered&nbsp;... the pace and volume of the president's misstatements means that we cannot possibly keep up."<ref name="Kessler_Lee_5/1/2017"/>

A poll in May 2018 found that "just 13 percent of Americans consider Trump honest and trustworthy".<ref name="Manchester_5/17/2018">{{cite web | last=Manchester | first=Julia | title=Poll: Just 13 percent of Americans consider Trump honest and trustworthy | website=[[The Hill]] | date=May 17, 2018 | url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/388107-poll-just-13-percent-of-americans-consider-trump-honest-and | access-date=September 3, 2018}}</ref>

The Editorial Board of ''The New York Times'' took this telling sideswipe at Trump when commenting on the unfitness of [[Brett Kavanaugh]] for the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]: "A perfect nominee for a president with no clear relation to the truth."<ref name="NYT_Editorial_Board_9/7/2018">{{cite web | author=Editorial Board | title=Opinion - Confirmed: Brett Kavanaugh Can't Be Trusted | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=September 7, 2018 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/opinion/editorials/brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-hearings.html | access-date=September 8, 2018}}</ref>

== Notable false claims ==

Here are a few of Trump's notable claims which fact checkers have rated false:

* that Obama wasn't born in the United States;
* that Hillary Clinton started the [[Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories|Obama "birther" movement]];<ref name="FactCheck_9/16/2016">{{cite web | title=Trump on Birtherism: Wrong, and Wrong | website=[[FactCheck.org]] | date=September 16, 2016 | url=https://www.factcheck.org/2016/09/trump-on-birtherism-wrong-and-wrong/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="PolitiFact_9/16/2016">{{cite web | last= | first= | title=Trump's False claim Clinton started Obama birther talk | website=[[PolitiFact]] | date=September 16, 2016 | url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/sep/16/donald-trump/fact-checking-donald-trumps-claim-hillary-clinton-/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref>
* that Trump's electoral college victory was a "landslide";<ref name="PolitiFact_12/11/2016">{{cite web | last= | first= | title=Trump's electoral college victory not a 'massive landslide' | website=[[PolitiFact]] | date=December 11, 2016 | url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/dec/12/donald-trump/donald-trumps-electoral-college-victory-was-not-ma/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="FactCheck_11/29/2016">{{cite web | title=Trump Landslide? Nope | website=[[FactCheck.org]] | date=November 29, 2016 | url=https://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/trump-landslide-nope/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Seipel_12/11/2016">{{cite web | last=Seipel | first=Arnie | title=FACT CHECK: Trump Falsely Claims A 'Massive Landslide Victory' | website=[[NPR]] | date=December 11, 2016 | url=https://www.npr.org/2016/12/11/505182622/fact-check-trump-claims-a-massive-landslide-victory-but-history-differs | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref>
* that Hillary Clinton received 3-5 million illegal votes;<ref name="PolitiFact_11/27/2016">{{cite web | title=Pants on Fire for Trump claim that millions voted illegally | website=[[PolitiFact]] | date=November 27, 2016 | url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/nov/28/donald-trump/donald-trumps-pants-fire-claim-millions-illegal-vo/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Snopes_1/25/2017">{{cite web | date=January 25, 2017 | title=Trump Claims Without Evidence that 3 to 5 Million Voted Illegally, Vows Investigation | website=[[Snopes]] | url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/01/25/trump-claims-3-to-5-million-illegal-votes/ | accessdate=March 30, 2018 }}</ref>
* that Trump was "totally against the war in Iraq".<ref name="Snopes_9/27/2016">{{cite web | title=FALSE: Donald Trump Opposed the Iraq War from the Beginning | website=[[Snopes]] | date=September 27, 2016 | url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-iraq-war/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="PolitiFact_9/7/2016">{{cite web | title=Trump repeats wrong claim that he opposed Iraq War | website=[[PolitiFact]] | date=September 7, 2016 | url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/sep/07/donald-trump/trump-repeats-wrong-claim-he-opposed-iraq-war/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref><ref name="FactCheck_2/19/2016">{{cite web | title=Donald Trump and the Iraq War | website=[[FactCheck.org]] | date=February 19, 2016 | url=https://www.factcheck.org/2016/02/donald-trump-and-the-iraq-war/ | access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref>


⚫
==See also==


⚫
==See also==
*''[[Fear: Trump in the White House]]''
*''[[Fear: Trump in the White House]]''


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== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{url|https://www.factcheck.org/person/donald-trump/}}
* https://www.factcheck.org/person/donald-trump/


[[Category:Donald Trump]]
[[Category:Donald Trump]]

Revision as of 03:50, 26 October 2018

This article is part of
a series about
Donald Trump
Business and personal
45th President of the United States
Tenure
Policies
Appointments
Presidential campaigns
Impeachments
Prosecutions
Interactions involving Russia
COVID-19 pandemic
Donald Trump's signature
Seal of the President of the United States

Donald Trump has made so many false or misleading statements that commentators and fact checkers have described the rate of his falsehoods as unprecedented in politics.[1][2][3]

Early history

Within years of expanding his father's property development business into Manhattan in the early 1970s, Trump attracted the attention of The New York Times for his "brash, controversial style," with one real estate financier observing in 1976, "His deals are dramatic, but they haven't come into being. So far, the chief beneficiary of his creativity has been his public image." Der Scutt, the prominent architect who designed Trump Tower, said of Trump in 1976, "He's extremely aggressive when he sells, maybe to the point of overselling. Like, he'll say the convention center is the biggest in the world, when it really isn't. He'll exaggerate for the purpose of making a sale."[4] In 2018, journalist Jonathan Greenberg released audio recordings from 1984 in which Trump, posing as his own spokesman "John Barron," made false assertions of his wealth to secure a higher ranking on the Forbes 400 list of wealthy Americans, including claiming he owned "in excess of 90 percent" of his family's business.[5] His 1987 book The Art of the Deal stated, "I play to people's fantasies. I call it truthful hyperbole. It's an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion."[6]

Alair Townsend, a former budget director and deputy mayor of New York City during the 1980s, and a former publisher of Crain’s New York Business, said "I wouldn't believe Donald Trump if his tongue were notarized."[7][8] Leona Helmsley later used this line as her own in talking about Trump in her Nov. 1990 interview in Playboy magazine.[9]

David Fahrenthold has investigated the long history of Trump's claims about his charitable giving and found little evidence the claims are true.[10][11] Following Fahrenthold's reporting, the Attorney General of New York opened an inquiry into the Donald J. Trump Foundation's fundraising practices, and ultimately issued a "notice of violation" ordering the Foundation to stop raising money in New York.[12] The Foundation had to admit it engaged in self-dealing practices to benefit Trump, his family, and businesses.[13] Fahrenthold won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for his coverage of Trump's claimed charitable giving[14] and casting "doubt on Donald Trump's assertions of generosity toward charities."[15]

During presidential campaign

Within six months of announcing his presidential candidacy, FactCheck.org declared him the "King of Whoppers," stating, "In the 12 years of FactCheck.org's existence, we've never seen his match."[16]

During presidency

Trump's presidency started out with a series of falsehoods initiated by Trump himself. The day after his inauguration, he falsely accused the media of lying about the size of the inauguration crowd. Then he proceeded to exaggerate the size, and Sean Spicer backed up his claims.[17][18][19][20] When Spicer was accused of intentionally misstating the figures,[21][22][23] Kellyanne Conway, in an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, defended Spicer by stating that he merely presented "alternative facts".[24] Todd responded by saying "alternative facts are not facts. They're falsehoods."[25]

As president, Trump has frequently made false statements in public speeches and remarks.[26][27][28][29] Trump uttered "at least one false or misleading claim per day on 91 of his first 99 days" in office according to The New York Times,[26] and 1,318 total in his first 263 days in office according to the "Fact Checker" political analysis column of The Washington Post.[30] On Trump's 601st day in office, their tally exceeded 5,000 false or misleading claims, and it had risen to an average of 8.3 per day from 4.9 during his first 100 days in office.[31][32] According to one study, the rate of false statements has increased, with the percentage of his words that are part of a false claim rising over the course of his presidency.[29] In general, news organizations have been hesitant to label these statements as "lies".[33][34][29]

Glenn Kessler, a fact checker for The Washington Post, told Dana Milbank that, in his six years on the job, "'there's no comparison' between Trump and other politicians. Kessler says politicians' statements get his worst rating — four Pinocchios — 15 percent to 20 percent of the time. Clinton is about 15 percent. Trump is 63 percent to 65 percent."[35] Kessler also wrote: "President Trump is the most fact-challenged politician that The Fact Checker has ever encountered ... the pace and volume of the president's misstatements means that we cannot possibly keep up."[27]

A poll in May 2018 found that "just 13 percent of Americans consider Trump honest and trustworthy".[36]

The Editorial Board of The New York Times took this telling sideswipe at Trump when commenting on the unfitness of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court: "A perfect nominee for a president with no clear relation to the truth."[37]

Notable false claims

Here are a few of Trump's notable claims which fact checkers have rated false:

See also

References

  1. ^ McGranahan, Carole (May 2017). "An anthropology of lying: Trump and the political sociality of moral outrage". American Ethnologist. 44 (2): 243–248. doi:10.1111/amet.12475.
  2. ^ Baker, Peter (March 17, 2018). "Trump and the Truth: A President Tests His Own Credibility". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  3. ^ Dale, Daniel (October 22, 2018). "Donald Trump's strategy as midterms approach: lies and fear-mongering". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  4. ^ Klemesrud, Judy (November 1, 1976). "Donald Trump, Real Estate Promoter, Builds Image as He Buys Buildings". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  5. ^ Greenberg, Jonathan (April 20, 2018). "Trump lied to me about his wealth to get onto the Forbes 400. Here are the tapes". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Swanson, Ana (February 29, 2016). "The myth and the reality of Donald Trump's business empire". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ Malanga, Steven (May 12, 2016). "My Pen Pal, Donald Trump Or, the art of the squeal". City Journal. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "2018 Hall of Fame". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  9. ^ Associated Press. "It's Leona's Turn in Playboy--Donald Is a 'Skunk'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Fahrenthold, David (October 4, 2016). "Trump's co-author on 'The Art of the Deal' donates $55,000 royalty check to charity". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  11. ^ "Journalist Says Trump Foundation May Have Engaged In 'Self-Dealing'". NPR. September 28, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  12. ^ Eder, Steve (October 3, 2016). "State Attorney General Orders Trump Foundation to Cease Raising Money in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  13. ^ Fahrenthold, David A. (November 22, 2016). "Trump Foundation admits to violating ban on 'self-dealing,' new filing to IRS shows". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  14. ^ Farhi, Paul (April 10, 2017). "Washington Post's David Fahrenthold wins Pulitzer Prize for dogged reporting of Trump's philanthropy". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  15. ^ The Pulitzer Prizes (April 10, 2017). "2017 Pulitzer Prize: National Reporting". pulitzer.org. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  16. ^ "The 'King of Whoppers': Donald Trump". FactCheck.org. December 21, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  17. ^ "From the archives: Sean Spicer on Inauguration Day crowds". PolitiFact. January 21, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  18. ^ "FACT CHECK: Was Donald Trump's Inauguration the Most Viewed in History?". Snopes. January 22, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Facts on Crowd Size". FactCheck.org. January 23, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  20. ^ Rein, Lisa (March 6, 2017). "Here are the photos that show Obama's inauguration crowd was bigger than Trump's". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  21. ^ Hirschfeld Davis, Julie; Rosenberg, Matthew (January 21, 2017). "With False Claims, Trump Attacks Media on Turnout and Intelligence Rift". The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  22. ^ Makarechi, Kia (January 2, 2014). "Trump Spokesman Sean Spicer's Lecture on Media Accuracy Is Peppered With Lies". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  23. ^ Kessler, Glenn. "Spicer earns Four Pinocchios for false claims on inauguration crowd size". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  24. ^ Jaffe, Alexandra. "Kellyanne Conway: WH Spokesman Gave 'Alternative Facts' on Inauguration Crowd". NBC News. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  25. ^ Blake, Aaron (January 22, 2017). "Kellyanne Conway says Donald Trump's team has 'alternative facts.' Which pretty much says it all". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  26. ^ a b Qiu, Linda (April 29, 2017). "Fact-Checking President Trump Through His First 100 Days". The New York Times.
  27. ^ a b Kessler, Glenn; Lee, Michelle Ye Hee (May 1, 2017). "President Trump's first 100 days: The fact check tally". The Washington Post.
  28. ^ Qiu, Linda (June 22, 2017). "In One Rally, 12 Inaccurate Claims From Trump". The New York Times.
  29. ^ a b c Dale, Daniel (July 14, 2018). "Trump has said 1,340,330 words as president. They're getting more dishonest, a Star study shows". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  30. ^ Lee, Michelle Ye Hee; Kessler, Glenn; Kelly, Meg (October 10, 2017). "President Trump has made 1,318 false or misleading claims over 263 days". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  31. ^ Kessler, Glenn; Rizzo, Salvador; Kelly, Meg (September 13, 2018). "President Trump has made more than 5,000 false or misleading claims". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  32. ^ Glasser, Susan B. (August 3, 2018). "It's True: Trump Is Lying More, And He's Doing It On Purpose". The New Yorker.
  33. ^ "Lies? False Claims? When Trump's Statements Aren't True". The New York Times. June 25, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  34. ^ Dale, Daniel (December 22, 2017). "Donald Trump has spent a year lying shamelessly. It hasn't worked". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  35. ^ Milbank, Dana (July 1, 2016). "The facts behind Donald Trump's many falsehoods". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  36. ^ Manchester, Julia (May 17, 2018). "Poll: Just 13 percent of Americans consider Trump honest and trustworthy". The Hill. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  37. ^ Editorial Board (September 7, 2018). "Opinion - Confirmed: Brett Kavanaugh Can't Be Trusted". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  38. ^ "Trump on Birtherism: Wrong, and Wrong". FactCheck.org. September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  39. ^ "Trump's False claim Clinton started Obama birther talk". PolitiFact. September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  40. ^ "Trump's electoral college victory not a 'massive landslide'". PolitiFact. December 11, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  41. ^ "Trump Landslide? Nope". FactCheck.org. November 29, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  42. ^ Seipel, Arnie (December 11, 2016). "FACT CHECK: Trump Falsely Claims A 'Massive Landslide Victory'". NPR. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  43. ^ "Pants on Fire for Trump claim that millions voted illegally". PolitiFact. November 27, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  44. ^ "Trump Claims Without Evidence that 3 to 5 Million Voted Illegally, Vows Investigation". Snopes. January 25, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  45. ^ "FALSE: Donald Trump Opposed the Iraq War from the Beginning". Snopes. September 27, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  46. ^ "Trump repeats wrong claim that he opposed Iraq War". PolitiFact. September 7, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  47. ^ "Donald Trump and the Iraq War". FactCheck.org. February 19, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
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