As we approach the one year mark of Donald Trump’s presidency, studies revolving around the frequency of his inaccurate statements are coming to light. Trump is known for vocalizing various distortions, exaggerations, half truths and lies— but the actual statistics pertaining to how often these have occurred are unsettling.
As of Nov. 13, the total count in a long-term study conducted by The Washington Post stood at 1,628 false claims in 298 days. The rough average of this data is close to 5.5 claims a day.
When someone with such power and influence over the general public misuses their position to spread inaccurate information, it becomes substantially more problematic than an everyday person’s lie. This is because many people blindly trust Trump’s words simply due to his title as President.
A fictitious allegation Trump made against Hillary Clinton claimed that when Clinton “ran the State Department, $6 billion was missing… $6 billion was either stolen or lost.” This rumor started due to a management alert from the State Department Inspector General in 2014. However, the alert highlighted missing paperwork that had not been accurately accounted for- not dollars.
Another circumstance in which Trump made a false statement that pertained to Clinton was when he claimed that he won the second debate with Hillary Clinton “in a landslide” in “every poll.” However, all 4 scientific polls showed that he lost and Clinton had actually won.
Unfortunately, some of Trump’s incorrect statements have been reiterated multiple times. So far, at least 50 claims have been repeated three or more times.
Claims that revolve around the idea that the Affordable Care Act is dying and “essentially dead” have been repeated 60 times, despite the Congressional Budget Office’s professional belief that Obamacare is not imploding and is expected to remain stable.
Trump also has an untruthful habit of taking credit for events and business decisions that happened before he even took the oath of office. On 55 occasions he claimed that he had secured business investments and jobs that had been previously announced. This could all be found with a basic Google search.
The President’s custom of lying should be a concern for all Americans, as we deserve a honest leader whose words we can trust. 1,628 false claims are 1,628 too many.
