Trump’s Comedy of Errors: A Battle Against Fact-Checking
Well, well, well, it seems we’ve entered a new chapter in the ongoing saga of Donald Trump and his precarious relationship with the truth. And let me tell you, if Trump were a character in *The Office*, he’d be the guy who insists that his goldfish is the best-selling pet in the country. Sorry, Michael Scott, but the truth can be a slippery eel when it swims past your grasp!
According to the Washington Post, our former president is not just dodging fact-checkers; he’s declared all-out war on them! It’s like watching a chess match where one player just flips the board and shouts, “Checkmate!” while running for the exit. He’s making the rounds with his team, demanding that any television channel brave enough to interview him leaves their fact-checking kits at the studio door. What’s next, Trump? A “no-spin zone” sign on the microphone?
“You have to lie for the facts to be verified, and only one person on that stage told lie after lie.” – Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s spokesperson.
I mean, seriously, Trump was so spooked by the idea of being fact-checked that he nearly canceled a premiere interview because, wait for it, the facts were going to be checked live. It’s like being afraid of a car wash because of the water. A brave attempt, but ultimately, it just leaves you drenched in denial!
And let’s not forget the infamous moment when he claimed that Kamala Harris “became a black person” just to serve him in his presidential campaign. You can almost see the cartoon thought bubble above his head with a whole new level of cognitive dissonance. Ken Lemon, president of the National Association of Black Journalists, reflected on this riveting exchange, likely still recovering from the whiplash of hearing such an unexpected twist from Trump.
This issue isn’t just a Trumpological quirk; it’s symptomatic of a broader problem within the Republican Party where questioning facts has become a bold political strategy. It’s smooth sailing on the ship of “alternative facts”! According to Lucas Graves, a journalism professor, it’s now absolutely kosher for right-wing folks to publicly despise fact-checking. Since when did “Fairytale Land” become the go-to district in political discourse?
“These measures are the latest example of Trump’s resistance to being called to account for his lies.” – Washington Post.
If Trump were a school kid, he’d be the one sticking his fingers in his ears and going “La la la, I can’t hear you!” whenever someone tries to fact-check his arithmetic. With a staggering total of 30,573 false or misleading statements cataloged during his presidency, the math speaks for itself. That’s an average of about 21 fibs a day – a stat that truly makes you wonder if he’s running for president or attempting to win a gold medal in gymnastics: *the twisting, the pirouettes, oh what a performance!*
On the other side, we’ve got Kamala Harris, who, despite being grilled by Trump, seemed to handle the fact-checking with more grace than a ballet dancer in a tutu on a tightrope. Her spokesperson clapped back at Trump’s team, indicating that their claims of bias in fact-checking are as substantial as a mirage in the desert – lovely to look at, but ultimately unportioned.
But here’s the crux of the issue: without some semblance of accountability, can democracy truly function? Trump’s ongoing feud with fact-checking functions like a buffet where he only picks the most appetizing lies and leaves the broccoli of the truth behind. And I’m sorry, my friend, that broccoli is crucial for a healthy political discourse!
As we continue to watch this train of politics speed down the tracks at breakneck speed, one thing is clear: if you’re tuning in for the fact-checking, you might as well bring some popcorn and a good old-fashioned seatbelt for the rollercoaster ride ahead. Buckle up; truth or not, it’s sure to be one hell of a show!
Thus the Washington Post reveals that the Republican candidate is waging a real war against these fact-checking procedures, requiring television channels that wish to interview him not to use them. Last August, Trump threatened to cancel an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists gathering because his statements were going to be fact-checked live. “They simply insisted that he would not go on stage if we checked the facts,” said Ken Lemon, president of the association. After lengthy discussions, Trump finally participated in the interview, during which he claimed that Kamala Harris “became a black person” to serve his presidential campaign. “It was a very eye-opening moment where we got to hear him answer questions, and we were shocked by some of the answers“, declares Ken Lemon. For its part, Trump’s team justified the delay in the candidate’s intervention by technical problems with the sound.
The Trump team complained about these checks during the debates between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as well as between the two running mates JD Vance and Tim Walz. During his debate with Kamala Harris on ABC News, Donald Trump claimed that Democrats allowed the execution of babies after birth. False information which was immediately pinned down by the moderator of the show, Linsey Davis. Other statements by the Republican were thus denied, provoking the anger of Donald Trump’s team. “Everyone who watched the debate on ABC agreed that it was a three-on-one fight with two moderators who wrongly ‘fact-checked’ President Trump repeatedly, but failed to NOT fact-checked Kamala Harris ONCE, even though she told numerous lies on the debate stage The debate on ABC was widely considered one of the worst moderated debates in history, and yet President Trump. still won,” said Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump’s spokesperson. “You have to lie for the facts to be verified, and only one person on that stage told lie after lie,” responded Kevin Munoz, Kamala Harris’ spokesperson.
“These measures are the latest example of Trump’s resistance to being called to account for his lies, which have for years formed the basis of his political message,” writes the Washintong Post. The American daily refers in particular to Trump’s statements on migrants who eat dogs and cats.
According to Lucas Graves, professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of Wisconsin, this fight against fact checking has become a major issue for the Republican Party. “Within the right-wing political establishment, it is now considered completely legitimate – and completely legitimate to say publicly and openly – that one disapproves of fact checking. It is precisely because of Trump’s unusual relationship with the truth – even for a politician – that it is hardly surprising that he opposes it so volubly and forcefully“, he explains. Trump regularly resorts to fake news and erroneous figures. Thus, the Washington Post lists until the end of the Republican’s presidential mandate “30,573 false or misleading statements, an average of ‘approximately 21 false, erroneous or misleading statements per day’.
But according to an advisor close to Donald Trump, the majority of candidates would also be against this live fact checking system. “All candidates are opposed to fact-checking to varying degrees, but if you’re Trump, you know they’re always going to attack you more harshly.“Nevertheless, the Democratic candidate seems more willing to comply with the fact-checking exercise and has also participated in the CBS show “60 Minutes”.
