In the 31 days leading up to the midterm elections, Donald Trump ramped up his dishonesty to almost unimaginable levels -- even for him.
During that short period he told 815 falsehoods. In comparison, it took him the first 286 days of his presidency in 2017 to tell the same number of falsehoods.
By category, his top four most frequent false claims by were:
About Democrats -- 214 false claims.
About Immigrants -- 201 false claims
About the Economy -- 127 false claims
About Heath care -- 113 false claims
Moreover, many or most of Trump's falsehoods were written into his speeches this time around. In the past, Trump has usually departed from his prepared remarks to make his false claims. But this time around, they were prepared in advance. I think that shows his dishonesty was intentional.
As an aside, to me the most amusing falsehoods were the several times Trump claimed credit for laws passed under Obama! That amounts to a tacit admission that Obama did some good for the country -- something Trump and his supporters generally refuse to acknowledge.
But did the American people buy it?
Apparently not. While his gullible supporters almost certainly swallowed nearly every false claim Trump made, it seems the American people on the whole did not. Trump lost the House of Representatives, flipped only two Senate seats Republican (out of the 26 Democrat-held seats up for reelection), lost seven gubernatorial seats and several state legislatures. Not as bad as it could have been for him, but no one doubts he was a factor in all or most of those losses. Like most midterms, this one was a referendum on the president.
Moreover, polling immediately after the midterms shows that only 37% of registered voters want Trump reelected in 2020. Fully 58% want him gone, with the rest being undecided. He does not at this point have enough undecided voters he can win over to gain reelection.
The American people on the whole are not buying Trump's falsehoods. Only his gullible supporters are.
Questions? Comments?
Sources:
815 false claims: The staggering scale of Donald Trump’s pre-midterm dishonesty | The Star
Public Wants Congress to be a Check on Trump | Monmouth University Polling Institute
During that short period he told 815 falsehoods. In comparison, it took him the first 286 days of his presidency in 2017 to tell the same number of falsehoods.
By category, his top four most frequent false claims by were:
About Democrats -- 214 false claims.
About Immigrants -- 201 false claims
About the Economy -- 127 false claims
About Heath care -- 113 false claims
Moreover, many or most of Trump's falsehoods were written into his speeches this time around. In the past, Trump has usually departed from his prepared remarks to make his false claims. But this time around, they were prepared in advance. I think that shows his dishonesty was intentional.
As an aside, to me the most amusing falsehoods were the several times Trump claimed credit for laws passed under Obama! That amounts to a tacit admission that Obama did some good for the country -- something Trump and his supporters generally refuse to acknowledge.
But did the American people buy it?
Apparently not. While his gullible supporters almost certainly swallowed nearly every false claim Trump made, it seems the American people on the whole did not. Trump lost the House of Representatives, flipped only two Senate seats Republican (out of the 26 Democrat-held seats up for reelection), lost seven gubernatorial seats and several state legislatures. Not as bad as it could have been for him, but no one doubts he was a factor in all or most of those losses. Like most midterms, this one was a referendum on the president.
Moreover, polling immediately after the midterms shows that only 37% of registered voters want Trump reelected in 2020. Fully 58% want him gone, with the rest being undecided. He does not at this point have enough undecided voters he can win over to gain reelection.
The American people on the whole are not buying Trump's falsehoods. Only his gullible supporters are.
Questions? Comments?
Sources:
815 false claims: The staggering scale of Donald Trump’s pre-midterm dishonesty | The Star
Public Wants Congress to be a Check on Trump | Monmouth University Polling Institute
