President Trump is often wrong.
In that regard, he has something in common with most politicians, and many past presidents.
But what’s extraordinary about his unstable relationship with the truth is not just that he is often incorrect about a great number of things, but that he’s so careless about it. Among presidents, Trump is uniquely willing to assert claims that lack any factual backing. As a result, he is extraordinarily likely to utter blatant falsehoods.
These are most obvious when they are most trivial. Take, for example, his assertion this week during a White House press conference that his Electoral College victory in the 2016 presidential election was the biggest “win since Ronald Reagan.”
This is false, and was debunked within moments of his uttering the words. Trump received 304 Electoral College votes. President Obama received 332 in 2012 and 365 in 2008. President George H.W. Bush won 426 in 1988.
When Presidents Obama and Clinton told their untruths, as they often did, their listeners generally had to pick through and parse the legalese to find the facts. Their lies were framed so as to have plausible deniability.
Trump doesn’t bother with that. It’s usually obvious from the get-go. Maybe that’s part of what it means to be plain spoken.
Trump was fact-checked in real-time Thursday during that press conference by NBC News’ Peter Alexander.
In response to being challenged on his Electorial College boast, the president responded, “I don’t know, I was given that information. I actually, I’ve seen that information around.” This is similar to people who on Facebook post a factoid they haven’t checked or opinion they haven’t considered and then add, “Just sayin’.”
As is usual when Trump strayed into fantasyland, news media pounced, each with their own input about what Trump’s constant falsehoods really mean, and what it means for the presidency.
This is justified. But much of the media’s rage is surely over the fact that Trump’s cavalier disregard for accuracy to some extent reflects their own, and produces in him a contempt rather than the deference that too many of them think they deserve. Trump is a president who reflects the culture of the country, which includes a rampantly slipshod news industry.
Like so many of Trump’s off-the-cuff public remarks, much of the reporting since he defeated Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8, 2016, has been been extraordinarily sloppy and careless. Examples are legion, but here are a few chosen pretty much at random:
• The Associated Press botched a story this week alleging Trump was weighing “mobilizing National Guard for immigration roundups.”
• Reporters dropped the ball when they reported this month that a Muslim-American Olympian, Ibtihaj Muhammad, was detained by Customs for two hours without explanation due to Trump’s executive order banning immigration from seven Middle Eastern countries.
• Several newsrooms also reported that Trump’s late father, Fred, had a pair of racist campaign ads created in 1969 for a potential run for mayor of New York City.
None of these stories was true, and each fell apart the moment an ounce of scrutiny was applied to it.
Trump must be challenged when he plays fast and loose with the facts. But reporters must also strive to do better when they fail their primary function, which is to provide the public with clear and accurate information.
