Politifact rated President Trump’s assertion the national debt decreased by $12 billion in his first month “Mostly False.”
But in the very same fact check of Trump’s claim, Politifact explicitly verified it, writing, “The numbers check out.”
So how could it be “Mostly False”?
It is literally true that the national debt decreased by $12 billion in the first month of Donald Trump’s presidency.
What Politifact challenged was the implication, pretty clear in tweet, that Trump had anything to do with the falling debt. Great! Many readers might be misled by Trump’s tweet and might give him credit where he doesn’t deserve it.
But look at the very top of the Politifact post. “The National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion,” next to Politifact’s cartoon “Truth-O-Meter” screaming “Mostly False.”
They’re calling a plainly true fact “Mostly False.”
Ironically, in challenging Trump for failing to include important context, Politifact did the same: There’s some real truth to their point, but they’re leading the reader into falsehood by oversimplifying things.
His detractors scoff at Trump for targeting “fake news” while frequently bending the truth, yet that is exactly what Politifact did here.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
