10,000 lies

Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, May 2nd, 2019 - 64 comments
Categories: Donald Trump, Ethics, International, making shit up, us politics, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Wow.

The President of the United States, the leader of the Western World has told the 10,000th whopper of his presidential career.

From the Washington Post:

It took President Trump 601 days to top 5,000 false and misleading claims in The Fact Checker’s database, an average of eight claims a day.

But on April 26, just 226 days later, the president crossed the 10,000 mark — an average of nearly 23 claims a day in this seven-month period, which included the many rallies he held before the midterm elections, the partial government shutdown over his promised border wall and the release of the special counsel’s report on Russian interference in the presidential election.

This milestone appeared unlikely when The Fact Checker first started this project during his first 100 days. In the first 100 days, Trump averaged less than five claims a day, which would have added up to about 7,000 claims in a four-year presidential term. But the tsunami of untruths just keeps looming larger and larger.

And yet there still seems to be no consequence for him.  His approval ratings are still negative although 538’s poll of polls suggests that he has a 41% approval rating. 

Things are clearly out of control.  I wonder how this ends?

64 comments on “10,000 lies ”

  1. esoteric pineapples 1

    "I wonder how this ends?"

    According to Mike Malloy, with Trump declaring a state of emergency after the elections when he loses and keeping power. Interestingly, his lawyer Michael Cohen said that Trump's threat to the Republic should not be underestimated.



  2. SPC 2

    To understand this nation

    1. The majority are Christians, with many believing in creation science, a real worldwide flood and fulfillment of end time prophecy on this planet.

    2. Many are committed to Christian dominionism, manifesting end time Kingdom of God rule via human work – control of the institutions of the USA – especially the Supreme Court and enabling the state of Israel to annex all of eretz Israel (biblical Israel).

    Their only concern is their good winning against the bad (democratic liberal of secular human self government), they don't give a damn about the means or the process – thus if Trump serves their cause, they will vote for him no matter what harm this would do for others and the society they live in. They are on the righteous crusade.

    • Craig Glen Eden 2.1

      Thats a very good summary SPC, bang goes the nail.

    • North 2.2

      Yeah……extraordinarily well conceived and written there SPC. With the distraction of the Trump caricature it's quite easy to overlook the sociopathic "righteous crusade" Plain viciousness wearing a Colombian made "GOD" cap.

    • roblogic 2.3

      That’s only partly true, as Redlogix points out below. Not only has the middle class been hollowed out, the working class is now the underclass and homeless. From 2008 there has been a massive wealth transfer from middle America to Wall St banks. At least 10 million homes were foreclosed.

      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-groups-still-recovering-from-the-financial-crisis
      The worst financial disaster since the Great Depression, the financial crisis wiped out almost $8 trillion in household stock market wealth and $6 trillion in home value. As many as 10 million Americans are believed to have lost their homes, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

      Have some sympathy for the plight of the US working class. They have been constantly betrayed by politicians, clergymen, even supposed union leaders, and most egregiously by the media. They were right to vote against the system that exploits them, denies basic healthcare, education, employment & voting rights, and they face an increasingly militarized police and paranoid gun culture.

      The fact that religion has been co-opted by the power of money and empire doesn’t make religion in itself bad.

      https://youtu.be/sD8V7YhrXzE?t=115

      • RedLogix 2.3.1

        LeDuff reminds me of a guy I worked with, Philadephia, ex Marine MP, and articulate as hell just like this.

      • Richard Christie 2.3.2

        <i>"The fact that religion has been co-opted by the power of money and empire doesn’t make religion in itself bad."</i>

        Yes, it's unnecessary for the argument, there is a mountain of other evidence that can make the case.

  3. Macro 3

    10,000 fibs and just warming up!

    How about todays effort by the chief twit?

    https://twitter.com/jennlynnloving/status/1123561815953289217

    • SPC 3.1

      So good, they just have this really really big budget deficit and growing public debt that requires cheap credit to be affordable.

      A stockmarket that is a giant ponzi scheme (companies buying back their own shares with money derived from tax cuts).

      A hard rains gonna fall.

  4. ianmac 4

    If one of ours tells some slight mistruth or misleading comment all hell lets loose.

    What has happened to USA that the people seem to be totally unperturbed?

    Maybe the End of the World is Nigh!

    • gsays 4.1

      I don't know about that Ianmac, it depends on who is fibbing.

      Slippery John managed quite a few porkies and the sheeple didn't bat an eye e.g. rail shares, 'we will get the boys out' Pike River and others on blips list.

    • Gabby 4.2

      Wee Georgie Washerman was the last known yanker who couldn't tell a lie.

  5. RedLogix 5

    Trump is the direct result of uncontrolled globalisation. The lack of a democratically accountable global governance led directly to the conditions which saw Trump elected and remaining in power. There are four identifiable events which are associated; the sustained increase in immigration to the USA, the 2008 GFC and the bailout of the banks destroyed which the political system credibility, and inequality rising to historic levels.

    The result has been the dramatic hollowing out of middle America, and these are the people who vote. Their day to day lives are stark evidence they've been fucked over. Come 2016 they were always going to vote for someone who did not represent more of the same being fucked over. Clinton represented precisely everything they didn't want more of, and when the DNC fucked over Sanders, they revolted.

    In my opinion and modest experience working with them, the vast majority of Trump supporters know he's a lying arse, and a less than ideal President. But they just don't care; as long as the Dems keep attacking Trump and therefore them as 'deplorables', as long as they keep playing games that only matter to the coastal elites, ahead of solid economic and social reforms desperately needed for ordinary Americans …. they'll keep voting Trump in all the polls that matter.

    The good news is the Dems have moved. There is an entirely new DNC that is determined not to repeat the mistake it made over Sanders. There are range of interesting candidates who are talking new interesting policy, and for the most part ignoring Trump. Whether it's enough to make Trump a one-term President is too early to tell, but it is movement in the correct direction.

    But ultimately the USA has to address it’s role in the failure to address global stability. Ever since they discredited the UN by invading Iraq on a pack of obvious lies, it has been a downhill path for them.

    • SPC 5.1

      Voting Trump to deal with inequality … tax cuts, attacks on Obamacare?

      There is also total incongruence between restoring global stability and posing as an American first strongman – a fellow traveller in the rise of nationalism and authoritarian rule?

      Which should result in him being a one term President for both domestic and foreign policy reasons.

      IMO Trump is simply appealing to us vs them partisanship, populism, and in a country with deeply ingrained religious judgmentalism he could win again. Which is the ultimate condemnation of its religious tradition.

      • RedLogix 5.1.1

        When people are pissed off they do not vote for their obvious self interests. When middle America concluded the system had kicked them in the gonads, they reacted by voting for someone, anyone who would fuck the system right back. An act of revolutionary defiance if you will.

        As for the 10,000 lies (it'll be 10,010 by now) they take that as evidence their strategy has worked.

        (Oh and they’re also at least a little grateful their kids aren’t being slaughtered in some new war.)

        • SPC 5.1.1.1

          Haters gonna hate. Liars are gonna love the liar in chief.

          And Trump appeals to their inner Puritan voice to judge the other, let me be your populist bully – hate them through me is his electoral appeal. Remember how much of his support is tribal Republican, how little is otherwise.

          But sure, this is about a few key states that swung – the MW rust belt Reagan Democrats, when they feel weak they are lured to vote for someone who poses a stronger America.

          • RedLogix 5.1.1.1.1

            Haters gonna hate. Liars are gonna love the liar in chief.

            And whenever a 'libtard' says that, Trump's support goes up another 0.1%. I mean how hard is to understand that insulting people doesn't incline them to vote for you?

            • SPC 5.1.1.1.1.1

              Voters that cannot handle the truth is a problem worldwide, but American voters not being able to, is not my problem.

    • joe90 5.2

      inequality rising to historic levels

      So the turkey's voted for Christmas.

      https://twitter.com/ASlavitt/status/1123712027820732416

      • RedLogix 5.2.1

        And there is Trump’s massive weak spot, support for him won't last forever. But what have we had from the Democrat machine this past three years but an endless media contest about who can come up with the most scathing insult to the President, a febrile controversy over a Supreme Court appointment, immigration, and Russia.

        If they had focused instead on that list of yours joe, we would likely not be having this discussion.

        • Dukeofurl 5.2.1.1

          What Democratic machine is that ? Its a decentralised party… each elected member more or less has their own 'policy'

          Its a fascinating system , but doesnt work like you think it does as a comparison to NZ

          • RedLogix 5.2.1.1.1

            Oh I'm sure Clinton had policy on healthcare, but no-one remembers it.

            As for the DNC, yes I know they had plausible deniability, but the widespread perception that they screwed the system to ensure Clinton was always going to win is not something of my imagining.

            And here's the point everyone keeps forgetting; none of us here get to vote for POTUS. The only people that matter are American citizens, and how they perceive their self-interest. What we believe in, what we think of Trump is simply not relevant.

        • joe90 5.2.1.2

          If they had focused instead on that list

          They did. And those in the know pointed out that a tRump regime would jigger the health care of millions.

          But turkeys.

    • Dukeofurl 5.3

      DNC is merely the entire nationally elected democratic congressmen/women and Senators.

      It doesnt work like parties in Westminister style countries, each state runs its primaries in what ever format they choose ( open /closed primaries or caucuses etc) Candidates raise their own money and make their own policies.

      DNC main job is to run the national convention and of course assist who ever is the chosen candidate.

      What ever the DNC did last time, 2016 you cant get around Clinton won the primaries when counting votes, like she did in 2008! When it comes to super delegates it was a different story, but that isnt decided by DNC either.

    • Siobhan 5.4

      The Democrats have not changed one iota..for one thing they have just cut of the very path that allowed AOC etc to gain a foothold in the Party, primarily they are requiring people to agree to not to work with any candidates challenging Democratic incumbents. The amazing thing is how out of touch they really are…even there own people, the educated children of the well off, don't like their path…

      https://theintercept.com/2019/04/25/dccc-blacklist-college-democrats/

      https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/us/politics/bernie-sanders-democratic-party.html

  6. Stuart Munro. 6

    It sort of calls for a Malcolm Gladwell piece on mastering lying – 10 000 lies or ten thousand hours – too long to suffer a Trump presidency anyway.

  7. mauī 7

    If Trump is that bad and could win, his opposition must be dreadful. I expect him to wipe the floor second time around.

    • RedLogix 7.1

      On the face of it Trump should never have made it past the first primary, but here we are four years later, 10,020 lies later, and he's still President. The guy keeps doing 'impossible' things and yet we remain incurious as to why.

      I've worked with a number of people who voted for Trump; none of them were stupid people, they weren't liars or haters (in fact they were all great people to work with) … and when I listened to their reasons why, it didn't diminish my respect for them. They all readily admitted Trump was a shit show, but what they all shared in common was a deep anger at how they felt their interests as middle America had been shat on by elitists who no longer cared about them.

      Enough of the petty point scoring and endless whining about Trump, and get on with the serious business of winning these people's votes back.

      • Dukeofurl 7.1.1

        Again . Ignoring the realities. The main election isnt in 6 months but more like 16 months.

        The primaries come first and even before that comes the money raising circus and the the voters candidates are looking to interest are democratic activists. Thats why the emphasis on Trump ( a proven turnout raiser)

        Its Funny looking at official Sander web site !

        PAID FOR BY BERNIE 2020

        (not the billionaires)

        He cant say 'millionaires' as of course he is now one.

        And a main comment of his

        <b>No one candidate, not even the greatest candidate you could imagine, is capable of taking on Donald Trump and the billionaire class alone. </b>

        https://berniesanders.com/

        Guess who is whining about Trump ? ( for reasons I mentioned above)

        But lookin at Bidens website . Doesnt mention Trump at all on front page
        https://joebiden.com/

        • RedLogix 7.1.1.1

          Oh well … carry on with your 'realities'. Why is it that left wingers have so much trouble saying 'oops we fucked up'? Is it our pretensions of intellectual superiority?

          As for Sander's point about the billionaire class? It's a legitimate point around funding, an argument rather than a mere slur.

          Still as I mentioned above, there is some reason to hope the Dems have learned some lessons from 2016, and the primaries will coalesce around a good candidate.

          • Dukeofurl 7.1.1.1.1

            Nothing wrong with Clinton in the context at the time – someone has to win and someone has to lose. Better it was Trump that lost and US had first woman President.

            I saw a mention that it was only two states that Clinton needed, Florida and Michigan to change the result. And even then only two small parts of those states which vote more like their neighbours.

            Northern Florida is small part shares a border with Alabama and votes like Alabama, if those counties were part of Alabama Clinton would have won Florida.

            Same with Michigan, part is on the other side of Lake Michigan next to Wisconsin. If that was part of Wisconsin then Clinton would have won that state too.

            Swing states arent necesarly the same all over when they campaign

            • RedLogix 7.1.1.1.1.1

              Nothing wrong with Clinton in the context at the time

              Except she managed to lose against arguably the worst candidate ever. As I outlined above, 2016 was never going to be an ordinary election. It's my contention that uncontrolled globalisation has hit middle America harder than anywhere else. The good news is that tens of millions of Chinese, Indians and others all over the globe have entered the middle class for the first time in human history. The bad news is that the American working class has paid for it, and not only did no-one ask them about it, they've been comprehensively derided and shat on for the privilege.

              The combination of high immigration, a financial collapse, a broken political system and rising inequality was a set up for demagogue like Trump. In that context Clinton was exactly the wrong candidate to stand, a point made by quite a few people at the time. Yet in their determination to have the 'first woman President' the Democrats let their obsessions with ideology override reality.

              It was a massive fuckup. It should have been obvious that Trump's successes in the primaries signaled that the ground had shifted. Interestingly I was listening to Andrew Yang being interviewed by Joe Rogan, and he was fairly candid about all of this. He quite openly states that the coastal elites contempt and derision of working Americans directly led them to try and pretend that somehow these people didn't vote, and that their concerns would not matter.

              • Kevin

                You have to be pretty repulsive in your own right to lose to Donald Trump.

                • RedLogix

                  In my view Clinton was not so much a bad candidate as the wrong candidate.

                  • Phil

                    <i>In my view Clinton was not so much a bad candidate as the wrong candidate.</i>

                    There is ample evidence that US voters tend to select a president who is, of the two major party candidates, perceived as being relatively closer to the middle/moderate part of the electoral spectrum.

                    In 2016, Clinton was perceived by voters as being extremely liberal, while Trump was perceived as being relatively moderate. In 2012, Romney was perceived as being even more extreme a conservative than Obama was perceived liberal.

                    If your solution to Trump was for the Democrats to select Sanders (an even more liberal candidate than Clinton) then I think your alternate history of the 2016 election still has the same miserable outcome.

                    • RedLogix

                      What your claiming there might well have applied during a more 'conventional' election. An election where someone as frankly flawed and erratic as Trump wins … is a clue that the usual rules did not apply.

                  • Morrissey

                    She was a bad candidate, as repellent and offensive a candidate as the Democrats could have chosen. Therefore she was the wrong candidate.

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0uCrA7ePno&t=12s

              • Phil

                <i> Nothing wrong with Clinton in the context at the time

                Except she managed to lose against arguably the worst candidate ever. </i>

                Hillary Clinton was (and still is) the subject of sustained character assassination from the Republican Party and its media allies for nearly 30 years before the 2016 election. That's a huge uphill climb to get over that.

                She was also running i nan environment where the media's appetite for "both sides-ism" equality of airtime, regardless of merit, was at a peak.

                • Morrissey

                  "Sustained character assassination"?

                  Nobody made up the racism and depravity spewing from Hillary Clinton's mouth in the two clips I posted at 4:05 p.m.

        • Doogs 7.1.1.2

          Ok Duke, but, to be fair Biden says everything about Trump without actually mentioning the name. Click off the front page and it's all there in red white and blue.

      • SPC 7.1.2

        So who created in their minds they were (in or of) middle America and there were elitists who were not?

        Sounds like they have bought the snake-oil line that they can be anti-establishment by voting for the party of big corporations and big conservative group think.

        They swing from Republican Party government loyalists to anti-establishment when Democrats are in power like mind controlled pavlovian sheep. Is it as simple as GOP bible God and the gun little state security blanket because Democrats are the elites of big states of either coast – New York and California?

        • RedLogix 7.1.2.1

          like mind controlled pavlovian sheep

          The pretension of intellectual superiority … right there.

          • Phil 7.1.2.1.1

            like mind controlled pavlovian sheep

            The pretension of intellectual superiority … right there.

            Apparently you've never been to an evangelical church sermon…

      • greywarshark 7.1.3

        Enough of the petty point scoring and endless whining about Trump, and get on with the serious business of winning these people's votes back.

        This is the USA everyone is talking about. The giant bulldozer. It's the votes in NZ that must concern us; all this discussion about the USA is pretension from the ants feeling the ground shake under the monster on a far continent.

    • Morrissey 8.1

      A True Believer conspiracist halfwit if ever there was one.

      • Macro 8.1.1

        Are you describing yourself there Morrie?

        • Morrissey 8.1.1.1

          Oh of course: you buy into that laughable conspiracy theory too, don't you!

          • Macro 8.1.1.1.1

            You really need to stop lurking on 8chan Morrie, and then shitposting on here for the lulz.

            • Morrissey 8.1.1.1.1.1

              You're the one who insists on doubling down on that absurd conspiracy theory. Your "8chan" slur carries no heft.

              • Macro

                WTF are you on about? If anyone is posting conspiracy theories here it’s you – pretty much all repeats of tweets by the chump – and in case you haven't heard – lauded on 8chan.

                • Morrissey

                  WTF are you on about?

                  I'm on about your ill advised re-post of a clip involving that arch-conspiracist Stephen Colbert.

                  If anyone is posting conspiracy theories here it’s you – pretty much all repeats of tweets by the chump

                  I'm the one posting conspiracy theories, am I? By Trump, apparently? Could you point to an instance of that, please? Just to give your accusation a little credibility. Thanks for that.

                  – and in case you haven't heard – lauded on 8chan.

                  ????

                  Evidence would be appreciated. Post it up as soon as you can. Thanks.

                  • Macro

                    I'm on about your ill advised re-post of a clip involving that arch-conspiracist Stephen Colbert.

                    Dear me! Colbert is a stand-up comedian – and you confuse him with Alex Jones!

                    Yes he mocks your hero the chump, and on this occasion his pet poodle Barr, but "conspiracist"!?

                    Really you need to take a lie down.

                    Just for your information, the views you express here wrt the 2016 election, Hillary, and the Democrats are very similar to those expressed on 8chan – a site riddled with conspiracy theories and alt right memes. You do the left a great disservice with such repeated attacks, and show that you are in fact very out of touch with the state of play in the US – especially wrt current issues.

                    BTW I shall not be linking to 8chan such sites IMHO should be banned from the web.

                    • Morrissey

                      Colbert is a conspiracy theorist. He's bought the DNC fantasy about the Russian masterminds controlling Trump as some sort of Manchurian Candidate.

                      Yes, Alex Jones is an apt comparison.

                      The rest of your rant about Trump being my hero is as authoritative and factual as one of Colbert's and Jones's.

                    • Richard Christie

                      There has never been a conspiracy theory in regard to Trump's possible control by either his financial interests in Russia or Russian collusion.

                      There have been however, perfectly legitimate questions raised by the bizarre behaviour of Trump and people in his orbit. These questions inevitably give rise to speculation, most of which is put to bed on completion of a legitimate investigation. It only becomes a conspiracy theory after the investigations when the findings and conclusions are rejected without good cause.

                      People should get a grip on the distinction between conspiracy theories and legitimate questions.

  8. AB 9

    Everything in Biden's cloying and emotionally overstuffed announcement video implied that a return to the pre-Trump status quo is all that is needed. A recipe for another Trump win.

  9. peterlepaysan 10

    The US electoral, voting system, is open to manipulation. So are all other "democratic" systems, including ours.

    They all need an overhaul, starting with funding.

    Do turkeys or pigs yearn fo an early christmas? Ho.ho.

  10. Siobhan 11

    For anyone interested in some perspective on the Trump Government here's a debate between the founder of the European Council on Foreign Relations Mark Leonard and British politician and broadcaster George Galloway, moderated by the UK's version of Kim Hill….



  11. Morrissey 12

    You posted recently that Hillary Clinton was "not a bad candidate". Hardly a surprise to see you endorse a government propagandist like Mark Leonard.

    • RedLogix 12.1

      I'm firmly on record as being against all empire, I've written numerous times on the nature of the globalisation process we are struggling with, and the sooner all these hegemonies come to an end the better.

      Having said that; while the USA has fucked up many things this past 70 years, I'm not sure you can sincerely name any other power that you would have preferred as an alternative.

      I'm no particular fan of Hillary, but in that context she's was not the worst thing that could have happened … Trump was.

  12. Morrissey 13

    Nice analysis of where our gullible friends get their opinions from….