Donald Trump’s Bullshitopedia: An Ever Expanding Catalog Of Lies

Posted by Mark NC 

 

When Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president, he embarked on a mission that immediately sought to exalt himself, insult and disparage his critics, and reduce the intellectual tenor of American politics to the level of remedial third grade bullies. 

 

Now, after five months it has become clear that, more than anything else, Trump seems determined to break all records for blatant dishonesty and promulgation of outright lies. The sheer quantity of falsehoods, whether born of purpose or ignorance, has shattered any previous attempt to mislead by a political charlatan.

 

There is a distinct pathological urgency to his disgorging deceptions. And his refusal to ever concede a point or to apologize, even when confronted with irrefutable evidence, is a reflection of his tunnel-blind, Olympic-grade Narcissism. 

 

As a result of the rapidly expanding incidence of Trump’s daily forays into fiction, it has become necessary to initiate a catalog in order to keep track of his doublespeak.

 

It is a formidable task considering the breadth of his deceit. But without such a resource it will be impossible to manage. Hopefully this will be useful for those wishing to document the brazenly disreputable utterances of The Donald. It will be appended as necessary, and contributions are welcome in comments. So without further ado, let’s dig into Trump’s lies, lies, and ever more lies.

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Donald Trump’s Bullshitopedia

1. JUST ADDED: Blaming a “lousy process,” Trump said that he has 100’s of people awaiting confirmation. Actually it’s just 2. And he’s only nominated 24 of 533 posts.
2. Trump claimed that his CPAC speech was “packed, there are lines that go back six blocks and I tell you that because you won’t read about it, OK.” But the reason you won’t read about it is because it wasn’t true.
3. At CPAC, Trump said that Obamacare covers “very few people.” However, 20 million more people are covered now than prior to the Affordable Care Act. Repealing it would result in an increase of 32 million Americans without health insurance by 2026.
4. Trump denied in a January interview that he or anyone on his campaign had any contact with Russia prior to the election. However, The New York Times and CNN both reported that Trump campaign officials and associates “had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials” before Nov. 8.
5. Trump said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was “cut off” on CNN for “using the term fake news to describe the network.” But the senator was obviously joking and was not cut off, as the video shows.
6. Trump took credit for Ford’s decision not to open an auto factory in Mexico and instead expand its Michigan plant. However, the company said Trump was not responsible for its decision.
7. Trump claimed the murder rate is the highest it’s been in 47 years. The murder rate rose 10.8 percent across the United States in 2015, but it’s far lower than it was 30 to 40 years ago.
8. Trump said the Obama administration “agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia.” The deal actually involved 1,250 refugees – no illegal immigrants.
9. Trump took credit for cutting $600 million from the F-35 program. But Lockheed Martin already had planned for the cost reductions for the next generation fighter plane.
10. In remarks with business leaders at the White House, Trump said, “I’m a very big person when it comes to the environment. I have received awards on the environment.” There is no evidence that Trump has received such awards.
11. During his speech at CIA headquarters, Trump claimed the media made up his feud with the agency. In fact, he started it by comparing the intelligence community to “Nazi Germany.”
12. Trump said that it stopped raining “immediately” when he began his inauguration speech. But it rained throughout the address.
13. [Terrorism] “has gotten to a point where it’s not even being reported.” Unless, of course, you count all the times it’s been reported.
14. Trump (at press conference): “You know, the only one that cares about my tax returns are the reporters, okay?” Not according to every poll on the subject.
15. A huffy Trump whined that he would have won the popular vote if “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” But there’s no evidence of even a handful of illegal votes, much less millions.
16. In a tweet, Trump claimed that “I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great State of Kentucky for their confidence in me!” However, the Ford plant was never even considering relocating to Mexico or anywhere else.
17. “You know [Clinton et al] came up with the term ‘alt-right.” However, the term has been in use for years and promoted by Trump’s campaign chief at Breitbart News.
18. In a futile bid to scam African-American voters, Trump said that“Inner-city crime is reaching record levels.” However, that’s “Not even close,” according to PolitiFact who gave him his 43rd Pants-on-Fire lie.
19. At a rally Trump baselessly accused Obama of paying a ransom to Iran for the release of American prisoners. Even worse, he said that he had watched a video showing the cash being unloaded from a plane in Iran. No such video exists and Trump later admitted it wasn’t true.
20. Lyin’ Don told George Stephanopoulos on This Week that the NFL sent him a letter about the scheduling of the presidential debates saying that “This is ridiculous. Why are the debates against us?” But an NFL spokesman quickly denied it.
21. Trump tweeted “Not one American flag on the massive stage at the Democratic National Convention until people started complaining-then a small one. Pathetic.” But reality differs.
22. Attacking Sen. Tim Kaine, Trump said that “Bob McDonnell took a fraction of what Kaine took.” Only if a fraction is the same as three times as much.
23. For no imaginable reason, Trump insisted that it was he who directed the RNC to choose Cleveland as its convention site. But the site was chosen two years ago and long before Trump ever considered running.
24. For his 34th “Pants on Fire” lie, Trump said that “The Obama administration was actively supporting Al Qaeda in Iraq, the terrorist group that became the Islamic State.”
25. In another display of manifesting his delusions, Trump told Bill O’Reilly that “somebody called for a moment of silence” for the man who killed five Dallas police officers. There is, however, no evidence that that ever happened.
26. In a spittle-inflected rant against Hillary Clinton, Trump accused her of taking $58,000 worth of jewelry from the Sultan of Brunei. In fact, the gift was accepted on behalf of the State Department and turned over to the General Services Administration, as per the routine for such diplomatic gifts.
27. Citing the wingnut Breitbart website, Trump accused Obama of “actively supporting Al Qaeda in Iraq,” a claim that earned Trump his 31st Pants-on-Fire lie from PolitiFact.
28. Notching another “Pants on Fire” lie, Trump said in a speech that “crime is rising.” But that has not been true for twenty-five years.
29. Trump tweeted “WHERE IS THE REPORTING @realDonaldTrump < most VOTES FOR PRESIDENT IN HISTORY OF USA." First of all, he has received zero votes for president, just votes for the GOP nomination. Secondly, Hillary Clinton received 2.4 million more votes than he did.
30. Just two months after Trump said that countries like Japan and Saudi Arabia should get their own nukes, he denied having said it and called Clinton a liar for bringing it up.
31. In a display of hysterical hyperbole, Trump said that it “is Hillary Clinton’s agenda to release the violent criminals from jail. She wants them all released.” Which she never said or even implied.
32. At the NRA’s annual convention, Trump falsely stated that “Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment. She wants to abolish it. Hillary Clinton wants to take your guns away and she wants to abolish the Second Amendment.”
33. In 2011 Trump said that he would release his tax returns if President Obama released his birth certificate. Obama did release his birth certificate, but Trump reneged on his promise.
34. Regarding convicted rapist Mike Tyson Trump said “I heard he endorsed me. I don’t know anything about his trial. I really don’t.” Except that he repeatedly advocated for Tyson during the boxer’s 1992 rape trial, blamed the victim, and insisted that Tyson had been “railroaded.”
35. In a rambling, incoherent speech on foreign policy, Trump said that “ISIS is making millions of dollars a week selling Libyan oil.” But according to every expert, ISIS has never been able to seize, refine or sell any Libyan oil.
36. Trump told NBC News that he believes in raising taxes on the wealthy. But his tax plan (on his website) calls for tax cuts that predominantly benefit the rich.
37. After Trump was castigated for advocating punishment for women who get abortions, he issued a statement reversing himself to say that it’s the doctor who should be punished and that this was “the way I’ve always felt.” Except that on Meet the Press in 1999 he described himself as “very pro-choice.”
38. Expanding on his abortion comment lie, Trump told Fox News that he was taken out of context and blamed MSNBC for what he called “a long discussion and they just cut it out.” NBC, however, issued a statement affirming that the Trump interview was aired in its entirety with no editing.
39. Complaining about the U.S. participation in NATO, Trump said that “We can’t go around being the policemen of the world and supporting 73% of NATO.” But we are paying only 22% of the NATO budget.
40. At the AIPAC Conference, Trump spoke about the U.S. giving Iran $150 billion, but it’s money that actually belongs to Iran that the U.S. unfroze in exchange for them dismantling their nuclear program.
41. Trump accused protesters of being violent saying that “They are swinging, they are really dangerous and they get in there and they start hitting people.” Which never happened. Only his supporters have been violent.
42. A speech intended to celebrate a primary victory turned into an infomercial for defunct Trump businesses selling wine, water, steak, magazines and more. Trump lied about all of them still operating when none of them are.
43. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Trump pretended not to have heard about comparisons of him and Adolf Hitler. But just three months before he had the very same discussion with Stephanopoulos.
44. In a CNN interview Trump claimed not to know anything about KKK leader David Duke, who has endorsed him. But he commented on him months ago.
45. Trump replied to a charge that he had advocated military action in Libya to remove Gadhafi from power by saying that he had never even discussed it. Except that he posted on his own website that “We should knock this guy out.”
46. During the CNN GOP debate in Houston Trump flatly denied ever saying that “the government should pay for everyone’s healthcare,” which is exactly what he said on 60 Minutes.
47. After repeatedly claiming that he opposed the war in Iraq before it began, evidence has now emerged showing Trump in 2002 advocating an invasion.
48. After falling behind Ted Cruz, Trump whined that “I never do well with the Wall Street Journal poll,” in which he led almost every time they ran one.
49. During the GOP debate, Trump falsely said that he was “the only one on this stage that said, ‘Do not go into Iraq.” Which he never said
50. Trump told CNN that “I never once asked that [Megyn Kelly] be removed [as debate moderator].” Except for that time that he did.
51. During a debate Trump denied that he told the New York Times he would impose a 45% tariff on china saying “They were wrong. It’s The New York Times, they are always wrong.” They were right and have recorded evidence.
52. On Meet the Press Trump told Chuck Todd that “you have 60, 70, 80 million people out there that want to work that aren’t getting jobs.” He’s only 75% off.
53. Attacking Hillary Clinton on guns, Trump says that “I think, worse than Obama on the issue, frankly. She wants to take everyone’s gun away.” Which she has never said or even implied.
54. Trump asserts that “[The 9/11 hijackers] put their families on airplanes, couple of days before, sent them back to Saudi Arabia for the most part. Those wives knew exactly what was going to happen.” Except only one of the nineteen hijackers was married.
55. Trump said that 100 black pastors would endorse him. Pastors say not so.
56. Trump said he didn’t mock, or even know, the reporter whose disabilities he mocked and knew for a decade.
57. Says crime statistics show blacks kill 81 percent of white homicide victims. It’s more like 15%.
58. Trump: “I watched in Jersey City, N.J., where thousands and thousands of people were cheering” as the World Trade Center collapsed – which he never watched because there is no such video.
59. People on the terrorism watch are already prohibited from buying guns. Nope.
60. Thirteen Syrian refugees were “caught trying to get into the U.S.” but actually surrendered at the border seeking asylum.
61. Trump denied saying that he supported a database of Muslims, even though he said it more than once on video.
62. The federal government is sending refugees to states with governors who are “Republicans, not to the Democrats.”
63. The Trans-Pacific Partnership “was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone.”
64. The Obama administration wants to admit 250,000 Syrian refugees. He’s off by 240,000.
65. He was on 60 Minutes with Vladimir Putin and “got to know him very well.” Except that they were interviewed separately thousands of miles apart.
66. Climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese.
67. Says his plan would cut taxes without increasing the deficit.
68. “I never said that” Marco Rubio was Mark Zuckerberg’s personal senator.
69. His criticism of Ford prompted the company to move a factory from Mexico to Ohio.
70. Says Bernie Sanders is going to “tax you people at 90 percent.”
71. Trump said that “We have the highest tax rate anywhere in the world.”
72. Among Syrian refugees, “there aren’t that many women, there aren’t that many children.”
73. The unemployment rate may be as high as “42 percent.”
74. Trump: The birther movement was started by Hillary Clinton in 2008. She was all in!
75. Said he was never interested in opening a casino in Florida.
76. Says Mexico doesn’t have birthright citizenship, and Americans are the “only ones” to have it.
77. Claimed he was talking about Carly Fiorina’s “persona” when he said “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?”
78. Under the Iran deal: “If Israel attacks Iran … we’re supposed to be on Iran’s side.”
79. Vaccines cause autism.
80. He never said the stuff Megyn Kelly accused him of saying in the first debate.
81. Trump says that “The Mexican government … they send the bad ones over.”
82. The number of illegal immigrants in the United States is “30 million, it could be 34 million.”
83. Trump: If you’re from Syria and you’re a Christian, you cannot come into this country” as a refugee.
84. Says his book, The Art of the Deal, is “the No. 1 selling business book of all time.”
85. Trump: The last quarter, it was just announced, our gross domestic product … was below zero. Who ever heard of this? It’s never below zero.
86. Trump: The Islamic State just built a hotel in Syria.
87. Says President Barack Obama’s recent New York fundraising trip cost between $25 million and $50 million.
88. ObamaCare enrollment lie: Obama counts an enrollee as a web user putting a plan in ‘their online shopping carts.’
89. President Obama has spent over $2 million in legal fees defending lawsuits about his birth certificate.
90. Hey look, [the president] wrote a book when he was a young man and it said ‘born in Kenya,’ blah blah blah.
91. The people that went to school with (Obama), they never saw him, they don’t know who he is.

To be continued…

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These are not differences of opinion. They are outright, provable falsehoods. Not a single one is remotely true. And even when Trump is shown the proof he insists that he is right and that reality is wrong. And as Stephen Colbert told us, “Reality has a well-known liberal bias.” That’s the only possible explanation for Trump’s relentless lying. 

Ironically, Trump is fond of calling others liars. He even called into question Ted Cruz’s faith due to his frequent falsehoods, which has an irony all its own (See The Immaculate Birther). But when Trump was interviewed by Greta Van Susteren of Fox News he told the biggest lie of all when he said “I don’t lie. In fact, if anything, I’m so truthful that it gets me in trouble. They say I’m too truthful.” Obviously everything above negates that delusional self-appraisal.

The fact that Trump still manages to attract supporters who are willing to look past his shameless mendacity, and worse, to revere him as a quasi-savior, is a frightening testament to the decline of American democracy. These are people who not only submit blissfully to being lied to, they embrace a philosophy of bigotry, division, fear, and the authoritarian strains of fascism. They have abandoned whatever tendencies they may have had toward freedom, in favor of a despot who reeks of false and unattainable promises of security and prosperity. It is the behavior of cultists who have surrendered to mindless discipleship and have lost the ability to discern fantasy from reality. It’s a learned response that has been ingrained from watching way too much Fox News.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

[Notes: Many of the links above are from PolitiFact. They maintain a file on Trump that presently shows he has 233 “mostly false,” “false,” or “Pants on Fire” statements. That represents 70% of the total statements reviewed by PolitiFact. Of the total number of Trump’s statements 4% are deemed to be “true.”]