How Many False Or Misleading Statements Has Trump Made After Nearly 4 Years?

In just under four years President Donald Trump has made 23,035 false or misleading comments as of Thursday, according to data collected by The Washington Post.

Since assuming office in January 2017, Trump’s fraudulent claims have only increased over the years. For example, Trump spread 143 misleading claims in August 2017. But that number spiked significantly in August 2020, as the president told 1,653 misleading claims.

Trump continues to mislead supporters and the public and does it on a consistent basis. For example, as Trump defended his administration's COVID-19 response, he compared the virus to the flu and argued that the U.S. annually lost 100,000 people to influenza.

“We've had flu years where we lost 100,000 people. The flu is a very serious problem for this country also. And we've been losing them -- [Dr. Scott Atlas], what kind of a number have we lost over the years with flu? Into the hundreds of thousands?”

Trump technically isn’t wrong here, however, the statement is misleading. The common flu has annually taken the lives of over 100,000 people, but this virus has taken a far greater toll. On average 35,900 people annually die from the flu, according to data from the CDC. The U.S is currently nearing 270,000 COVID-related deaths.

Trump also flaunts that his administration implemented “the biggest tax cut in history” which is far from true.

“[We've] already done the biggest tax cut in history,” Trump said.

Most notably, Trump's tax plan is the eighth-largest of all time. Trump cut 0.9% of the gross domestic product which doesn't even compare to President Ronald Reagan’s tax cut in 1981. Reagan's cut 2.89% of GDP, which is far more than Trump’s cut back. President Barack Obama also passed two tax cuts that were larger than Trump's.

Trump's problem telling the truth has provided new opportunities for fact-checkers and humorous rebuttals. In December 2019, CNN's Chris Cillizza shared "Donald Trump's 199 wildest lines of 2019" that included such whoppers and head-scratchers as, "The buck stops with everybody," and "They say walls don't work. Walls work 100%," as well as "[Democrats] want to have drugs pouring into our country."

While Trump's false and misleading comments can provide fodder for late-night comedians, they also have consequences. As the New York Times recently noted, "Lies have a long half-life, and Mr. Trump’s misinformation campaign will undermine the democratic legitimacy of the Biden administration."