CNN’s special on the pervasive effects of president’s lying represents a new benchmark in the media’s coverage of Trump.
CNN’s Jake Tapper thinks fact-checking Donald Trump is no longer enough — and he’s created an hourlong special exploring the effects on foreign policy, business and the national culture of the president’s compulsive lying.
While news organizations including The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have openly weighed when and whether to call Trump’s misstatements “lies” — a term that implies malice and forethought — Tapper thinks the media is well past the point of giving Trump the benefit of the doubt. His special, therefore, represents a new benchmark in the mainstream media’s adjustment to Trump’s norm-shattering presidency.
In an interview, the 50-year-old anchor admitted he can’t read Trump’s mind. But Tapper also isn’t afraid to ascribe motive when the president repeats a false claim “over and over and over” despite evidence to the contrary. It’s not an honest mistake; it’s a lie.
Take the whistleblower complaint that kick-started the Ukraine scandal. Trump has repeatedly said it’s inaccurate, which Tapper considers a “lie” given that an investigation and testimony have largely corroborated the whistleblower’s claims.
“He’s repeated that so many times that there’s obvious malice of forethought,” Tapper said of the president. “He’s obviously saying this in order to undermine a fact, in order to try to gaslight the country.”
Trump’s dishonesty in the White House has been thoroughly documented. Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler and his team have tallied more than 13,000 false or misleading claims since taking office, while CNN’s Daniel Dale this week highlighted 45 false claims specifically about impeachment and Ukraine. The New York Times counted more than 1,700 conspiracy theories on Trump’s Twitter feed.
But Tapper said he’s trying to go beyond the sheer volume of erroneous and misleading claims in a Sunday 9 p.m. special — “All The President’s Lies” — and address the impact on business, science, international relations and the national psyche. For instance, how might a false claim about trade talks with China affect global markets — and more broadly America’s credibility on the world stage?
“God forbid there should be some major international crisis where the United States president needs the people of this nation and the world to believe what he says about something,” said Tapper, asking, “What would the result be?”
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CNN’s Jake Tapper thinks fact-checking Donald Trump is no longer enough https://t.co/q7YBjdqKnA
— POLITICO (@politico) November 22, 2019
It’s sad that we peons can no longer trust our leaders, particularly the President of the United States. Tapper is right — Trump has told so many lies that those of us outside of his cult can’t believe him even if he does occasionally tell the truth.. And yes, there could be serious consequences if some calamity struck. If the US is invaded by an enemy and he gets on that emergency channel to warn us, are we going to believe him? I probably won’t.
I believe Trump knows the refuted claims and conspiracy theories he spreads around are not true. Most of them keep his fans entertained and engaged. Trump is all about entertaining his fans. He doesn’t really care about the rest of us or the potentially destructive effects his words and actions can have.
Trump has to be removed from office before he says or does something to destroy us.
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