The Media has Learned How to Keep Trump from Escaping His Lies

Birds fly, fish swim and Trump lies. Not only does Trump lie, his whole team lies. His Press Secretary gets tied up in knots almost every time he is confronted by the press. Trump himself said that it is not always possible to tell the truth. In response to the uproar about his litany of deceit Trump has threatened to cancel White House briefings.

Trump’s lies in his first 100 days have been cataloged by the hard working reporters at the Washington Post. Another list covers some of his many broken promises during this period.

Trump started lying on his first day in office, boasting it was the largest crowd ever to attend an inauguration, and he has not stopped lying since. He lied compulsively before becoming president so it should come as no surprise that he keeps lying. However, the American people are getting wise to Trump.

An Axios poll released in April indicates that almost everyone thinks Trump is a liar. A total of 80 percent of voters in Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania think the president exaggerates or intentionally lies. This includes more than two-thirds of Republicans (68.7%).

According to a March poll only 25 percent of Americans think Trump keeps his promises. This number has gone from bad to worse (in February he was at 31 percent).

As reported in the Washington Post, an April Gallup poll indicates that an increasing number of Americans no longer buy Trump’s spin. It finds that only 45 percent of Americans think Trump keeps his promises, (down from 62 percent in February) this includes an 11 point drop among Republicans. Overall there was a 6-point drop in those who think that Trump is honest and trustworthy (from 42 percent to 36 percent).

This may seem to be a laughable matter, but much is at stake. Trump is frustrated at his inability to control the narrative and prevent the media from scrutinizing his lies. He has even threatened to cancel White House briefings because it is not possible for his staff to speak with “perfect accuracy.”

One of the best things that has emerged from Trump’s first 100 days is that the media may have finally learned how they can cover Trump’s truthlessness. As reviewed in a slate article falsehood is the “defining feature of his presidency,” so covering Trump necessites covering the lies he tells.

The popular media is now engaging Trump’s obfuscation and deadpan deceit in meaningful ways. The cover of Trump’s Time Magazine interview asked the question “Is Truth Dead?”. The Wall Street Journal’s conservative editorial board compared Trump to a drunk clinging to a gin bottle intimating his addiction to lying. Even Fox News has called Trump out for his lies.

Sen. Bernie Sanders can also take some of the credit for calling Trump out on his lies even more importantly he should be lauded for demanding that the media do the same. Here are some excerpts of what Bernie said:

“But how do we deal with a president who makes statements that reverberate around our country and the world that are not based on fact or evidence? What is the appropriate way to respond to that? And if the media and political leaders fail to call lies what they are, are they then guilty of misleading the public?

When a president makes claims that are not factually accurate or have no basis in fact, it is up to the press to tell the American people that the president is not honest with them. Fulfilling this function isn’t bias. It is upholding reality…a president who doesn’t subscribe to reality is a danger to governance.

We have a president who has fired an FBI Director in the middle of an important investigation that might conclude that his campaign broke the law. For the sake of the American people, for the sake of a nation guided by the rule of law, this is a time for bi-partisanship and a search for the truth.”

As Bill Moyers said, “We need the truth. Now.” Shining the light on Trump has never been more important. Nothing is more harmful to Trump and his agenda than the truth. Trump’s lies must be challenged with scathing honesty.