Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Washington Post Fact Checker Had to Come Up With a Whole New Category for All the Lies Donald Trump Has Repeated More Than 20 Times, And Hoo Boy, There Are a Lot

Washington Post Fact Checker Had to Come Up With a Whole New Category for All the Lies Donald Trump Has Repeated More Than 20 Times, And Hoo Boy, There Are a Lot
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, November 16, 2018. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Well, that's appropriate.

It's common knowledge that politicians often misconstrue the truth and occasionally even lie, but it wasn't until the campaign and election of President Donald Trump that outright lies from the head of the executive branch and those serving him became the new normal.

Not only does Trump lie (6,240 times since his inauguration at last count), but he freely repeats the lies as well with the assurance that his base will believe him over the journalists he's spent the last three years vilifying.


So comfortable is the President with repeating long-debunked lies that the Washington Post has created a whole new category for him in their fact-checking department.

The fact-checker has previously rated the level of a statement's falsehood with "Pinocchios" ranging on a scale from one to four, with four Pinocchios being outright false. However, the President has repeated "four Pinocchio" statements so many times, the Washington Post has introduced "Bottomless Pinocchios," reserved for lies ranging from three to four Pinnochios repeated over 20 times.

It's an easier feat for the President than many may realize. For instance, Trump has repeated the false claim that his administration passed the biggest tax cut in history a whopping 123 times. Exaggerating the United States' trade deficits? 117 times. In fact, 14 of the President's statements have qualified for the prestigious distinction of Bottomless Pinocchios.

Sadly, Twitter wasn't surprised.

However, there's still some discontent.

As Trump's lies have grown more and more blatant, Americans have pressured the media to stop replacing the word "lies" with softer ones like "false statements," "misleading claims," or—in this case—"Pinocchios."

For its part, The Washington Post has long been a thorn in Trump's—and a certain other corrupt president's—side. In fact, the same journalist who helped expose the Watergate coverup during the Nixon era, Bob Woodward, also wrote Fear: Trump in the White House, which used hours of recorded interviews and hundreds of documents to cover a President whose administration is a sinking ship. During a normal Presidency, Americans would likely still be talking about the book, which was released in September, and a normal President would have had to heavily strategize to discredit it. After a few scathing tweets from the President, it's now largely forgotten.

That's because, to many, this is not a normal presidency nor is this a normal President, largely thanks to a sheer willingness—perhaps even eagerness—to lie.

The President may never win that elusive Nobel Peace Prize for his talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, but thanks to the Washington Post, he is the only figure with the distinction of 14 bottomless Pinocchios—a fitting tribute.

More from People/donald-trump

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Emily Compagno
Fox News

Fox Host Slams Dem For Dropping An F-Bomb After Praising Trump For The Same Thing Just Minutes Earlier

Fox News host Emily Compagno was criticized after she praised Donald Trump's use of the "f-bomb" earlier this week before condemning Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett's use of the same word—on the same episode of her show, no less.

Trump made headlines this week after admonishing Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire agreement he'd announced on Truth Social. Although he claimed the ceasefire had been "agreed upon," Iran fired at least six missile barrages at Israel after it was supposed to take effect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings; Emily Croke
@Jeopardy/Instagram

Champ's Wild Final Jeopardy Connection

In a dramatic conclusion on last Monday’s Jeopardy!, a contestant revealed a surprising relationship to the final clue's answer. Hailing from Denver, Emily Croke made it to the final write-in portion of the game show with $12,200 in earnings.

In the category of “Collections,” host Ken Jennings read the clue:

Keep ReadingShow less