How Many Lies Can Donald Trump Defend in One Interview?

Test ticker

Monika Bauerlein,
CEO

Dear Reader,

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been of late. In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we take a level-headed look at the brutal economics of journalism, why investigative reporting like you get from us matters, and why we're optimistic we can grow our base of support in a big way—starting with hitting a huge $300,000 goal in just three weeks. Please learn more and donate if you can right now.

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising. We need to raise $300,000 quickly, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been. Please learn more in "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," where we go into the brutal economics of journalism, and what makes Mother Jones unique and worth supporting if you can right now.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters/ZUMA

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

As President Donald Trump continues to attack the press and cling to baseless wiretapping accusations, a new poll released this week reveals the American public may not accept the president’s version of the truth, with 60 percent of those polled describing Trump as dishonest.

Despite the eroding support, the president appears unfazed, even emboldened, by his critics. When asked by Time about his previous theories, including the unfounded claim that 3 million people voted illegally in the 2016 election, Trump repeatedly refused to relent. “Well I think I will be proved right about that too,” he said in an interview published Thursday.

As for the wiretapping allegations, Trump argued that his widely criticized tweet storm accusing Barack Obama of ordering a wiretap of Trump Tower was acceptable because he used quotations in his social-media posts.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

“Because a wiretapping is, you know, today it is different than wiretapping,” he explained. “It is just a good description. But wiretapping was in quotes. What I’m talking about is surveillance.”

But Trump’s most alarming observation occurs at the conclusion of the interview, after he blasts any numbers that contradict his personal statistics (“My statistics are even better.”) In the end, he insists his version of events is the real truth because, after all, he’s sitting in the Oval Office.

Trump tells Time, “Hey look, in the meantime, I guess, I can’t be doing so badly, because I’m president, and you’re not. You know. Say hello to everybody, OK?”