Donald Trump’s big speech Monday ended up dramatically overshadowed by the House Democrats’ sit-in. Which is glorious, because it’s always fun to watch Trump lose something, even just a news cycle, but also sad, because the fact-checkers put in so much work on this one that we should all pay at least a little attention. To the fact-checks, not the original lies.
Trump’s original lies are an unsurprising hodgepodge of Benghazi!!!, debunked nonsense from Peter Schweizer’s book Clinton Cash, Clinton having allegedly ruined the entire world as secretary of State, blah blah blah. Here are some of the ways an AP fact check dismisses his claims:
These statements make only passing acquaintance with reality. [...]
For a businessman, Trump is shaky on his numbers. [...]
Trump's claim is more than double the actual increase. [...]
Closer to the opposite is true.
Meanwhile, Correct the Record’s TrumpLies.com documents 30 gigantic lies in 40 minutes. Which is something of a double-edged achievement. For anyone else it would be quite a lot of lies to pack into 40 minutes, but for Trump, it’s almost restrained and statesman-like.