Has Donald Trump Ever Lied on Television?

Undoubtedly, as his press conferences are replete with lies and half-truths, and his Fox News shows provide a prime platform for live television deception. President Trump's reliance on Fox News as his primary vehicle for disseminating misinformation is well-documented. Fox News often allows Trump to lie on live television for hours, with his rallies and one-on-one interviews, especially those with friends like Hannity, frequently contributing to this stream of falsehoods.

Trump’s Lies vs. Your Brain

Of course, we are all aware that he is in politics, and it is expected. In his case, it might not be lies at all; it could simply be statements believed to be true, without verifying facts. Trump hopes that people will believe him because he states it with sincerity, or that it will magically become true. But why does he do this? As he is in politics, this is indeed the norm.

Has Trump Ever Told the Truth on Television?

Adequately, the question one should ask might be: Has Trump ever told the truth on television? Because the frequency and volume of his lies make them almost innumerable. He has made over 3000 false or misleading claims to date. This is particularly notable as many of his statements have been televised, often during public gatherings such as rallies.

Television Lies of Trump:

It is Debatable what you mean by "on television"; however, hundreds, if not thousands, of his lies have been televised. He makes statements at public rallies, which are then broadcast, such as his initial claim about the Michael Cohen payments. He then contradicted himself, stating that he knew about the payments. These types of contradictions can be seen as statements made on television.

Moreover, there is a resource Politifact's Truth-O-Meter that compiles Trump's lies and fact-checks them. Out of the 582 statements, 400 or almost 70 are either mostly false, false, or "Pants On Fire" false. Some of these statements are just wrong, maybe because he took someone's word for it, or some are outright lies, concocted by Trump knowing they were false. Interestingly, most of the lies from his rallies appear on Fox News, where they are not effectively fact-checked.

Analysis of Trump's Television Lies:

The Post's fact-checkers have observed an intensification of false and misleading claims from the president. According to Washington Star correspondent Daniel Dale, the frequency of dishonesty had steadily accelerated since late last year, and it skyrocketed after one rally in North Dakota. Three PolitiFact researchers spent 1300 words reviewing eight dubious Trump statements that came from this rally. The New York Times counted 18 inaccurate claims from the Montana rally, and The Washington Post noted 35 false or misleading claims at a May rally in Nashville.

The frequency and extent of these falsehoods make them too cumbersome for live television. It is impossible to refute all the lies and misstatements as they are uttered, and no one will stay tuned as anchors and correspondents attempt to plow through all the refutations after the fact. For some reason, however, these considerations do not seem to be a concern for the prime-time lineup at Fox News.

The State of the Union address, broadcast on live television, highlights another example of the extent of political misinformation. In one analysis of the 2018 speech, Politifact found that 23 statements were false, five were mostly false, five were completely false, and two were supported by insufficient evidence. This only scratches the surface of the lies and inaccuracies in Trump's speeches and statements.