In an interview with Greta Van Susteren yesterday, Donald Trump insisted he doesn’t lie. “In fact, if anything, I’m so truthful that it gets me in trouble,” he said. Rather than challenge that lie, Van Susteren changed the subject.
Early in the interview, Trump walked back his attack on Pope Francis whom, you may recall, he recently accused of having been duped by the Mexican government. But now Trump said, “I think he’s a terrific person.”
Then at 14 minutes in, Van Susteren asked Trump whether he had ever lied to the American people.
VAN SUSTEREN: CBS, Scott Pelley, asked Secretary Clinton, said whether she has ever lied to anyone and her response was, “Well, you know, you’re asking me to say have I ever. I don’t believe I ever have, ever will. I’m going to do the best I can to level with the American people.” So the same question, have you ever lied to the American people?
TRUMP: I don’t lie, I mean I don’t lie. In fact, if anything, I’m so truthful that it gets me in trouble, OK? They say I’m too truthful. And, no I don’t lie. I don’t lie. I’m self-funding my campaign. I tell the truth.
Of course, being blunt is not the same as being truthful, as Van Susteren almost surely knows. Trump has lied so much that it would probably take me until Election Day to catalog all his lies. But some of the bigger whoppers that have gotten attention:
- His phony-baloney birtherism, including his claim to have private investigators in Hawaii who “cannot believe what they’re finding” about President Obama’s birth. Why hasn’t Trump ever released the results of that investigation – unless it doesn’t go along with his more recent claim that the matter has not been settled?
- After mocking a disabled New York Times reporter, Trump pretended not to have known the man was disabled.
- Trump’s claim to have seen “Thousands and thousands of Muslims” in New Jersey cheering the 9/11 attacks has been rated Pants on Fire by PolitiFact.
- And now, Trump’s claim to have been against the Iraq war since before it started has been debunked.
In fact, Trump is such a liar that PolitiFact couldn't pick just one of his lies as their 2015 Lie of the Year. The site noted:,
PolitiFact has been documenting Trump’s statements on our Truth-O-Meter, where we’ve rated 76 percent of them Mostly False, False or Pants on Fire, out of 77 statements checked. No other politician has as many statements rated so far down on the dial.
In considering our annual Lie of the Year, we found our only real contenders were Trump’s -- his various statements also led our Readers’ Poll. But it was hard to single one out from the others. So we have rolled them into one big trophy.
But rather than point out even just one example of Trump’s dishonesty, Van Susteren changed the subject by asking, “How much have you spent so far?”
Watch it above, from the February 19 On The Record.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
We watch Fox so you don't have to!
