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Now President, Trump Once Again Lies About Why He Lost Popular Vote
Despite becoming arguably the most powerful man on the planet in recent days, reporting indicates Trump still willing to lie unabashedly to cushion his ego
Jan 24, 2017
Though he became the 45th President of the United States last Friday, Donald Trump on Monday took the opportunity of his first meeting with congressional leaders to again repeat the lie that he would have won the popular vote (which he lost to rival Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million people) if it wasn't for millions of undocumented immigrants he claims participated in the election.
Having also lied on this issue in the aftermath of his electoral college victory in November, people in the room during Trump's meeting with House and Senate leaders from both parties said the president was at it again Monday.
"He said 3-5 million 'illegals' voted so that's why he lost popular vote," one Democratic aide told The Hill, noting Trump's use of the derogatory phrase often used by right-wingers to describe immigrant workers or those without proper documentation to be in the country. A second source who was in the room confirmed to The Hill: "That's exactly what he said."
Trump reportedly offered no evidence for his assertion, just stated it as a fact.
As the New York Times notes,
The claim, which he has made before on Twitter, has been judged untrue by numerous fact-checkers. The new president's willingness to bring it up at a White House reception in the State Dining Room is an indication that he continues to dwell on the implications of his popular vote loss even after assuming power.
Mr. Trump appears to remain concerned that the public will view his victory -- and his entire presidency -- as illegitimate if he does not repeatedly challenge the idea that Americans were deeply divided about sending him to the White House to succeed President Barack Obama.
Following a weekend when Trump's communication team, led by press secretary Sean Spicer and special advisor Kellyanne Conway, sparked an uproar by introducing the global public to the Orwellian phrase "Alternative Facts," the president's latest lie--which many noted also fits his pattern of deploying bizarre and racist conspiracy theories--also triggered a social media firestorm:
In addition to the broad and troubling implications of a president so willing to dispose with facts, journalist Kira Lerner, writing for ThinkProgress, points out that Trump's mistruths on the election results are likely to have serious and negative impacts on both voting rights and immigration policy going forward.
Though the media was quick to fact check his lies, Lerner warns that "Republican governors and state lawmakers across the country, those who have the ability to change voting laws and those who are looking to their president as a guiding voice, the lie could quickly affect policy. States could use Trump's claim as justification to make it significantly harder or impossible for millions of voters to cast ballots."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Though he became the 45th President of the United States last Friday, Donald Trump on Monday took the opportunity of his first meeting with congressional leaders to again repeat the lie that he would have won the popular vote (which he lost to rival Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million people) if it wasn't for millions of undocumented immigrants he claims participated in the election.
Having also lied on this issue in the aftermath of his electoral college victory in November, people in the room during Trump's meeting with House and Senate leaders from both parties said the president was at it again Monday.
"He said 3-5 million 'illegals' voted so that's why he lost popular vote," one Democratic aide told The Hill, noting Trump's use of the derogatory phrase often used by right-wingers to describe immigrant workers or those without proper documentation to be in the country. A second source who was in the room confirmed to The Hill: "That's exactly what he said."
Trump reportedly offered no evidence for his assertion, just stated it as a fact.
As the New York Times notes,
The claim, which he has made before on Twitter, has been judged untrue by numerous fact-checkers. The new president's willingness to bring it up at a White House reception in the State Dining Room is an indication that he continues to dwell on the implications of his popular vote loss even after assuming power.
Mr. Trump appears to remain concerned that the public will view his victory -- and his entire presidency -- as illegitimate if he does not repeatedly challenge the idea that Americans were deeply divided about sending him to the White House to succeed President Barack Obama.
Following a weekend when Trump's communication team, led by press secretary Sean Spicer and special advisor Kellyanne Conway, sparked an uproar by introducing the global public to the Orwellian phrase "Alternative Facts," the president's latest lie--which many noted also fits his pattern of deploying bizarre and racist conspiracy theories--also triggered a social media firestorm:
In addition to the broad and troubling implications of a president so willing to dispose with facts, journalist Kira Lerner, writing for ThinkProgress, points out that Trump's mistruths on the election results are likely to have serious and negative impacts on both voting rights and immigration policy going forward.
Though the media was quick to fact check his lies, Lerner warns that "Republican governors and state lawmakers across the country, those who have the ability to change voting laws and those who are looking to their president as a guiding voice, the lie could quickly affect policy. States could use Trump's claim as justification to make it significantly harder or impossible for millions of voters to cast ballots."
Though he became the 45th President of the United States last Friday, Donald Trump on Monday took the opportunity of his first meeting with congressional leaders to again repeat the lie that he would have won the popular vote (which he lost to rival Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million people) if it wasn't for millions of undocumented immigrants he claims participated in the election.
Having also lied on this issue in the aftermath of his electoral college victory in November, people in the room during Trump's meeting with House and Senate leaders from both parties said the president was at it again Monday.
"He said 3-5 million 'illegals' voted so that's why he lost popular vote," one Democratic aide told The Hill, noting Trump's use of the derogatory phrase often used by right-wingers to describe immigrant workers or those without proper documentation to be in the country. A second source who was in the room confirmed to The Hill: "That's exactly what he said."
Trump reportedly offered no evidence for his assertion, just stated it as a fact.
As the New York Times notes,
The claim, which he has made before on Twitter, has been judged untrue by numerous fact-checkers. The new president's willingness to bring it up at a White House reception in the State Dining Room is an indication that he continues to dwell on the implications of his popular vote loss even after assuming power.
Mr. Trump appears to remain concerned that the public will view his victory -- and his entire presidency -- as illegitimate if he does not repeatedly challenge the idea that Americans were deeply divided about sending him to the White House to succeed President Barack Obama.
Following a weekend when Trump's communication team, led by press secretary Sean Spicer and special advisor Kellyanne Conway, sparked an uproar by introducing the global public to the Orwellian phrase "Alternative Facts," the president's latest lie--which many noted also fits his pattern of deploying bizarre and racist conspiracy theories--also triggered a social media firestorm:
In addition to the broad and troubling implications of a president so willing to dispose with facts, journalist Kira Lerner, writing for ThinkProgress, points out that Trump's mistruths on the election results are likely to have serious and negative impacts on both voting rights and immigration policy going forward.
Though the media was quick to fact check his lies, Lerner warns that "Republican governors and state lawmakers across the country, those who have the ability to change voting laws and those who are looking to their president as a guiding voice, the lie could quickly affect policy. States could use Trump's claim as justification to make it significantly harder or impossible for millions of voters to cast ballots."
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