The Method Behind Trump’s Mistruths
Since the beginning of his political career, Donald J. Trump has misled, mischaracterized, dissembled, exaggerated and, at times, flatly lied. His flawed statements about the border, the economy, the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 election have formed the bedrock of his 2024 campaign.
Though his penchant for bending the truth, sometimes to the breaking point, has been well documented, a close study of how he does so reveals a kind of technique to his dishonesty: a set of recurring rhetorical moves with which Mr. Trump fuels his popularity among his supporters.
In the week starting with Mr. Trump’s victory speech in Iowa through his win in the New Hampshire primary — the contests that put him on the path to becoming his party’s nominee for the third consecutive time — The New York Times analyzed all of his public statements, including speeches, interviews and social media posts.
His words focused heavily on attacking his political rivals, self-aggrandizing and stoking fear to make his case for 2024. In doing so, Mr. Trump often relied on repeated falsehoods and half-truths. He has yet to deviate from this approach in the general election.
Here’s a look at how he does it.
He grossly distorts his opponents’ records and proposals to make them sound unreasonable.
Trump Presidential Campaign via C-span
Atkinson, N.H., rally, Jan. 16, 2024
While Joe Biden is pushing the largest tax hike in American history – you know, he wants to quadruple your taxes.
President Biden has not proposed quadrupling taxes. In fact, he has consistently vowed not to raise taxes on anyone earning less than $400,000.
Sean Hannity interview, Jan. 22, 2024
I mean, what he’s doing with energy with an all-electric mandate, where you won’t be able to buy any other form of car in a very short period of time.
Mr. Biden has not implemented an electric car mandate. The administration has announced rules that would limit tailpipe emissions from cars and light trucks, effectively requiring automakers to sell more electric vehicles and hybrids. It doesn’t ban gas cars.
He exaggerates and twists the facts to make his record sound better than it is.
Newsmax interview, Jan. 21, 2024
And think of it, for four years we had no terror problem.
There were in fact terrorist attacks in the United States during the Trump administration. In 2017, to name one, a native of Uzbekistan plowed a pickup truck down a bike path in Manhattan, killing eight people. The Justice Department said the driver, Sayfullo Saipov, carried out the terrorist attack in the name of ISIS.
Atkinson, N.H., rally, Jan. 16, 2024
We had the best economy. We had no inflation.
The economy wasn’t the “best” under Mr. Trump. Even setting aside Covid, the average growth rate was lower under Mr. Trump than under former Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. And inflation was low, but it wasn’t nonexistent.
Hannity interview, Jan. 18, 2024
We had gasoline at $1.87.
The national average price of a gallon of gasoline dropped to that price during one week amid the Covid lockdown in 2020, when demand was extraordinarily low. But when Mr. Trump left office in January 2021, the national average was $2.42.
He relies on both well-worn and fresh claims of election rigging to suggest he can lose only if his opponents cheat.
Portsmouth, N.H., rally, Jan. 17, 2024
The radical-left Democrats rigged the presidential election of 2020, and we’re not going to allow them to rig the presidential election of 2024.
The 2020 election was not rigged. Mr. Trump has uttered hundreds of inaccurate claims to support the false claim that it was — mischaracterizing voting processes, citing baseless cases of supposed fraud and sharing conspiracy theories about voting machines.
Atkinson, N.H., rally, Jan. 16, 2024
As you know, Nikki Haley in particular is counting on the Democrats and liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary.
Registered Democrats were not able to vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary. The contest was open to registered Republicans and independents. Any Democrats who switched parties or re-registered as independents to vote in the Republican primary — and some did — had to do so before an October 2023 deadline, months before the contest.
Laconia, N.H., rally, Jan. 22, 2024
The Republicans went up to vote and none of the machines were working. This was not good. But of course, they said, Well, this was just the way it goes. You know, thousands of people were not allowed to vote. But she, uh, she’s a great person, and she’s going to be a U.S. senator very soon. Kari Lake.
The claim that “thousands” of voters were blocked from casting their ballots in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial election — at the expense of Mr. Trump’s preferred candidate, Ms. Lake — is false. There were some glitches in Maricopa County, but voters were largely able to cast their votes.
He has turned his criminal cases into a rallying cry, baselessly asserting that he is being persecuted by his successor.
Fox interview with Bret Baier, Jan. 20, 2024
These are all Biden indictments.
Mr. Trump has not offered any evidence for his contention that Mr. Biden has orchestrated the criminal charges against him. Two of his four cases were brought at the state level. At the federal level, Mr. Trump’s criminal charges — in relation to his effort to remain in power after losing the 2020 election and, separately, over his retention of classified documents after leaving office — are handled by a special counsel and were put before grand juries.
Atkinson, N.H., rally, Jan. 16, 2024
I’ve been indicted more than Alphonse Capone.
Mr. Trump has been indicted four times. Mr. Capone was indicted at least six times, according to A. Brad Schwartz, a historian and biographer of the infamous gangster.
He makes unverifiable claims about what the world would have been like had he secured a second term.
Concord, N.H., rally, Jan. 19, 2024
We wouldn’t have Russia attacking Ukraine. We wouldn’t have inflation. We wouldn’t have the attack on Israel.
There is no evidence that these events wouldn’t or couldn’t have occurred had the 2020 election outcome been different — and it’s impossible to prove. But experts say the context surrounding those events render his claims highly questionable.
Atkinson, N.H., rally, Jan. 16, 2024
China had a crash yesterday in their stock market. You know why? Because I won Iowa.
There is no proof that China’s stock market woes were related to Mr. Trump’s victory in the Iowa caucuses.
He describes the United States as a nation in ruins.
Laconia, N.H., rally, Jan. 22, 2024
We are a nation that screens its citizens viciously at all ports. But if you are an illegal alien, you’re allowed to flow through our country with no check whatsoever.
Undocumented immigrants caught crossing the border are processed, whether they are returned to other countries or later released into the country awaiting future proceedings.
Manchester, N.H., rally, Jan. 20, 2024
And now we are a nation that wants to make our revered and very powerful Army tanks – the best anywhere in the world – all electric.
There are no plans to make Army tanks all electric.
Laconia, N.H., rally, Jan. 22, 2024
We are a third-world nation.
This is, of course, false.
Laconia, N.H., rally, Jan. 22, 2024
We are no longer energy independent or energy dominant as we were just a few short years ago.
Energy production — including oil and gas — has boomed under President Biden. Under both administrations, the United States has been a net exporter of petroleum and natural gas, but it still relies on imports.
Laconia, N.H., rally, Jan. 22, 2024
I don’t know what it is with Catholics, but the F.B.I. is going after Catholics.
Mr. Trump’s claim is most likely based on an F.B.I. field office memo that warned of the potential for extremism among adherents of a “radical-traditionalist Catholic” ideology. But the memo was withdrawn and repeatedly condemned by the nation’s top law enforcement officials.
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