Last night, Mike Pence spent an hour and a half pretending like his running mate was anyone other than Donald Trump. Pence denied Trump had said a multitude of offensive statements (he has), blatantly lied about Clinton-Kaine policies and overall ignored any question asking him to answer for Trump (which is his job as VP candidate last time we checked).
Fact checkers and columnists pointed out Mike Pence’s approach of running away from his running mate–“Trump Never Said Those Things He Said.”
Washington Post Fact Checker: Fact-checking the vice-presidential debate between Kaine and Pence
“Donald Trump during his campaign has called Mexicans rapists and criminals. He’s called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting. I don’t like saying that in front of my wife and my mother. He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican. He went after John McCain, a POW, and said he wasn’t hero because he’d been captured. He said African-Americans are living in hell. And he perpetrated this outrageous and bigoted lie that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen. … And we don’t think that women should be punished, as Donald Trump said they should, for making the decision to have an abortion.”
—Kaine
Trump has, indeed, said all of those things.
USA Today: Fact check: Pence vs. Kaine in the VP debate
“Pence said ‘that’s nonsense’ after Kaine claimed Trump was proposing a ‘deportation force’ to ‘go house to house’ and send away millions of immigrants who are here illegally. Trump did say that.”
Politico: 6 things Trump definitely said that Pence claimed he didn’t
Scored on accuracy, however, Pence fares far worse. The main tenet of his strategy was to deny that Trump ever said these things to begin with — despite the fact that many of the statements were both real and a part of the public record.
Washington Post: Mike Pence can’t believe Tim Kaine would insult Donald Trump by quoting him
What were those insults Kaine was leveling? Here’s what he said immediately prior:
• “Donald Trump during his campaign has called Mexicans rapists and criminals.” This is true. Trump said during his campaign announcement that when Mexico “send its people” that “[t]hey’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
• “He’s called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting. I don’t like saying that in front of my wife and my mother.” Trump called Rosie O’Donnell a slob and a pig in 2007. He called O’Donnell a degenerate. He called Arianna Huffington a dog on Twitter.
• “He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican.” This happened earlier this year.
• “He went after John McCain, a POW, and said he wasn’t a hero because he’d been captured.” This isn’t exactly what Trump said. Trump said that McCain wasn’t a hero — but if he was, it’s because he was captured.
• “He said African Americans are living in hell.” Trump said this last week.
• “And he perpetrated this outrageous and bigoted lie that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen.” Trump hinted that President Obama might not be a citizen for years, from 2011 until January of this year.
There are no insults there by Kaine about Trump. Those are things Trump said.
Huffington Post: Mike Pence To America: Trump Never Said Those Things He Said
Donald Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), spent much of the first and only vice presidential debate Tuesday night doing his damnedest to get Americans to forget all of the offensive things Trump has said.
Pence repeatedly tried to skirt around statements Trump actually said — or simply shook his head and ignored the question.
“I’m happy to defend [Trump],” Pence said.
But Pence rarely actually defended Trump. Instead, he dodged or outright denied his running mate’s statements.
U.S. News & World Report: Pence in Fantasy Land
But the most striking facet of the evening was how much Pence tried to pretend that the man leading his ticket, former reality television star Donald Trump, is either a conventional Republican or not in the race at all.
In this alternate universe – one I think Speaker of the House Paul Ryan also frequently visits – Trump has not insulted just about everyone who isn’t a member of his family, hasn’t cozied up to Russia and hasn’t laid out plans that would do great damage to the American economy. When Pence wasn’t outright lying about what his running mate has said, he simply ignored Trump’s designs for the country entirely.
NBC News: Split Decision: How Pence Helped Pence While Kaine Helped Clinton
Fact-checking the debate: Three times when Pence denied saying something that either he or Trump had actually said (or close to it)
And there’s a very good chance that Democrats end up winning the post-debate spin war after looking at the tale of the tape. There were at least three times when Pence denied or questioned that either he or Trump said something they actually said.
Example #1
KAINE: Donald Trump during his campaign has called Mexicans rapists and criminals. He’s called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting… He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican. He went after John McCain, a POW, and said he wasn’t hero because he’d been captured… And he perpetrated this outrageous and bigoted lie that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen.
[snip]
PENCE: To be honest with you, if Donald Trump had said all of the things that you’ve said he said in the way you said he said them, he still wouldn’t have a fraction of the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said that half of our supporters were a basket of deplorables. It’s — she said they were irredeemable, they were not American.
The record: When Trump announced his presidential bid, he said: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” Trump did say a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against him had a conflict of interest because of his Mexican heritage. Trump criticized McCain for being captured in war: “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” And Trump did lead the “birther” crusade.
Example #2
KAINE: Well, this is one where we can just kind of go to the tape on it. But Governor Pence said, inarguably, Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama.
PENCE: That is absolutely inaccurate.
KAINE: And — and — and I just think a guy who praises…
PENCE: He said he’s stronger — he’s been stronger on the world stage.
KAINE: No, he said leader. And if — and I’ll just say this, Governor.
PENCE: You just said better.
The record: Pence’s original quote wasn’t referring to the world stage, and he said that Putin has been a “stronger leader” than Obama. But he didn’t say “better” leader. Here’s what Pence has said: “I think it’s inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country. And that’s going to change the day that Donald Trump becomes president.” And here’s what Trump has said on the matter: “Certainly, in that system, [Putin has] been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader.”
Example #3
PENCE: I’m very, very happy to defend Donald Trump. If he wants to take these one at a time, I’ll take them one at a time.
QUIJANO: I will give you an opportunity to do that.
KAINE: More nations should get nuclear weapons. Try to defend that.
PENCE: Don’t put words in my mouth. Well, he never said that, Senator.
The record: Back in a March debate, Trump did seem to suggest that more nations should have nuclear weapons, but he also appeared to contradict himself in the answer. The transcript:
TRUMP At some point we have to say, you know what, we’re better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea, we’re better off, frankly, if South Korea is going to start to protect itself, we have…
COOPER: Saudi Arabia, nuclear weapons?
TRUMP: Saudi Arabia, absolutely.
COOPER: You would be fine with them having nuclear weapons?
TRUMP: No, not nuclear weapons, but they have to protect themselves or they have to pay us. Here’s the thing, with Japan, they have to pay us or we have to let them protect themselves.
COOPER: So if you said, Japan, yes, it’s fine, you get nuclear weapons, South Korea, you as well, and Saudi Arabia says we want them, too?
TRUMP: Can I be honest with you? It’s going to happen, anyway. It’s going to happen anyway. It’s only a question of time. They’re going to start having them or we have to get rid of them entirely.
And here’s what Trump said in an April 3, 2016 Fox interview:
TRUMP: So, North Korea has nukes. Japan has a problem with that. I mean, they have a big problem with that. Maybe they would in fact be better off if they defend themselves from North Korea.
WALLACE: With nukes?
TRUMP: Maybe they would be better off — including with nukes, yes, including with nukes.
]]>Here’s the truth: Trump showed up unprepared last night and was forced to rely on falsehoods, lies and completely debunked claims to get through his 90 minutes onstage.
TRUMP’S LIES ABOUT THE IRAQ WAR:
CNBC: Donald Trump again lies about his opposition to Iraq War
Daily Beast: Donald Trump Triples Down on Lie That He’d Always Opposed Iraq War
Washington Post: Caught in Iraq War lie, Donald Trump cries ‘Hannity’
Fortune: Donald Trump Again Said He Opposed the War in Iraq. It’s Still Not True
Talking Points Memo: In First Debate, Trump Still Lying About His Support For the Iraq War
Politico: Trump [again] says he opposed the Iraq War. That’s still false.
Politifact: At first debate, Donald Trump claims, again, that he was against war in Iraq
AP FACT CHECK: Trump glosses over Iraq’s sovereignty
TRUMP’S LIES ABOUT HIS TAX RETURNS:
Think Progress: Trump’s big lie about his tax returns
TRUMP LIES ABOUT HIS ROLE AS LEADING BIRTHER:
Daily Beast: Unrepentant Donald Trump: My Birther Lies Were Awesome
Vox: Donald Trump kept lying about his role in birtherism during the debate
Politifact: Trump falsely tries to pin birtherism on Clinton insiders
TRUMP LIES ABOUT SAYING CLIMATE CHANGE IS A HOAX:
Rolling Stone: Trump’s Big Debate Lie on Global Warming
Politifact: At New York debate, Donald Trump denies saying climate change is a Chinese hoax
Mother Jones: Did Trump Call Global Warming a Chinese Hoax? (Yes. And Tonight He Lied About It.)
TRUMP LIES ABOUT THE CRIME RATE:
TRUMP LIES ABOUT POST-DEBATE POLLS:
]]>On @foxandfriends @realDonaldTrump said he won a @CBSNews post-debate poll. We did not conduct a post-debate poll.
— Major Garrett (@MajorCBS) September 27, 2016
FROM: David Brock, Founder, Correct The Record
TO: Members of the Press
DATE: September 26, 2016
CORRECT THE RECORD’S GUIDE TO SPOTTING DONALD TRUMP’S DEBATE LIES
TRUMP IS A SERIAL LIAR. DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT.
Donald Trump Is A Serial Liar
Tonight, Donald Trump will take his campaign of lies to its biggest stage yet: the presidential debate.
Reporters can’t let him get away with it.
Over the past fifteen months, Trump has waged a one-man war on the truth. For Trump, lying is not just about simply spouting inaccuracies. It is literally who he is. His businesses, his biography, his policy proposals, his campaign rhetoric—they are all based on lies. Trump’s entire public persona for the past five decades is a carefully woven fiction.
This pattern of deception goes far beyond simply saying inaccurate statements. It is an all-out assault on the fact-based politics that have been the cornerstone of modern American politics. Trump’s lies are literally off the charts. PolitiFact has rated 70 percent of Trump’s statements that they fact checked lies. The previous Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, received a 42 percent false rating—a 28 percent difference. Last week alone, Trump told at least 83 lies.
This level of mendacity is unprecedented in American politics and poses a unique challenge to political journalists covering the first presidential debate. Already, the Republican nominee is spreading lies in an attempt to influence and neutralize any fact checking by the debate moderators. Trump has falsely attacked moderator Lester Holt as a Democrat (Holt has been a registered Republican since 2003) and insisted Holt should not “succumb to pressure” to fact-check during the debate.
Even without this pressure from the Trump campaign, the volume, breadth and ubiquity of Trump’s falsehoods demands a historic commitment to fact checking from media outlets. Trump’s unprecedented lying must be met with an unparalleled effort from reporters to debunk Trump’s many falsehoods. The current standard—where fact checkers and reporters will simply check the most obvious and egregious lies—leaves many of Trump’s more bizarre lies unexamined. As New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has written Trump’s “lies are constant, coming in steady torrent, and are never acknowledged, simply repeated […] keep[ing] the news media flummoxed, unable to believe, or at least say openly, that the candidate of a major party lies that much.”
It’s time to acknowledge that Trump does lie “that much”—and hold him accountable for it.
How to Identify Trump’s Lies
There are five broad categories that help demonstrate how Trump lies and what he commonly lies about. First, Trump constantly lies about his own biography. Second, he deflects criticism by criticizing his opponents of doing the same thing, only worse. Third, Trump has a penchant for inventing imaginary characters and conversations that validate his beliefs. Fourth, Trump uses easily identifiable rhetorical “tells” whenever he lies. Finally, Trump insists on making outlandish and bizarre claims without evidence or supporting information—he cannot answer, “How?”
Myths
Trump is a master mythmaker. For decades, Trump has built a specific image of himself as a 21st Century Daddy Warbucks who conquered Manhattan real estate yet remains a champion of middle class Americans. The truth? Trump depended on millions from his father to launch his business and is likely worth billions of dollars less than he claims—a subject he’s especially sensitive about. Trump has even lied about the height of Trump Tower. We usually trust politicians to tell the broad outlines of their own personal narrative—but in this case, reporters should be on the lookout for Trump’s fictitious mythmaking.
I Know You Are, But What Am I?
With little facts or specific proposals to rely on, projection is one of Trump’s go-to rhetorical strategies. Trump has a tendency to respond to every serious criticism with ‘I know you are, but what am I?’ After Hillary Clinton delivered her speech on the alt-right, Trump accused her of being a “bigot.” During the rollout of his widely-panned maternity leave plan, Trump said that Hillary Clinton had no child care plan—an outright falsehood. Projection is a clear sign that Trump is both lying and desperately looking for a way to muddy the waters.
Imaginary Friends
Decades ago, Trump invented his own spokesman “John Barron” and then impersonated him for years. Old habits die hard. Throughout his presidential bid, Trump has created a whole coterie of characters who supposedly provide him with information, shower him with compliments and give him updates about subjects as diverse as the California drought and ISIS.
One of the most troubling examples of Trump’s wayward imagination occurred earlier this year when Trump invented an ISIS advisor. On January 21, Trump claimed that a “very good soldier” told him that ISIS’ equipment was superior to the United States. On February 1, he told the same story, but this time the story featured his friend’s son who had served two tours. Other times, he notes that doesn’t know if the soldier is injured—while in some stories, he’s still in the Middle East.
Tells
Trump also has a few very simple “tells” when he lies. Trump often makes claims that are so outrageous and disingenuous that he’ll literally ask his audience to suspend their disbelief or bear with him. “Believe me,” “that I can tell you” and “everybody is saying” are all tell-tale signs that what’s coming next—or what immediately preceded—is a complete falsehood.
How?
In Trump’s world, he is not only the smartest—he has a superhuman ability to single-handedly make Mexico build the wall, defeat ISIS, deport 11 million people, implement racial profiling and fix the economy. Trump has taken credit for popularizing the word “rigged,” identifying the California drought as a hoax and making polling a major factor in presidential campaigns. Trump doesn’t offer any real explanations of his past achievements or future plans, he just asks us to “believe” him. Tonight, it’s critical to remember that despite his bluster, Trump doesn’t have superhuman powers—and simply repeating the same falsehoods will never make any of his claims true. By simply asking “how?” Trump’s biggest boasts fall apart.
Conclusion
As The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold has shown in his dogged reporting on the Trump Foundation, Trump’s most basic claims often fall apart under scrutiny. Tonight, reporters must look at the stories Trump tells about himself very skeptically. Since launching his presidential campaign (and before) Trump has literally lied about his own biography, made up campaign validators and said that as president, he can do the impossible. Trump tells a dizzying number of lies and displays a disturbing pattern of deceit and deception. Instead of letting Trump get away with it, tonight journalists must counter Trump’s falsehoods with the most powerful tool they have: the truth.
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