The Lie That Could Haunt Trump in November
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | July 9, 2020
“Trump’s lies in this case, combined with congressional Republican silence about his lies, may come back to haunt both Trump and Republican candidates in November.”
According to The Washington Post’s running tally, President Trump made 19,127 false or misleading claims in 1,226 days in office, as of June 1. He is averaging 22 such claims per day in 2020.
Trump’s most repeated false claim over the course of his presidency? It’s his claim – made 334 times – that the U.S economy is the best in history.
We have known for some time that President Trump is an inveterate liar, or as the saying has long gone in my wife’s family, “He lies when the truth will serve.”
What is truly inexplicable, however, is the deafening silence that comes from Republicans in Congress about Trump’s massive, unprecedented Presidential lying.
Rarely do you see a Republican Senator or Representative challenge Trump’s lies, no matter how serious his false claims are.
There are, of course, great policy differences between Democrats and Republicans that are played out regularly in Congress and the rhetoric can get heated and the arguments overreaching in these debates.
But when you have a President who lies to the American people on an almost daily basis, that’s a different matter.
Congressional Republicans have some responsibility to the American people to not simply stand silent when the President tells lie after lie after lie after lie.
By staying silent, congressional Republicans are allowing the lies to be turned into partisan political battles, rather than helping the American people learn where the truth is.
Congressional Republicans are undermining the truth by silently tolerating the President’s lies.
Recently, Trump, without offering a shred of evidence, has been falsely claiming that there “is tremendous evidence of fraud whenever you have mail-in ballots.”
There is no such thing. It is another of Trump’s lies.
Ironically, Trump’s attacks on mail-in-voting are causing serious concerns in the GOP that that this will depress mail voting by Republicans for Republican candidates, including for Trump himself.
In the end, Trump’s lies in this case, combined with congressional Republican silence about his lies, may come back to haunt both Trump and Republican candidates in November.
###
