Trump made 81 false claims last week. That is tied for the fifth-highest total in the 27 weeks we have counted at.
It was an eclectic batch of dishonesty. Among other things, Trump took unearned credit for both the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace agreement and for the drop in the US cancer death rate, absurdly claimed that NATO "had no money" before his presidency, wrongly denied that his golf excursions cost taxpayers any money, and repeated his usual varied inaccuracies about impeachment, immigration and the nuclear agreement with Iran.
Trump made 27 of the false claims at his campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio. He made 16 more in a Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham. He made six in his speech on National Environmental Policy Act regulations, plus 10 in his exchange with reporters after the speech.
Trump's total of 81 false claims last week was above his average of about 61 per week. Trump is now up to 1,636 false claims since July 8, an average of about nine per day.
He lies about BS like :
The crowd in Toledo
"I'm going to Ohio in a little while. We have crowds of people that for, two-and-a-half, three days, have been standing out in the cold. I don't know how they do it. They're strong people. But they've been out there, and it's pretty much zero degrees. " -- January 9 exchange with reporters after speech on National Environmental Policy Act regulations
And it was cold outside, but it wasn't quite "pretty much zero degrees" unless Trump was using the Celsius system without telling us. Using America's Fahrenheit system, the temperature dropped into the teen's in the Toledo area the night before the rally.
Another exmaple:
Trump's approval rating
"53% Approval Rating overall (can we add 7 to 10 percent because of the Trump 'thing?'). Thank you!" -- January 11
One more:
Trump's golfing
Mocking Obama for golfing in Hawaii -- where Obama was born and liked to vacation -- Trump said, "I drive to play a round of golf at a course I own; it doesn't even cost them anything. He flies to Hawaii, nobody cares. If I drive 20 minutes, it's like, 'Donald Trump is playing golf today.'" -- January 9 campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio
Facts First: It's not true that Trump playing golf at his own courses does not cost taxpayers money.
As The Washington Post reported last week the Secret Service has disclosed that it has spent $588,000 on golf carts alone since 2017 to protect and escort Trump during his outings.
The post reported in Nov on separate Secret Service spending that appeared to be related to Trump's golfing: "On April 2, 2017, for instance, Trump played golf at his club in suburban Virginia - a short drive from the White House. That day, the records show, the Secret Service made five payments to 'Trump National Golf Club' totaling $26,802, the records show. Between May 31, 2017, and June 5, 2017, Trump played golf twice at the Virginia course, according to news reports...The Secret Service reported paying $29,000 to the Trump golf club then. On May 7, Trump was staying at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Secret Service records show $16,000 in spending at 'Trump National Golf Club' that day."
Trump's trips from the White House to his golf course in nearby Virginia do require only a drive. His golf outings in Florida and New Jersey, however, require helicopter and plane flights from Washington.
