Washington Post columnist Mark Thiessen wrote that President Donald Trump “may be remembered as the most honest president in American history,” but his profile on the president isn’t exactly flattering.
That hasn’t stopped Trump from quoting the article, following a pattern of bragging whenever positive articles about him go to print.
“Trump could be the most honest president in modern history. When you look at the real barometer of presidential truthfulness, which is promise keeping, he is probably the most honest president in American history. He’s done exactly what he said he would do.” Marc Thiessen, WPost
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2018
It was George Conway, a noted Trump critic who is also the husband of presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway, who pointed out that in the sentence directly after the one Trump quoted, Thiessen wrote: “Don’t get me wrong, Trump lies all the time.”
In the second sentence of the same opinion piece, Thiessen also said, “Don’t get me wrong, Trump lies all the time.”https://t.co/FXfVTGIRrK https://t.co/rL1ESYmuKW
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) October 17, 2018
Thiessen notes, for example, that although Trump claims that he “enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history,” these reforms were, in fact, the eighth largest on record. And despite Trump’s insistence that “our economy is the strongest it’s ever been in the history of our country,” its not exactly true. “In part, it’s a New York thing — everything is the biggest and the best,” Thiessen writes.
Many took umbrage with the column––which, while not exactly flattering, is rather apologetic in its defense of the president, whom Thiessen admits “takes liberties with the truth” but has nonetheless “compiled a remarkable record of presidential promise,” including “historic increases in defense spending,” and “renegotiating NAFTA and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement.” (“Where Trump has failed to keep promises, such as building the wall or repealing Obamacare, it has not been for a lack of trying,” Thiessen wrote.)
This is a joke, right? This is the most dishonest President in history. He lies every time he opens his mouth and as far as keeping his promises, well let's check. Mexico will pay for the wall, lock her up, new health coverage, to name just a few.
— America's Flyboys (@amflyboys) October 17, 2018
Say this in front of the UN next time, it will get a bigger laugh than your last appearance.
— Corinne Potter (@time_sensative) October 17, 2018
This tweet of yours is a bit like the @normmacdonald comedy bit, where he makes the case that Tiger Woods is the most faithful husband of all time (when you factor in the number of women he "could have" slept with, but didn't). #NotMyPresident
— Chad Greve (@GreveChad) October 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/BrokenSpiritNMB/status/1052570921880285186
The Washington Post recently estimated that Trump has made more than 5,000 false or misleading claims since taking office.
“That’s an average of 8.3 Trumpian claims a day, but in the past nine days — since our last update — the president has averaged 32 claims a day,” the paper reported on September 13. The paper also observed that on September 7, Trump “publicly made 125 false or misleading statements — in a period of time that totaled only about 120 minutes. It was a new single-day high.”
Trump had once criticized Thiessen. In 2015, he referred to him in a tweet as “a failed Bush speechwriter” and “A third rate talent.”
.@marcthiessen is a failed Bush speechwriter whose work was so bad that he has never been able to make a comeback. A third rate talent!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2015
