Donald Trump, the candidate we dubbed the ‘King of Whoppers’ in 2015, has held true to form as president.
100 Days of Whoppers
Issues: stimulus
Trump Distorts Stimulus
While calling for new infrastructure investments, President Trump distorted the facts about President Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill. Trump described it as an “infrastructure bill” but “[n]obody ever saw anything being built” and most of the money was used on “social programs.”
Misleading Michigan GOP Primary Voters
The Republican candidates in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District entered the final weeks of the primary trading misleading claims in TV ads that rely on deceptive tactics to distort the facts.
Jack Kingston’s Summer Re-Run
Rep. Jack Kingston repackages several deceptive claims about his opponent’s business record in a new TV ad that has all the charm of a summer re-run.
Montana’s Chinese Connection
Montana Senate candidates Steve Daines and John Walsh accuse each other in TV ads of helping to ship American jobs to China, but both sides fail to support their exaggerated claims.
Loco for Local in Maine
It may be true that all politics is local, but in Maine the contenders in a Republican congressional primary are positively wallowing in locality — while making dubious claims about each other’s address.
Childish Georgia Ads
TV ads in Georgia’s GOP Senate primary have taken a childish turn. Ads depicting his opponents as crying babies have helped businessman David Perdue take a lead in polls. Now Rep. Jack Kingston’s ad likens Perdue to an infant with a stinking diaper.
Mailer Misleads Ohioans on Job Losses
In a mailer to Ohioans, a conservative group distorts Ohio’s job figures under President Obama and misquotes his administration about the potential for mismanaged stimulus money.
Ironically, the mailing from Americans for Tax Reform, a nonprofit group led by Grover Norquist, proclaims that it’s “important for Ohio to get the whole picture.”
We couldn’t agree more.
The mailer displays a 2012 newspaper headline, “Ohio second-worst for job losses.” But the article was about job losses over the last 10 years —
Ryan’s VP Spin
TAMPA, Fla. — Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention contained several false claims and misleading statements. Delegates cheered as the vice presidential nominee:
Accused President Obama’s health care law of funneling money away from Medicare “at the expense of the elderly.” In fact, Medicare’s chief actuary says the law “substantially improves” the system’s finances, and Ryan himself has embraced the same savings.
Accused Obama of doing “exactly nothing” about recommendations of a bipartisan deficit commission — which Ryan himself helped scuttle.
Florida Primary Flier Frames Republican
In a primary battle between two House Republicans, a Florida congressman claims in a campaign mailer that his opponent was someone President Barack Obama “counted on” to “approve” stimulus spending. Not really. The mailer’s target, Sandy Adams, is a freshman congresswoman who arrived in Washington nearly two years after the stimulus passed into law.
The flier’s evidence — in fine print — is Adams’ record in the Florida legislature. As a state representative, she voted to approve two state budgets,