Why does Donald Trump seem to have such a problem with the truth?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 5 September 2019
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Fact-checkers say the President of the United States has made more than 10,000 false or misleading statements since coming to office. Whether it’s the size of the crowd at his inauguration, the pay rise offered to the military or where his father was born, Donald Trump often says things that are untrue. And he doesn’t rush to correct them, even when they’re outright fabrications. Ruth Alexander examines Donald Trump’s long record of falsehoods, which stretch back even to his schooldays. And she explores his motives, both political and psychological.
Photo: US President Donald Trump addresses the press in the White House briefing room. Credit: Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Inquiry on the BBC World Service. |
| 0:03.2 | I'm Ruth Alexander. |
| 0:04.6 | Each week, one question, four expert witnesses and an answer. It's the 2nd of April earlier this year and the President of the United States is holding |
| 0:21.2 | a press conference with the Secretary General of NATO, the North American |
| 0:25.2 | and European military alliance. |
| 0:27.8 | As the cameras click, President Trump explains how they've been working together to get member states to put in more money, like Germany. |
| 0:36.0 | And he adds a detail to soften his message that they're not paying their fair share. |
| 0:41.0 | I have great respect for the country. My father is German, right? Was German. And born in a |
| 0:48.0 | very wonderful place in Germany and so I have a great feeling for Germany. |
| 0:54.0 | So where in Germany was the president's father born? |
| 0:59.0 | New York. |
| 1:01.0 | Sometimes people get things wrong by accident of course, they misspeak. But |
| 1:06.9 | Donald Trump has said several times now that his father was born in Germany |
| 1:11.0 | when he just wasn't. It looks like a bare-faced lie. |
| 1:17.0 | One of more than 10,000 false or misleading claims Donald Trump has made as US President, as counted by the |
| 1:26.1 | Washington Post newspaper. |
| 1:28.8 | It's impossible to know for sure whether the US President deliberately lies every time, knows the truth is one thing, |
| 1:36.0 | and purposefully chooses to say another. But it's clear that he often says things which are |
| 1:42.1 | untrue and doesn't rush to correct them. |
| 1:45.0 | So we're going to use the term lie as a shortcut. |
| 1:51.0 | This week we want to know why does Donald Trump seem to have such a problem with the truth. |
| 2:01.0 | Part 1 The Salesman. |
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