Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:23 pm
Donald Trump told a lie on average once every 50 seconds during the three presidential debates, and it didn’t help him. Trump still got trounced by Hillary Clinton.
The Clinton campaign crunched the Trump lie numbers:
It’s no surprise that Donald Trump makes things up. He told at least 58 lies in the first presidential debate. He told even more whoppers in the second debate. And last night’s debate was no different.
In total, Trump has told at least 137 lies over the three presidential debates—and that’s excluding the countless falsehoods he spews daily on the campaign trail. That’s roughly one lie per every 50 seconds he spoke.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
It turns out that flat out lying isn’t a substitute for having policies and knowledge about the issues that are facing the country.
The difference between the Republican primary and the general electorate is visible when one compares their responses to Trump’s tactics. The Republican primary electorate was deeply fractured between several factions within the Republican Party. Donald Trump was able to win the nomination because he captured the hearts of a group of Republicans who wanted to be lied to. They are desperate to believe that they can have everything that they ever wanted while giving up nothing. Trump sold them something that was too good to be true, and they bought it.
Donald Trump was rewarded for lying during the Republican primaries. The more he lied. The more he won. The Republican voters had devalued facts to such a degree that they nominated a candidate for president based on liking what he was saying, not if his statements were actually true.
Trump tried to use the same tactic during the debates with Hillary Clinton, and he completely failed, because the general electorate wants a president, not a Dr. Feelgood. Even though the media tries to downplay it, temperament, experience, competence, and yes, facts and policies do matter to voters.
Hillary Clinton routed Trump because she treated the debates like a job interview for the most important job in the world. On the other hand, Trump treated the debates like he was selling timeshare rental property.
Not even more than a lie a minute could hide the fact that Donald Trump has no idea what he is doing.
Voters saw through Trump’s fraud, and it is why they handed Hillary Clinton victories in each presidential debate by double-digit margins.
In the 2016 election, the candidate of facts is winning out over the campaign of lies.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
