Trump claimed that he had signed the most bills in history, but the truth is that he is on pace to sign fewer bills than the previous six presidents have averaged.
Trump said during a White House “Made In America” event, “We’ve signed more bills — and I’m talking about through the legislature — than any President ever. For a while, Harry Truman had us, and now I think we have everybody, Mike. I better say “think,” otherwise they’ll give me a Pinocchio –and I don’t like those — I don’t like Pinocchios.”
The President’s statement was not even close to true.
The New York Times reported, “In fact, as he approaches six months in office on Thursday, Mr. Trump is slightly behind the law making pace for the past six presidents, who as a group signed an average of 43 bills during the same period. And an analysis of the bills Mr. Trump signed shows that about half were minor and inconsequential, passed by Congress with little debate. Among recent presidents, both the total number of bills he signed and the legislation’s substance make Mr. Trump about average.”
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Trump’s comments are more than an example of the down is up, and fact is fiction funhouse mirror that is this White House.
They represent something more. Trump does believe that he has signed the most bills of any president in history. Trump believes that the Russia scandal is a conspiracy ginned up by the Democrats because they lost the election.
At some point, the media and political leaders have to stop treating Trump’s statements as intentional absurdities and look at them for what they really might be. The man occupying the White House might be so split off from reality that he believes the things that he is saying.
The thought that too many in media, politics, and government don’t want to face is that Donald Trump may be so far gone that thinks what he is saying is true.
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
