Donald Trump’s False Statements: How Many have been Corrected or Retracted?

Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has faced a series of accusations and retractions over false statements. This article seeks to examine how many of Trump's false statements have been corrected or retracted by the media and his campaign. We'll also discuss some of the most notable corrections, shedding light on the ongoing debate around misinformation and accountability.

Donald Trump's "Fake News Awards" and Corrections

As part of his presidency, Trump famously instituted the “Fake News Awards.” These awards highlighted news outlets that reported what Trump considered false. According to a report by The Washington Post, of the 11 "Fake News” awards, at least eight resulted in corrections. Two reports led to suspensions or resignations of journalists. Two others were simple tweets that were quickly corrected, while the remaining one was an opinion piece where the author retracted his prediction.

Of All Falsehoods, How Many Have Been Retracted?

According to The Washington Post, Donald Trump has made over 2000 false or misleading statements since his inauguration. Here are a few notable corrections made:

Corrections and Retractions

"Electoral Victory" Statement

Original Statement: “He won the largest electoral victory by a Republican since Reagan.”
Correction: “He won the largest electoral victory by a Republican since Reagan…if you throw out all the illegal votes we assert without evidence were cast.”

"Shit-Hole" Misuse

Original Statement: “shit-hole”
Correction: “shit-house”

“Largest Inauguration Crowd”

Original Statement: “largest inauguration crowd ever”
Correction: “largest inauguration crowd ever if ‘the crowd’ includes people who watch it on TV or the internet then or later.”

Unemployment Numbers

Original Statement: “the governments unemployment numbers are fake”
Correction: “the governments unemployment numbers were fake but are no longer”

Notable Corrections and Retractions

1. The New York Times’ Paul Krugman

During the election, Paul Krugman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning economist, predicted that the economy would not recover under Trump. After one year, the Dow was up by 28.5%, and Krugman himself retracted his statement. He wrote: "On election night 2016, I gave in temporarily to a temptation I warn others about: I let my political feelings distort my economic judgment."

2. Brian Ross from ABC News

ABC News initially reported that Trump directed Michael Flynn to negotiate with the Russian government during the campaign. Within hours, the story was corrected, leading to a 1.2 point decline in the Dow. Ross was subsequently suspended for a month without pay and did not return to the main ABC newscast afterward.

3. CNN’s Misreporting on WikiLeaks Documents

CNN falsely reported that Donald Trump Jr. had access to hacked documents from WikiLeaks. The correction appended to the original article states that the date change completely eviscerates the entire premise that someone secretly emailed Wikileaks data to Trump Jr. before it became widely available.

4. Time Magazine's Inauguration Day Claims

Zeke Miller, a reporter for Time, tweeted that President Trump removed a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. from the Oval Office on Inauguration Day. Miller later deleted his tweet and provided a public retraction.

5. Washington Post's Pensacola Rally Report

Dave Weigel, a reporter for the Washington Post, posted a tweet claiming the Pensacola rally was empty. He later apologized and deleted the tweet after receiving backlash. The Penacola News-Journal confirmed the correction.

6. CNN’s Misediting of a Trump and Abe Feeding Fish Video

CNN's edited video suggested that President Trump defiantly overfed fish during a visit with the Japanese prime minister. Erik Wemple from The Washington Post pointed out that the CNN story actually contained the fact that Trump was following PM Abe's lead.

7. CNN’s Scaramucci-Russia Story

CNN falsely reported about Anthony Scaramucci's meeting with a Russian. This story not only was retracted in full but also resulted in three staffers being fired.

8. Newsweek’s Handshake Report

Newsweek falsely reported that Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda did not shake President Trump's hand. The Polish President and First Lady deny this claim, and Newsweek provided follow-up coverage despite standing by the initial snippet that showed the two not shaking hands.

9. CNN's Report on Comey’s Testimony

Heres the correction to the CNN article appending to the original story, stating that Comey was unlikely to judge on obstruction but outlining three conversations with the President in which he told Trump he was not personally under investigation.

10. The New York Times' Climate Report Embargo

The original story claimed that the Trump administration had hidden a climate report, which was corrected after the report was found on a government website. The authors agreed that the claims of suppression were meritless.

Conclusion

Of the 10 stories listed, 8 were either corrected or retracted. Even the "koi feeding" story is self-contradicting. This suggests that even when media organizations attempt to report scandals, the central claims may be unsupported. The corrections and retractions highlight the importance of media accuracy and accountability in a democratic society.