At a rally in Tupelo, Mississippi last week, President Donald Trump hit his usual talking (shouting?) points:
- defaming his critics
- dismissing constitutionally enshrined oversight
- and—of course—railing against a free press.
This time, the target was a familiar one—CNN.
As Trump was decrying Anderson Cooper, one of the network's most familiar faces, he claimed the light on a CNN camera shut off, implying that the network stopped broadcasting the rally when he began insulting it.
The problem?
CNN's cameras don't feature lights that turn on and off when recording, nor does the network broadcast Trump's rallies live.
In a statement on its website, CNN pointed out that its photojournalist never stopped recording and that CNN, like most networks, wasn't broadcasting his rally.
The network then pointed out the pattern in Trump's obvious lie.
"Trump did not make an innocent mistake: this is at least the eighth time as President he has made a baseless claim about the lights on television cameras being turned off as he has criticized the media. We think it's especially egregious: it's the President looking at his devotees and deceiving them about something happening in that very room."
CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale concurred.
When contrasted with facts, the claim is ridiculous but, sadly, par for the course for Trump.
Also standard was the willingness of the President's supporters to believe him.
Trump is set to hold a rally in Kentucky tonight, where he'll likely make similar claims.
The President also has lied about climate change. The CNN documentary Planet in Peril is available here.
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