CNN fact-checker calls Trump's White House address the 'most dishonest speech he has ever given'
President Trump just delivered a speech about the 2020 election that one fact-checker has declared the "most dishonest" of his entire presidency.
Trump spoke from the White House on Thursday while legitimately cast votes continue to be counted in key states, baselessly claiming that Democrats are trying to "steal the election from us." As he has in the past, Trump leveled allegations of widespread voter fraud without any evidence.
Before the speech had even ended, CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale had seen enough to declare it Trump's most dishonest since he became president.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dale called out numerous false claims from throughout Trump's speech, including that he "won" states based on how he was faring on election night even though not all of the votes had been counted at that point, as well as that he "easily" wins the election "if you count the legal votes," a claim Dale blasted as "absolute garbage." Dale also described the speech as an "appalling and anti-democratic series of lies" and "just horrific."
After Trump wrapped up, CNN's Jake Tapper described the president's remarks as a "sad" thing for the country and called out his false claims as "ugly" and "pathetic."
-
How Utah became a media focal pointIn Depth From #MomTok to reality TV gems, Utah has emerged as a media powerhouse
-
‘The security implications are harder still to dismiss’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Sudoku: January 2026Puzzles The daily medium sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearingSpeed Read Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy
-
Iran’s government rocked by protestsSpeed Read The death toll from protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency has reached at least 19
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
-
US offers Ukraine NATO-like security pact, with caveatsSpeed Read The Trump administration has offered Ukraine security guarantees similar to those it would receive from NATO
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
