For years, S.V. Dáte has been waiting to ask Donald Trump one question, “Mr. President, after three and a half years of your presidency, do you regret at all, all the lying you’ve done to the American people?”
Dáte is the White House correspondent for the Huffington Post. He has rarely been called on during briefings. He said he asked the question because it was the first time he had a chance to.
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In speaking to The Guardian, Dáte said, “I don’t know why he called on me, because I’ve tried to ask him before [in March] and he’s cut me off mid-question. Maybe he didn’t recognize me this time,” he said. “You know, he has this group of folks that he normally asks questions of.”
“I had always thought that if he ever did call on me, this is the one thing that is really central to his presidency,” he said.
When he asked the question, Trump responded, “All the what?”
“All the lying, all the dishonesties?”
“That who has done?”
“You have done,” Dáte replied.
As Trump let out an “Agh” in disbelief, the reporter then stated that the president has told tens of thousands of lies during his time in office. By this time, the president had cut him off, and moved on to call on another reporter who asked him about the payroll tax cut.
Dáte wrote on Twitter, “For five years I’ve been wanting to ask him that.” Accounting four the President’s campaign time as well.
The journalist was asked what question he would ask President Trump if given another opportunity, he said, “‘Mr. President, you didn’t answer last time. Could you address why you’ve told…’ whatever number of lies it will be at by then.”
According to The Washington Post, by July 2020, President Trump has made more than 20,000 false or misleading claims. This amounts to an average of 23 false claims a day.
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