‘Does he believe these lies?’ Stunned Jake Tapper compares Trump to George Costanza
Two analysts chided President Donald Trump on Tuesday after he made a series of false statements during a news conference.
Earlier in the day, Trump signed an executive order creating a federal commission for the 2028 Olympics. The event is supposed to be held in Los Angeles and several other nearby cities, like Inglewood and Venice.
Trump took questions from reporters after signing the order. The president made claims that he won the most votes in Texas state history, his firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer was justified because the recent bad jobs numbers were politically motivated, and that about 70% of Americans approve of the job he is doing as president.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper and New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman fact-checked Trump on Tapper's show, "The Lead."
Tapper described Trump's statements as "at best, misleading and at worst just demonstrably false."
"Does he believe these lies when he says stuff, like George Costanza [says], 'It's not a lie if you believe it,'" Tapper asked Haberman. "Or is he just smelling himself?"
Costanza is a fictional "Seinfeld" character portrayed by actor Jason Alexander, known for his elaborate and often foolish schemes.
Haberman explained that Trump may be experiencing three separate issues. First, she said that he appears to have "convinced himself" that firing the BLS Commissioner was warranted.
Trump also does not appear to care about the process for apportioning Congressional seats because he claimed he is "owed" five additional seats in Texas, Haberman added.
The president also could have been quoting a different number from a poll he saw when he claimed to have a 70% approval rating, Haberman continued, adding that she was giving Trump the "maximum benefit of the doubt."