Pete Souza via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump is why people don’t trust politicians, says the man once responsible for PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year.”

“We have gone through a presidency that disregarded a whole host of basic institutional norms, expectations we had for a president that had been observed by Republicans and Democrats previously,” former President Barack Obama told CBS News’ Scott Pelley on “60 Minutes.”

“And maybe most importantly, and most disconcertingly, what we’ve seen is what some people call truth decay, something that’s been accelerated by outgoing President Trump, the sense that not only do we not have to tell the truth, but the truth doesn’t even matter,” said Obama.

Obama’s claim that “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it” under Obamacare was named “Lie of the Year” in 2013 by the political “fact-checking” site PolitiFact.

For all of these reasons, PolitiFact has named ‘If you like your health care plan, you can keep it,’ the Lie of the Year for 2013. Readers in a separate online poll overwhelmingly agreed with the choice.

As PolitiFact explained:

For four of the past five years, PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year has revolved around the health care law, which has been subject to more erroneous attacks than any other piece of legislation PolitiFact has fact-checked.

Obama’s ideas on health care were first offered as general outlines then grew into specific legislation over the course of his presidency. Yet Obama never adjusted his rhetoric to give people a more accurate sense of the law’s real-world repercussions, even as fact-checkers flagged his statements as exaggerated at best.

Instead, he fought back against inaccurate attacks with his own oversimplifications, which he repeated even as it became clear his promise was too sweeping.

And while Obama claims it is Trump who introduced “truth decay” to the presidency, at the time PolitiFact noted nearly half of Americans viewed Obama as dishonest, writing:

A Pew Research/USA Today poll conducted Dec. 3-8 found the percentage of people viewing Obama as “not trustworthy” has risen 15 points over the course of the year, from 30 percent to 45 percent.

Political prognosticator Larry Sabato told USA Today that Obama had his work cut out for him if he wanted to rebuild public trust.

“A whole series of presidents developed credibility gaps, because people didn’t trust what they were saying anymore. And that’s Obama’s real problem,” he said. “Once you lose the trust of a substantial part of the American public, how do you get it back?”

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AmericanActionNews.com.




Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Comments

  1. The only list here is BHO. Lie is all he did in his 8 years in office and he has done nothing but lie about President Trump the last four years. Obama has done nothing but down America and lie. What a sorry excuse of a human being.

    1. The only lies of the last 4 years have been perpetrated on the American people by Democrats: Their lie about Trump/Russia collusion, their lies about Covid19, their lies about the Trump economy, and their blatant lies bout their surrender to one world govt.

    1. God will judge him and all the other disgusting, disgraceful, lying, hypocritical DemocRAT politicians!! (and election officials in blue states)

  2. Democrat “empty suit” ObamaCrappo:

    You can keep your present health insurance, if you like……

    You can keep your doctor if you like.

    1. If they’ve truly won the country why can’t they just shut the f*** up and get on with “fundamentally transforming America” as he said in 2008?

  3. I trust a Man who gave up his salary to be persecuted on a daily basis by politicians and the biased news media for 4 years way before I would a career politician who never worked for a paycheck. Still trying to figure that one out. As Mr. Eastwood said…” The biggest scam ever perpetrated on the American people.” As for me…I didn’t ask for his opinion and he’s the last one who should be offering one.

  4. The reason politicians are not trusted is because of individuals like Obama, “if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor” and thousands of other lies like, ” I am a natural born citizen” and “I didn’t find out about until I read it in the newspaper”. Obama, Clinton, Biden, Harris, Schiff, Pelosi, Schumer, Romney, Cuomo, Kerry, Feinstein, Clyburn, Omar, Cortez, Talib are all pathological liars. Credibility is not present in the lexicons of more than two democrats.

  5. What did this loser say? BHO u arrogant,delusional,divisive,narcisistic,hypocrite, every time u opened that pie hole of yours, u spewed, hate and division. your pathetic, and with your legacy,it will read, the deporter,traitor, in-chief. The only president in history, that orchistrateded a coup to overthrow his predecessor, because their rigged election backfired on them. And they let this race=baiter=hater get away with murder, but karma is a bitch, and it’s coming back to get u, for selling our country out, and your dirty dealings coming to light, with dementia, corrupt, slo,joe, with china/ukraine,russia,iran, the theft of the election,won’t fly either, the hammer is about to drop on u pathetic,evil,cheaters.

    1. Its because Epstein’s island of high endorphin child blood drinking and flesh eating is gone. No more island youth to torture…. illuminati thrives off that and without it, they to age like the rest of us God fearing humans….

  6. Obummer, u are the hypocritical, lying POS, u were the biggest failure,and embarrassment, this country ever had to go through, u spewed your hate and division for 8 stinkin yrs, and America will still hate your guts, until your brought to justice, under RICO, for your corruption. This party is far from over.

  7. Obama had, and still has, every mainstream media outlet in America covering for him, the same treatment Joe Biden has received. That media produced 92% unfavorable reporting on President Trump and all Republicans and 92% favorable for Biden and the rest of the Democrats. They own what the majority of U.S. citizens see and hear and they own the ‘fact checkers’ as well.
    Controlling what citizens see and hear is the first step in a fascist entity’s takeover of a nation.

  8. It really bothers me when a Crooked ex President thinks he still is OBAMA . was the WORST president ever in America of Which a Guy from Kenya should have never been . Now he just keeps writing his memoirs he has written three now . for his greed . i would not read it if it was free!!

  9. Obama lied for 8 years and gave money to a terrorist nation and is an anti Semitic he has proven that by helping Hamas.

  10. BHO lied for 8 years and continues today. Don’t have enough time to count them all. He uses the best Dem strategy – if I repeat it enough times, the people will believe me. This man is disgusting, disgraceful, and will eventually pay for his deceit.

  11. OBAMA IS SO FULL OF B S !!!

    GO AWAY BHO!!

    You and HRC along with your mentor Saul
    Alinsky were full of crap and hatred it’s an
    embarrassment that you ever were elected
    POTUS!

  12. his (Obama) lies continue to this day. Calls Trump a racists when he and his wife are the biggest racists ever to serve in the White House. He was also know (Obama) as the divider in chief. He fueled the division in this country with his lack of respect for the police and military. And to this day, he has never worked in a public or private industry, yet he and his wife are very rich after 8 years in office.

  13. Crawl back in the hole you live in and shut up. You destroyed our country enough with your evil and hatred which you in your cozy home don’t even worry about. Get a life

  14. Obama never got back the trust of the American people, if he EVER had it! DVS was used to get him into office to begin with and it kept him there. We know the Left accuse conservatives, and especially Trump, of what they do. It is called projection. It is a tactic. Obama lies like I breathe air, and yes, he is a CIA creation. The white side of his family (grandfather) was CIA. And the shadow CIA government is Freemason. Occultic. Very real stuff, but, for the most part, they are mum about it in public. Wonder why? I guess it would turn a lot of voters off!

  15. Every time obuma open’s his mouth, it’s always about him. He is such a liar, he now believe’s his own lie’s and so does the demorats/liberals. Pretty pathetic!!! And too think he was a president…now that’s the real joke!

  16. This is the type of bull you can expect from a former president representing a party that has spent 4 years failing to accept that Trump was the president of the United States. It’s time the Democrats just shut up.

  17. Obama’s a Pathological Liar and I can prove it. Let’s look at his college admissions to show the pattern of Lies he’s woven throughout his life.
    Whether you believe the Birther claim made against Barry doesn’t matter, the fact that he registered as a “Foreign” student starts the pattern. If he was born in the US, his claim of Foreign, whether to obtain Grant’s, scholarship or to meet quotas were false, and he should be required to pay back that financial aid as well as fines related to falsification. If he was in fact Foreign born, the his entire Presidency is a fraud, therefore any and all actions he performed as President are null and void.

    Until he comes clean, admits to his deceptions and pays restitution, I couldn’t care less about or believehis opinion on any subject.

  18. Obama the “Never was President”, why don’t you just crawl back into your lying self and shut the f*** up. You rotten POS. Commiecrat through and through.

  19. Obama is the biggest shame of America. The worst president, huge liar and divider. In my opinion it is Obama who organized and executed the rigged election for Biden, elect him as a front man-puppet to continue his policy of destroying America. He is a traitor and a jail is waiting for him.

  20. Obama is the biggest phony in American history. He tried to control the 2016 election and that is Treason. He should be put away for life if not given the death penalty. He had to get Flynn out of the way to keep his crooked treasonist acts secret. He is nothing but a phony and should be destroyed along with all his friends. Reverend Wright, Bill Ayers, George Soros, Joe Biden and the rest including fat ass racist piece of crap wife

  21. Obama is the most classless ex-President EVER..he really needs to just shut up..nobody other than Hollywood Liberals , Oprah, and other rabid Muslim socialists like him, or what he has to say. There where hundreds of reasons for Bush to criticize Obama, but he had the class NOT TO.
    Samne goes for the Moorch.

  22. Drumpf has lied over 26,000 times while in Office so you make up bullshit about the most honourable president (Obama)in history ?

  23. Obama actually thinks the reason he won his election’s was because people loved him, WRONG ! I have no doubt voter fraud got that lazy liberal into office not real votes and as for the crowds that came to watch him swear into office , they were paid to be there just like the riots and protest not because they love him ! But with the help of the LIBERAL MEDIA WHO WORSHIP THE LAZY IDIOT THEY KEEP SHOWING HIS SWEAR INTO OFFICE IN BOTH ELECTIONS WHERE THE CROWDS ARE HUGE , it just so happened and like their voter fraud and rigging voting machines it was all planned and the people were paid either to riot or just be there for looks to make people think everyone loves him ! Its like giving the idiot a Nobel peace prize , it was because he was black and nothing else and if you look at the people that have gotten this stupid are all liberals, its not hard to figure out what happened plus the liberal media made it sound like he was loved by everyone , NOT EVEN ! Its time our party plays pay back and I can tell you everyone I know things if Republicans wouldn’t have let liberals get by with voter fraud and other things against the law it wouldn’t be as bad as it is right now ! As far back as I can remember Republicans have been rolled over and beaten up by liberals and they have always know they will get by with anything they do and they were right ! Trump was like a breath of fresh air and brought our party to life again and for that we are grateful plus Trump tells the truth whether they want to hear it or not AND HE”S NOT AFRAID OF ANY OF THE LIBERAL MEDIA OR ANYONE IN THE LIBERAL PARTY AND NOT AFRAID OF BIDEN OR CLINTON OR BIDEN AND THAT PISSES THEM OFF BIG TIME , they want us to be scared of them all and to scared to fight back and call them what they all are LIARS ! Trump is just what we needed and if they let that old idiot steal the election from Trump and our party there will be hell to pay and paid 24/7 , 365 days of every year they will all regret stealing the election ! Trump is a really rich person and has a real backbone so do you think he’s going to just set back for the next four years and watch liberals destroy our country ? Not a chance in Hell !

  24. Eight years of Obama accomplishments: Benghazi, Fast & Furious, Billions in cash to Iran with “no” conditions, he spent more $$ than all prior POTUS’ in history, Paris agreement, highest welfare, food stamps and disability cases in history, the whopper 2013 lie about keeping your Dr, the infamous red line in Syria that kept moving, feckless leadership leading to other countries laughing at his stupidity. Let’s not forget the most uncouth and tacky FLOTUS ever.

  25. The truth I want is how just 3 and 1/2 years after leaving office BHO is said to be worth some 250 million dollars! How is that possible without incredible lawbreaking?

  26. well OB,needs to be tried for treason against AMERICA. As he hates AMERICA and everything it stands for!!! TRUMP needs to kick his ass out of the WH. then out of AMERICA !!!
    AS most true AMERICANS HATE HIM

  27. In the name of COMMUNISM: “LIE, LIE, LIE, and LIE some MORE” = THAT is obama and his CRONIES…!!!! If they get biden/harris in, they’ll come after us for “DE-programming” = remember THAT, EVERY, SINGLE day until we know for sure that President Trump is announced the WINNER of this election, if not, GOD forbid, than we will have to show THEM that we will NOT, NEVER accept this OVER-throw of OUR Government…..!!!!

  28. Obama is the liar in chief, and for him to call anyone a liar is comical, because he is the top liar. The guilty dog always barks and they ALWAYS bark the loudest as they accuse others of what they are guilty of. You can always know what the demonRATs are guilty of because they accuse others of what they, themselves, did, or are doing. So, we know that the dems are liars, and we know that they collude, fraud, and steal, embezzle and are traitors because they lie, gang up on and bully, cheat, call names, smear, slander, character assassinate, and use their nuclear race card weapon at the drop of a hat and over and over and over again until it’s so sickening. They do it on purpose to divide us. A lot of people are wise to their evil and sick of hearing it. We don’t believe a single word that comes out of their lying mouth. They articulate their warped and evil word weave to make good sound bad and to make their bad sound good. They don’t fool me for one nano second.

  29. Oh my goodness! Benghazi, lying about Trump and to Trumps face, fast and furious General Flynn, the list just keeps going! I have no respect for him!

  30. at one time jimmy carter was listed as the worst president we ever had but BHO took over that position and jimmy went to #2 and it will be that this way until this election is over but as far as myself I will recognize biden as president just a lying cheat and treasons person there is with every thing him and his son has done against this nation

  31. Obama is surely one of the disciples of the Antichrist and the one world order?, The demonrats agenda is to disarm the people and control them?, people need to wake to this evil in our midst. Trump is trying to to do his best for America , while also honoring God. Something this asshole has never done!!!!!

  32. He is a RADICAL ISLAMIC POS who now all of a sudden wants to be Moses…Just DON’T pay him ANY attention because THAT is what he CRAVES….!!!!

  33. HE WAS AN UTTER FAILURE IN ALL HE PRETENDED TO DO…STILL IS..TRUMP MADE AN ASS OF HIM…IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!..
    OBOZO NEVER WAS GOOD ENOUGH, AND HE NEVER WILL BE…ALWAYS AT THE END OF THE LINE…LOL

  34. IF we ever find justice in America again, Obama will be put in jail and never get out. He is a traitor to patriotic Americans. He is a muslim who would kill Christians and Jews if he could. He will continue to work to destroy America until he is removed

  35. Barry O was the Absolute worst USA President EVER-!!! He had an attitude that he was above everyone and that he pooped gold. And, he lied, lied, lied from the very beginning. His healthcare plan cost more money for people. And there’s Ssooo much more – !!!

  36. A pathological liar has the unmitigated gall to call someone else a liar.
    Of course, he also thinks we’re stupid enough to believe that MANchelle is a woman….

  37. Obama is as full of shit as a Christmas turkey! Trump Boters voted for Trump because he wasn’t a politician!

  38. As far as im concerned, President Trump is worthy of endless time as our president. Obama, Biden, Polosi and those who support them are all part of the Cabal and they do the devils work

  39. Your the liar obama ,you were never a citizen , never great , always a commie ,always a ni**er . you need to go home to Africa where you belong ,there are so many good decent black people here (you are not even a black your a half breed .You lied about that too .)in America that put the likes of you to shame .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *