🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 170 (from laksa106)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa170.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.npr.org/2018/09/02/643761979/president-trumps-description-of-whats-fake-is-expanding\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.npr.org/2018/09/02/643761979/president-trumps-description-of-whats-fake-is-expanding\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/09\/02\/643761979\/president-trumps-description-of-whats-fake-is-expanding","crawl_time":1776398883,"first_indexed_time":1535886792,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"org,npr!www,\/2018\/09\/02\/643761979\/president-trumps-description-of-whats-fake-is-expanding s443","src_root_hash":"156162564976766770","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding : NPR","meta_descriptions":["Over the course of Trump's presidency there has been an upward trend in tweets declaring everything from news to books \"fake\" or \"phony.\""],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month.\nSpencer Platt\/Getty Images\nhide caption\ntoggle caption\nSpencer Platt\/Getty Images\nPresident Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month.\nSpencer Platt\/Getty Images\nPresident Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn't like as \"fake\" or \"phony.\" Presidential tweets about \"fake news\" aren't new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency.\nThis is part of a trend: as Trump's presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president.\nI just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People!\n— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\nAugust 30, 2018\nThe range of things Trump is declaring fake is growing too. Last month he tweeted about \"fake books,\" \"the fake dossier,\" \"fake CNN,\" and he added a new claim – that Google search results are \"RIGGED\" to mostly show only negative stories about him. He also accused NBC News' Lester Holt of \"fudging\" the tape of his May 2017 interview conducted shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey.\nAn NPR analysis found that in the month of August, Trump sent out 46 tweets containing the words \"fake\" or \"phony,\" far surpassing his previous record. (Two of the tweets were later deleted to fix typos).\nAugust was also a month in which former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman turned on the president with a tell-all book, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight felony counts and Trump's long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen implicated the president in campaign finance violations when he entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.\nIn October 2017, Trump tweeted about things being \"fake\" or \"phony\" 30 times. It was a record for the year, with two events dominating Trump's tweets.\nTrump\nvisited hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico\nand declared the response a success all while fighting with local officials who begged for more assistance.\nA great day in Puerto Rico yesterday. While some of the news coverage is Fake, most showed great warmth and friendship.\n— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\nOctober 4, 2017\nAs that month closed out, Trump's attention turned to the Russia investigation, especially after\nManafort was indicted\nand George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.\nThe Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was \"no collusion\" and events mentioned took place long before he...\n— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\nOctober 31, 2017\n....came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS!\n— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\nOctober 31, 2017\nIn June 2018, a month with 31 \"fake\" or \"phony\" tweets, Trump took issue with coverage of the Singapore summit with North Korea, family separation along the U.S.-Mexico border and, as usual, the Russia investigation.\nThe Fake News Media is desperate to distract from the economy and record setting economic numbers and so they keep talking about the phony Russian Witch Hunt.\n— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\nJune 4, 2018\n\"Donald Trump more and more is calling into question every other source of information besides himself,\" said Brendan Nyhan, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies misinformation and trust in the media.\nWhile some of Trump's core supporters believe him unflinchingly, for others the tweets and similar statements raise doubts and sow confusion about what the truth really is, said Nyhan.\n\"I think Americans are often very concerned when they see leaders with authoritarian tendencies telling their supporters things that are false over and over again and attacking other sources of information,\" said Nyhan. \"And if that worries you when you see it abroad, it should worry you when you see it here too.\"\nTrump is far from the first president to grouse about the way the press covers him, presidential historian Michael Beschloss said. What's different, Beschloss argued, is that Trump doesn't seem to share his predecessors' appreciation of the necessity of a free press as contemplated by the country's founders.\nTrump also has a unique ability to deliver his complaints directly to the public via friendly hosts on Fox News and through his social media streams. \"He's got social media that reaches perhaps 100 million people,\" said Beschloss. \"We've never seen a president before with that kind of weapon.\"\nOften when Trump says something is fake, it isn't false. Rather, he just doesn't like it. On May 9th, he posted a tweet that pulled back the curtain on this idea; \"91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake),\" he wrote.\nThe Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?\n— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\nMay 9, 2018\n\"They don't cover stories the way they're supposed to be. They don't even report them in many cases, if they're positive,\" Trump said at a press conference in June. \"I came up with a term. Fake news. It's a lot of Fake News.\"\nTrump used to say the monthly unemployment figures were fake too. \"Because the number is a phony number, five percent,\" then-candidate Trump said in August 2016 during a speech in Florida. \"It's not down to five percent. It's probably 20 or 21 percent. Some people think it's higher.\"\nBut that was before the election. Now that Trump is president, he no longer calls the unemployment rate phony. In fact, he touts low unemployment as one of his great achievements and complains the \"fake news\" media doesn't cover it enough.","attrs_markdown":"Accessibility links\n\n- [Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/09\/02\/643761979\/president-trumps-description-of-whats-fake-is-expanding#mainContent)\n- [Keyboard shortcuts for audio player](https:\/\/help.npr.org\/contact\/s\/article?name=what-are-the-keyboard-shortcuts-for-using-the-npr-org-audio-player)\n\n![]()\n\n****Loading****\n\n- **Hourly News**\n- **Listen Live**\n- **My Playlist**\n\n- Open Navigation Menu\n- [![NPR logo](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/chrome\/npr-logo-2026-animated.gif)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/)\n- **![Station Logo](https:\/\/branding.npr.org\/logo\/service-logo\/logo-Color-Logo-s305.png)**\n  \n  ![WAMU 88.5 logo](https:\/\/branding.npr.org\/logo\/service-logo\/logo-Color-Logo-s305.png)\n  \n  WAMU 88.5\n  \n  - ******Listen Live****WAMU 88.5 (HD 88.5-1)******\n  - [donate](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/donations\/support)\n  - 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[![](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/chrome\/nprplus\/logo.jpg?s=100) Get NPR+](https:\/\/plus.npr.org\/?utm_medium=nprweb&source=globalsubnav)\n  - [More Podcasts & Shows](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts-and-shows\/)\n- [Search](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/search\/)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/newsletters\/)\n- [NPR Shop](https:\/\/shopnpr.org\/)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.optimizely.com\/img\/11107397707\/70256d3ff60441b1a8690a464256b0cc.svg)JOIN NPR+](https:\/\/plus.npr.org\/)\n- [Sign In](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/09\/02\/643761979\/president-trumps-description-of-whats-fake-is-expanding)Personalize Your Experience\n\n- [![NPR Music](https:\/\/prod-eks-static-assets.npr.org\/chrome_svg\/music-logo-dark.svg) ![NPR Music](https:\/\/prod-eks-static-assets.npr.org\/chrome_svg\/music-logo-light.svg)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/music\/)\n- [Tiny Desk](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/tiny-desk-concerts\/)\n- [New Music Friday](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/allsongs\/606254804\/new-music-friday)\n- [All Songs Considered](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/allsongs\/)\n- [Music Features](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/music-features)\n- [Live Sessions](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/770565791\/npr-music-live-sessions)\n- [The Best Music of 2025](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/12\/10\/g-s1-99930\/best-music-of-2025)\n\n- [About NPR](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/about\/)\n- [Diversity](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/diversity\/)\n- [Support](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/support\/)\n- [Careers](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/careers\/)\n- [Press](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/750003\/press-room\/)\n- [Ethics](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/ethics\/)\n\n**President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding** **Over the course of Trump's presidency there has been an upward trend in tweets declaring everything from news to books \"fake\" or \"phony.\"**\n\n### [Politics](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/politics\/)\n# President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding\nSeptember 2, 20187:02 AM ET\n\n[![Headshot of Tamara Keith](https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/679x679+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5b%2F2e%2Fbdd74b2c4c0ea0ca292b8a585573%2Fscreenshot-2025-10-01-140908.png)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/122805042\/tamara-keith)\n\n[Tamara Keith](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/122805042\/tamara-keith)\n\n#### President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding\n******Listen****· 3:43******\n\n3-Minute Listen\n\n****Playlist****\n\n**Toggle more options**\n\n- [**Download**](https:\/\/ondemand.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2018\/08\/20180831_atc_how_trump_tries_to_discredit_what_he_doesnt_like_with_fake_and_phony_labels.mp3?d=223&e=643761979&sc=siteplayer&aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer)\n- ****Embed****\n  **Embed**\n  \n  **`<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/643761979\/643872860\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\">`**\n\n![](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/08\/31\/gettyimages-1020992568_wide-a140e4c2fbfdd342c2a4445b57ab2ded8511ca95.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg)\n\nEnlarge this image\n\nPresident Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month.  **Spencer Platt\/Getty Images**  ****hide caption****\n\n****toggle caption****\n\nSpencer Platt\/Getty Images\n\n![]()\n\nPresident Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month.\n\nSpencer Platt\/Getty Images\n\nPresident Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn't like as \"fake\" or \"phony.\" Presidential tweets about \"fake news\" aren't new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency.\n\nThis is part of a trend: as Trump's presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president.\n\nSponsor Message\n\n> I just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People\\!\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [August 30, 2018](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1035122954697433088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThe range of things Trump is declaring fake is growing too. Last month he tweeted about \"fake books,\" \"the fake dossier,\" \"fake CNN,\" and he added a new claim – that Google search results are \"RIGGED\" to mostly show only negative stories about him. He also accused NBC News' Lester Holt of \"fudging\" the tape of his May 2017 interview conducted shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey.\n\nAn NPR analysis found that in the month of August, Trump sent out 46 tweets containing the words \"fake\" or \"phony,\" far surpassing his previous record. (Two of the tweets were later deleted to fix typos).\n\nAugust was also a month in which former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman turned on the president with a tell-all book, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight felony counts and Trump's long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen implicated the president in campaign finance violations when he entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.\n\nIn October 2017, Trump tweeted about things being \"fake\" or \"phony\" 30 times. It was a record for the year, with two events dominating Trump's tweets.\n\nTrump [visited hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/10\/03\/555357192\/trump-touts-relief-efforts-in-puerto-rico-we-ve-saved-a-lot-of-lives) and declared the response a success all while fighting with local officials who begged for more assistance.\n\n> A great day in Puerto Rico yesterday. While some of the news coverage is Fake, most showed great warmth and friendship.\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 4, 2017](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/915523382686478337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nAs that month closed out, Trump's attention turned to the Russia investigation, especially after [Manafort was indicted](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/10\/30\/560786546\/grand-jury-approves-first-charges-in-muellers-russia-investigation) and George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.\n\n> The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was \"no collusion\" and events mentioned took place long before he...\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/925333956110757888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n> ....came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS\\!\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/925335577217683456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIn June 2018, a month with 31 \"fake\" or \"phony\" tweets, Trump took issue with coverage of the Singapore summit with North Korea, family separation along the U.S.-Mexico border and, as usual, the Russia investigation.\n\n> The Fake News Media is desperate to distract from the economy and record setting economic numbers and so they keep talking about the phony Russian Witch Hunt.\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [June 4, 2018](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1003738642903420928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n\"Donald Trump more and more is calling into question every other source of information besides himself,\" said Brendan Nyhan, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies misinformation and trust in the media.\n\nWhile some of Trump's core supporters believe him unflinchingly, for others the tweets and similar statements raise doubts and sow confusion about what the truth really is, said Nyhan.\n\n\"I think Americans are often very concerned when they see leaders with authoritarian tendencies telling their supporters things that are false over and over again and attacking other sources of information,\" said Nyhan. \"And if that worries you when you see it abroad, it should worry you when you see it here too.\"\n\nSponsor Message\n\nTrump is far from the first president to grouse about the way the press covers him, presidential historian Michael Beschloss said. What's different, Beschloss argued, is that Trump doesn't seem to share his predecessors' appreciation of the necessity of a free press as contemplated by the country's founders.\n\nTrump also has a unique ability to deliver his complaints directly to the public via friendly hosts on Fox News and through his social media streams. \"He's got social media that reaches perhaps 100 million people,\" said Beschloss. \"We've never seen a president before with that kind of weapon.\"\n\nOften when Trump says something is fake, it isn't false. Rather, he just doesn't like it. On May 9th, he posted a tweet that pulled back the curtain on this idea; \"91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake),\" he wrote.\n\n> The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [May 9, 2018](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/994179864436596736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n\"They don't cover stories the way they're supposed to be. They don't even report them in many cases, if they're positive,\" Trump said at a press conference in June. \"I came up with a term. Fake news. It's a lot of Fake News.\"\n\nTrump used to say the monthly unemployment figures were fake too. \"Because the number is a phony number, five percent,\" then-candidate Trump said in August 2016 during a speech in Florida. \"It's not down to five percent. It's probably 20 or 21 percent. Some people think it's higher.\"\n\nBut that was before the election. Now that Trump is president, he no longer calls the unemployment rate phony. In fact, he touts low unemployment as one of his great achievements and complains the \"fake news\" media doesn't cover it enough.\n\n[![Trump Predicts 'Red Wave,' But Special Elections Show Democrats Poised For Big Gains](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/08\/16\/special-election-promo-img_sq-85eaed3b3015e46a806070bee224a010fc55603a.png?s=100&c=85&f=png)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/17\/639030198\/trump-predicts-red-wave-but-special-elections-show-democrats-poised-for-big-gain)\n\n### [Politics](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/politics\/)\n### [Trump Predicts 'Red Wave,' But Special Elections Show Democrats Poised For Big Gains](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/17\/639030198\/trump-predicts-red-wave-but-special-elections-show-democrats-poised-for-big-gain)\n\n[![In Presidential Tweet, Trump Says Former Aide Was 'A Loser' And 'Vicious'](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/08\/13\/gettyimages-632505892_sq-d1d3cfc5aecf2eca7b6a88e042b2527a7a817320.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/13\/638161148\/in-presidential-tweet-trump-says-former-aide-was-a-loser-and-vicious)\n\n### [Politics](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/politics\/)\n### [In Presidential Tweet, Trump Says Former Aide Was 'A Loser' And 'Vicious'](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/13\/638161148\/in-presidential-tweet-trump-says-former-aide-was-a-loser-and-vicious)\n\n[![For President Trump, Life Is Just Not Fair — And What That Means For The Rest Of Us](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/08\/03\/gettyimages-1001528390_sq-6e5a838d1ce4dabe9a142e4a60857b0944507906.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/04\/635294139\/for-president-trump-life-is-just-not-fair-and-what-that-means-for-the-rest-of-us)\n\n###\n### [For President Trump, Life Is Just Not Fair — And What That Means For The Rest Of Us](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/08\/04\/635294139\/for-president-trump-life-is-just-not-fair-and-what-that-means-for-the-rest-of-us)\n\n[![Trump And 'New York Times' Publisher Clash Over Their Private Meeting](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/07\/29\/gettyimages-950432724_sq-245bb7c515d49b37b03011a4f1a8e0b9e021414c.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/07\/29\/633677391\/trump-and-new-york-times-publisher-clash-over-their-private-meeting)\n\n### [Politics](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/politics\/)\n### [Trump And 'New York Times' Publisher Clash Over Their Private Meeting](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/07\/29\/633677391\/trump-and-new-york-times-publisher-clash-over-their-private-meeting)\n\n[![Trump Calls His Criticism Of British Prime Minister 'Fake News'](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/07\/13\/gettyimages-997730210_sq-d11cd6ea08d74965a1d0e1b8e63d00a3995a1762.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/07\/13\/628741496\/trump-calls-his-criticism-of-british-prime-minister-fake-news)\n\n### [Politics](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/politics\/)\n### [Trump Calls His Criticism Of British Prime Minister 'Fake News'](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/07\/13\/628741496\/trump-calls-his-criticism-of-british-prime-minister-fake-news)\n\n- [Twitter](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/125099510\/twitter)\n- [Donald Trump](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/134949364\/donald-trump)\n- [Fake news](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/502124007\/fake-news)\n\n- **Facebook**\n- **Flipboard**\n- **Email**\n\n###### Read & Listen\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/news\/)\n- [Culture](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/culture\/)\n- [Music](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/music\/)\n- [Podcasts & 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Based on that information, and with our permission, we and our sponsors can place cookies to enable us or our sponsors to show sponsorship credits and other messages that we think will be relevant to your interests while you are using third-party services.\n\n### Cookie List\nClear\n\n- checkbox label\n  \n  label\n\nApply\n\nCancel\n\nConsent Leg.Interest\n\ncheckbox label\n\nlabel\n\ncheckbox label\n\nlabel\n\ncheckbox label\n\nlabel\n\nReject All\n\nConfirm My Choices\n\n[![Powered by Onetrust](https:\/\/cdn.cookielaw.org\/logos\/static\/powered_by_logo.svg)](https:\/\/www.onetrust.com\/products\/cookie-consent\/)","attrs_readable_markdown":"![](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/08\/31\/gettyimages-1020992568_wide-a140e4c2fbfdd342c2a4445b57ab2ded8511ca95.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg)\n\nPresident Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month.  **Spencer Platt\/Getty Images**  ****hide caption****\n\n****toggle caption****\n\nSpencer Platt\/Getty Images\n\n![](https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/08\/31\/gettyimages-1020992568_wide-a140e4c2fbfdd342c2a4445b57ab2ded8511ca95.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg)\n\nPresident Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month.\n\nSpencer Platt\/Getty Images\n\nPresident Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn't like as \"fake\" or \"phony.\" Presidential tweets about \"fake news\" aren't new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency.\n\nThis is part of a trend: as Trump's presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president.\n\n> I just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People\\!\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [August 30, 2018](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1035122954697433088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nThe range of things Trump is declaring fake is growing too. Last month he tweeted about \"fake books,\" \"the fake dossier,\" \"fake CNN,\" and he added a new claim – that Google search results are \"RIGGED\" to mostly show only negative stories about him. He also accused NBC News' Lester Holt of \"fudging\" the tape of his May 2017 interview conducted shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey.\n\nAn NPR analysis found that in the month of August, Trump sent out 46 tweets containing the words \"fake\" or \"phony,\" far surpassing his previous record. (Two of the tweets were later deleted to fix typos).\n\nAugust was also a month in which former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman turned on the president with a tell-all book, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight felony counts and Trump's long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen implicated the president in campaign finance violations when he entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.\n\nIn October 2017, Trump tweeted about things being \"fake\" or \"phony\" 30 times. It was a record for the year, with two events dominating Trump's tweets.\n\nTrump [visited hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/10\/03\/555357192\/trump-touts-relief-efforts-in-puerto-rico-we-ve-saved-a-lot-of-lives) and declared the response a success all while fighting with local officials who begged for more assistance.\n\n> A great day in Puerto Rico yesterday. While some of the news coverage is Fake, most showed great warmth and friendship.\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 4, 2017](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/915523382686478337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nAs that month closed out, Trump's attention turned to the Russia investigation, especially after [Manafort was indicted](https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/10\/30\/560786546\/grand-jury-approves-first-charges-in-muellers-russia-investigation) and George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.\n\n> The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was \"no collusion\" and events mentioned took place long before he...\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/925333956110757888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n> ....came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS\\!\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/925335577217683456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIn June 2018, a month with 31 \"fake\" or \"phony\" tweets, Trump took issue with coverage of the Singapore summit with North Korea, family separation along the U.S.-Mexico border and, as usual, the Russia investigation.\n\n> The Fake News Media is desperate to distract from the economy and record setting economic numbers and so they keep talking about the phony Russian Witch Hunt.\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [June 4, 2018](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1003738642903420928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n\"Donald Trump more and more is calling into question every other source of information besides himself,\" said Brendan Nyhan, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies misinformation and trust in the media.\n\nWhile some of Trump's core supporters believe him unflinchingly, for others the tweets and similar statements raise doubts and sow confusion about what the truth really is, said Nyhan.\n\n\"I think Americans are often very concerned when they see leaders with authoritarian tendencies telling their supporters things that are false over and over again and attacking other sources of information,\" said Nyhan. \"And if that worries you when you see it abroad, it should worry you when you see it here too.\"\n\nTrump is far from the first president to grouse about the way the press covers him, presidential historian Michael Beschloss said. What's different, Beschloss argued, is that Trump doesn't seem to share his predecessors' appreciation of the necessity of a free press as contemplated by the country's founders.\n\nTrump also has a unique ability to deliver his complaints directly to the public via friendly hosts on Fox News and through his social media streams. \"He's got social media that reaches perhaps 100 million people,\" said Beschloss. \"We've never seen a president before with that kind of weapon.\"\n\nOften when Trump says something is fake, it isn't false. Rather, he just doesn't like it. On May 9th, he posted a tweet that pulled back the curtain on this idea; \"91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake),\" he wrote.\n\n> The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?\n> \n> — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [May 9, 2018](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/994179864436596736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\n\"They don't cover stories the way they're supposed to be. They don't even report them in many cases, if they're positive,\" Trump said at a press conference in June. \"I came up with a term. Fake news. It's a lot of Fake News.\"\n\nTrump used to say the monthly unemployment figures were fake too. \"Because the number is a phony number, five percent,\" then-candidate Trump said in August 2016 during a speech in Florida. \"It's not down to five percent. It's probably 20 or 21 percent. Some people think it's higher.\"\n\nBut that was before the election. Now that Trump is president, he no longer calls the unemployment rate phony. In fact, he touts low unemployment as one of his great achievements and complains the \"fake news\" media doesn't cover it enough.","meta_canonical":null}

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URL	https://www.npr.org/2018/09/02/643761979/president-trumps-description-of-whats-fake-is-expanding
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Meta Title	President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding : NPR
Meta Description	Over the course of Trump's presidency there has been an upward trend in tweets declaring everything from news to books "fake" or "phony."
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Boilerpipe Text	President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month. Spencer Platt/Getty Images President Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn't like as "fake" or "phony." Presidential tweets about "fake news" aren't new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency. This is part of a trend: as Trump's presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president. I just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2018 The range of things Trump is declaring fake is growing too. Last month he tweeted about "fake books," "the fake dossier," "fake CNN," and he added a new claim – that Google search results are "RIGGED" to mostly show only negative stories about him. He also accused NBC News' Lester Holt of "fudging" the tape of his May 2017 interview conducted shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey. An NPR analysis found that in the month of August, Trump sent out 46 tweets containing the words "fake" or "phony," far surpassing his previous record. (Two of the tweets were later deleted to fix typos). August was also a month in which former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman turned on the president with a tell-all book, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight felony counts and Trump's long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen implicated the president in campaign finance violations when he entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. In October 2017, Trump tweeted about things being "fake" or "phony" 30 times. It was a record for the year, with two events dominating Trump's tweets. Trump visited hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico and declared the response a success all while fighting with local officials who begged for more assistance. A great day in Puerto Rico yesterday. While some of the news coverage is Fake, most showed great warmth and friendship. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2017 As that month closed out, Trump's attention turned to the Russia investigation, especially after Manafort was indicted and George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was "no collusion" and events mentioned took place long before he... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 ....came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017 In June 2018, a month with 31 "fake" or "phony" tweets, Trump took issue with coverage of the Singapore summit with North Korea, family separation along the U.S.-Mexico border and, as usual, the Russia investigation. The Fake News Media is desperate to distract from the economy and record setting economic numbers and so they keep talking about the phony Russian Witch Hunt. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2018 "Donald Trump more and more is calling into question every other source of information besides himself," said Brendan Nyhan, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies misinformation and trust in the media. While some of Trump's core supporters believe him unflinchingly, for others the tweets and similar statements raise doubts and sow confusion about what the truth really is, said Nyhan. "I think Americans are often very concerned when they see leaders with authoritarian tendencies telling their supporters things that are false over and over again and attacking other sources of information," said Nyhan. "And if that worries you when you see it abroad, it should worry you when you see it here too." Trump is far from the first president to grouse about the way the press covers him, presidential historian Michael Beschloss said. What's different, Beschloss argued, is that Trump doesn't seem to share his predecessors' appreciation of the necessity of a free press as contemplated by the country's founders. Trump also has a unique ability to deliver his complaints directly to the public via friendly hosts on Fox News and through his social media streams. "He's got social media that reaches perhaps 100 million people," said Beschloss. "We've never seen a president before with that kind of weapon." Often when Trump says something is fake, it isn't false. Rather, he just doesn't like it. On May 9th, he posted a tweet that pulled back the curtain on this idea; "91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake)," he wrote. The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018 "They don't cover stories the way they're supposed to be. They don't even report them in many cases, if they're positive," Trump said at a press conference in June. "I came up with a term. Fake news. It's a lot of Fake News." Trump used to say the monthly unemployment figures were fake too. "Because the number is a phony number, five percent," then-candidate Trump said in August 2016 during a speech in Florida. "It's not down to five percent. It's probably 20 or 21 percent. Some people think it's higher." But that was before the election. Now that Trump is president, he no longer calls the unemployment rate phony. In fact, he touts low unemployment as one of his great achievements and complains the "fake news" media doesn't cover it enough.
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[New Music Friday](https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/606254804/new-music-friday) - [All Songs Considered](https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/) - [Music Features](https://www.npr.org/sections/music-features) - [Live Sessions](https://www.npr.org/series/770565791/npr-music-live-sessions) - [The Best Music of 2025](https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/g-s1-99930/best-music-of-2025) - [About NPR](https://www.npr.org/about/) - [Diversity](https://www.npr.org/diversity/) - [Support](https://www.npr.org/support/) - [Careers](https://www.npr.org/careers/) - [Press](https://www.npr.org/series/750003/press-room/) - [Ethics](https://www.npr.org/ethics/) President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding Over the course of Trump's presidency there has been an upward trend in tweets declaring everything from news to books "fake" or "phony." ### [Politics](https://www.npr.org/sections/politics/) # President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding September 2, 20187:02 AM ET [![Headshot of Tamara Keith](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/679x679+0+0/resize/100/quality/85/format/png/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5b%2F2e%2Fbdd74b2c4c0ea0ca292b8a585573%2Fscreenshot-2025-10-01-140908.png)](https://www.npr.org/people/122805042/tamara-keith) [Tamara Keith](https://www.npr.org/people/122805042/tamara-keith) #### President Trump's Description of What's 'Fake' Is Expanding **Listen· 3:43** 3-Minute Listen Playlist Toggle more options - [Download](https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2018/08/20180831_atc_how_trump_tries_to_discredit_what_he_doesnt_like_with_fake_and_phony_labels.mp3?d=223&e=643761979&sc=siteplayer&aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer) - Embed Embed `<iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/643761979/643872860" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">` ![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/31/gettyimages-1020992568_wide-a140e4c2fbfdd342c2a4445b57ab2ded8511ca95.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg) Enlarge this image President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images ![]() President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month. Spencer Platt/Getty Images President Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn't like as "fake" or "phony." Presidential tweets about "fake news" aren't new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency. This is part of a trend: as Trump's presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president. Sponsor Message > I just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People\! > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [August 30, 2018](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1035122954697433088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The range of things Trump is declaring fake is growing too. Last month he tweeted about "fake books," "the fake dossier," "fake CNN," and he added a new claim – that Google search results are "RIGGED" to mostly show only negative stories about him. He also accused NBC News' Lester Holt of "fudging" the tape of his May 2017 interview conducted shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey. An NPR analysis found that in the month of August, Trump sent out 46 tweets containing the words "fake" or "phony," far surpassing his previous record. (Two of the tweets were later deleted to fix typos). August was also a month in which former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman turned on the president with a tell-all book, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight felony counts and Trump's long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen implicated the president in campaign finance violations when he entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. In October 2017, Trump tweeted about things being "fake" or "phony" 30 times. It was a record for the year, with two events dominating Trump's tweets. Trump [visited hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico](https://www.npr.org/2017/10/03/555357192/trump-touts-relief-efforts-in-puerto-rico-we-ve-saved-a-lot-of-lives) and declared the response a success all while fighting with local officials who begged for more assistance. > A great day in Puerto Rico yesterday. While some of the news coverage is Fake, most showed great warmth and friendship. > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 4, 2017](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/915523382686478337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) As that month closed out, Trump's attention turned to the Russia investigation, especially after [Manafort was indicted](https://www.npr.org/2017/10/30/560786546/grand-jury-approves-first-charges-in-muellers-russia-investigation) and George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. > The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was "no collusion" and events mentioned took place long before he... > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925333956110757888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ....came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS\! > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925335577217683456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) In June 2018, a month with 31 "fake" or "phony" tweets, Trump took issue with coverage of the Singapore summit with North Korea, family separation along the U.S.-Mexico border and, as usual, the Russia investigation. > The Fake News Media is desperate to distract from the economy and record setting economic numbers and so they keep talking about the phony Russian Witch Hunt. > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [June 4, 2018](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1003738642903420928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) "Donald Trump more and more is calling into question every other source of information besides himself," said Brendan Nyhan, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies misinformation and trust in the media. While some of Trump's core supporters believe him unflinchingly, for others the tweets and similar statements raise doubts and sow confusion about what the truth really is, said Nyhan. "I think Americans are often very concerned when they see leaders with authoritarian tendencies telling their supporters things that are false over and over again and attacking other sources of information," said Nyhan. "And if that worries you when you see it abroad, it should worry you when you see it here too." Sponsor Message Trump is far from the first president to grouse about the way the press covers him, presidential historian Michael Beschloss said. What's different, Beschloss argued, is that Trump doesn't seem to share his predecessors' appreciation of the necessity of a free press as contemplated by the country's founders. Trump also has a unique ability to deliver his complaints directly to the public via friendly hosts on Fox News and through his social media streams. "He's got social media that reaches perhaps 100 million people," said Beschloss. "We've never seen a president before with that kind of weapon." Often when Trump says something is fake, it isn't false. Rather, he just doesn't like it. On May 9th, he posted a tweet that pulled back the curtain on this idea; "91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake)," he wrote. > The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials? > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [May 9, 2018](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/994179864436596736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) "They don't cover stories the way they're supposed to be. They don't even report them in many cases, if they're positive," Trump said at a press conference in June. "I came up with a term. Fake news. It's a lot of Fake News." Trump used to say the monthly unemployment figures were fake too. "Because the number is a phony number, five percent," then-candidate Trump said in August 2016 during a speech in Florida. "It's not down to five percent. It's probably 20 or 21 percent. Some people think it's higher." But that was before the election. Now that Trump is president, he no longer calls the unemployment rate phony. In fact, he touts low unemployment as one of his great achievements and complains the "fake news" media doesn't cover it enough. [![Trump Predicts 'Red Wave,' But Special Elections Show Democrats Poised For Big Gains](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/16/special-election-promo-img_sq-85eaed3b3015e46a806070bee224a010fc55603a.png?s=100&c=85&f=png)](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639030198/trump-predicts-red-wave-but-special-elections-show-democrats-poised-for-big-gain) ### [Politics](https://www.npr.org/sections/politics/) ### [Trump Predicts 'Red Wave,' But Special Elections Show Democrats Poised For Big Gains](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639030198/trump-predicts-red-wave-but-special-elections-show-democrats-poised-for-big-gain) [![In Presidential Tweet, Trump Says Former Aide Was 'A Loser' And 'Vicious'](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/13/gettyimages-632505892_sq-d1d3cfc5aecf2eca7b6a88e042b2527a7a817320.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/13/638161148/in-presidential-tweet-trump-says-former-aide-was-a-loser-and-vicious) ### [Politics](https://www.npr.org/sections/politics/) ### [In Presidential Tweet, Trump Says Former Aide Was 'A Loser' And 'Vicious'](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/13/638161148/in-presidential-tweet-trump-says-former-aide-was-a-loser-and-vicious) [![For President Trump, Life Is Just Not Fair — And What That Means For The Rest Of Us](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/03/gettyimages-1001528390_sq-6e5a838d1ce4dabe9a142e4a60857b0944507906.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/04/635294139/for-president-trump-life-is-just-not-fair-and-what-that-means-for-the-rest-of-us) ### ### [For President Trump, Life Is Just Not Fair — And What That Means For The Rest Of Us](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/04/635294139/for-president-trump-life-is-just-not-fair-and-what-that-means-for-the-rest-of-us) [![Trump And 'New York Times' Publisher Clash Over Their Private Meeting](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/07/29/gettyimages-950432724_sq-245bb7c515d49b37b03011a4f1a8e0b9e021414c.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https://www.npr.org/2018/07/29/633677391/trump-and-new-york-times-publisher-clash-over-their-private-meeting) ### [Politics](https://www.npr.org/sections/politics/) ### [Trump And 'New York Times' Publisher Clash Over Their Private Meeting](https://www.npr.org/2018/07/29/633677391/trump-and-new-york-times-publisher-clash-over-their-private-meeting) [![Trump Calls His Criticism Of British Prime Minister 'Fake News'](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/07/13/gettyimages-997730210_sq-d11cd6ea08d74965a1d0e1b8e63d00a3995a1762.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg)](https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628741496/trump-calls-his-criticism-of-british-prime-minister-fake-news) ### [Politics](https://www.npr.org/sections/politics/) ### [Trump Calls His Criticism Of British Prime Minister 'Fake News'](https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628741496/trump-calls-his-criticism-of-british-prime-minister-fake-news) - [Twitter](https://www.npr.org/tags/125099510/twitter) - [Donald Trump](https://www.npr.org/tags/134949364/donald-trump) - [Fake news](https://www.npr.org/tags/502124007/fake-news) - Facebook - Flipboard - Email ###### Read & Listen - [Home](https://www.npr.org/) - [News](https://www.npr.org/sections/news/) - [Culture](https://www.npr.org/sections/culture/) - [Music](https://www.npr.org/music/) - [Podcasts & Shows](https://www.npr.org/podcasts-and-shows) ###### Connect - [Newsletters](https://www.npr.org/newsletters/) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/NPR/) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/npr/) - [Press](https://www.npr.org/series/750003/press-room/) - [Public Editor](https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/) - [Corrections](https://www.npr.org/corrections/) - [Transcripts](https://www.npr.org/transcripts/) - [Contact & Help](https://help.npr.org/contact/s/) ###### About NPR - [Overview](https://www.npr.org/about/) - [Diversity](https://www.npr.org/diversity/) - [NPR Network](https://www.npr.org/network/) - [Accessibility](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/1136563345/accessibility) - [Ethics](https://www.npr.org/ethics/) - [Finances](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/178660742/public-radio-finances) ###### Get Involved - [Support Public Radio](https://www.npr.org/support/) - [Sponsor NPR](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/186948703/corporate-sponsorship) - [NPR Careers](https://www.npr.org/careers/) - [NPR Shop](https://shopnpr.org/) - [NPR Extra](https://www.npr.org/sections/npr-extra/) - [Terms of Use](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179876898/terms-of-use) - [Privacy](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy) - [Your Privacy Choices](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy#yourchoices) - [Text Only](https://text.npr.org/) - © 2026 npr Sponsor Message Sponsor Message [Become an NPR sponsor](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/186948703/corporate-sponsorship) ![NPR Plus logo](https://prod-eks-static-assets.npr.org/chrome_svg/npr-plus/npr-plus-combo-logo.svg) ##### Exclusive benefits ###### Give a little. 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Readable Markdown	![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/31/gettyimages-1020992568_wide-a140e4c2fbfdd342c2a4445b57ab2ded8511ca95.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg) President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month. Spencer Platt/Getty Images **hide caption toggle caption** Spencer Platt/Getty Images ![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/08/31/gettyimages-1020992568_wide-a140e4c2fbfdd342c2a4445b57ab2ded8511ca95.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg) President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Virginia earlier this month. Spencer Platt/Getty Images President Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn't like as "fake" or "phony." Presidential tweets about "fake news" aren't new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency. This is part of a trend: as Trump's presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president. > I just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People\! > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [August 30, 2018](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1035122954697433088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The range of things Trump is declaring fake is growing too. Last month he tweeted about "fake books," "the fake dossier," "fake CNN," and he added a new claim – that Google search results are "RIGGED" to mostly show only negative stories about him. He also accused NBC News' Lester Holt of "fudging" the tape of his May 2017 interview conducted shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey. An NPR analysis found that in the month of August, Trump sent out 46 tweets containing the words "fake" or "phony," far surpassing his previous record. (Two of the tweets were later deleted to fix typos). August was also a month in which former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman turned on the president with a tell-all book, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight felony counts and Trump's long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen implicated the president in campaign finance violations when he entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. In October 2017, Trump tweeted about things being "fake" or "phony" 30 times. It was a record for the year, with two events dominating Trump's tweets. Trump [visited hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico](https://www.npr.org/2017/10/03/555357192/trump-touts-relief-efforts-in-puerto-rico-we-ve-saved-a-lot-of-lives) and declared the response a success all while fighting with local officials who begged for more assistance. > A great day in Puerto Rico yesterday. While some of the news coverage is Fake, most showed great warmth and friendship. > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 4, 2017](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/915523382686478337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) As that month closed out, Trump's attention turned to the Russia investigation, especially after [Manafort was indicted](https://www.npr.org/2017/10/30/560786546/grand-jury-approves-first-charges-in-muellers-russia-investigation) and George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. > The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was "no collusion" and events mentioned took place long before he... > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925333956110757888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ....came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS\! > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [October 31, 2017](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925335577217683456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) In June 2018, a month with 31 "fake" or "phony" tweets, Trump took issue with coverage of the Singapore summit with North Korea, family separation along the U.S.-Mexico border and, as usual, the Russia investigation. > The Fake News Media is desperate to distract from the economy and record setting economic numbers and so they keep talking about the phony Russian Witch Hunt. > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [June 4, 2018](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1003738642903420928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) "Donald Trump more and more is calling into question every other source of information besides himself," said Brendan Nyhan, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies misinformation and trust in the media. While some of Trump's core supporters believe him unflinchingly, for others the tweets and similar statements raise doubts and sow confusion about what the truth really is, said Nyhan. "I think Americans are often very concerned when they see leaders with authoritarian tendencies telling their supporters things that are false over and over again and attacking other sources of information," said Nyhan. "And if that worries you when you see it abroad, it should worry you when you see it here too." Trump is far from the first president to grouse about the way the press covers him, presidential historian Michael Beschloss said. What's different, Beschloss argued, is that Trump doesn't seem to share his predecessors' appreciation of the necessity of a free press as contemplated by the country's founders. Trump also has a unique ability to deliver his complaints directly to the public via friendly hosts on Fox News and through his social media streams. "He's got social media that reaches perhaps 100 million people," said Beschloss. "We've never seen a president before with that kind of weapon." Often when Trump says something is fake, it isn't false. Rather, he just doesn't like it. On May 9th, he posted a tweet that pulled back the curtain on this idea; "91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake)," he wrote. > The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials? > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [May 9, 2018](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/994179864436596736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) "They don't cover stories the way they're supposed to be. They don't even report them in many cases, if they're positive," Trump said at a press conference in June. "I came up with a term. Fake news. It's a lot of Fake News." Trump used to say the monthly unemployment figures were fake too. "Because the number is a phony number, five percent," then-candidate Trump said in August 2016 during a speech in Florida. "It's not down to five percent. It's probably 20 or 21 percent. Some people think it's higher." But that was before the election. Now that Trump is president, he no longer calls the unemployment rate phony. In fact, he touts low unemployment as one of his great achievements and complains the "fake news" media doesn't cover it enough.
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