On Friday, President Donald Trump appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac). During his speech, he spoke about the number of people who came out to see him, but the figures don't appear to match up with the facts.
Trump at CPAC
For the first time in years, a sitting President of the United States has attended CPAC to address legions of conservatives and right-wing Americans.
During his speech, which lasted close to an hour, Donald Trump spent time bashing the news media, ripping the press for allegedly spreading "fake news" about his administration. The former host of "The Apprentice" continued his attack on the press, calling out CNN for being the "Clinton News Network," while accusing other networks of promoting inaccurate polls in an attempt to smear his candidacy and time in the White House. After he moved off attacking the media, Trump went on to talk about his plans for the future, which included "building a great wall" on the Southern border, building up the United States military, while also transforming the Republican Party into the "party of the American worker." During this time, Trump also went on to claim that there were lines of people outside the conference waiting to hear him speak, but as The Hill reported on February 24, that wasn't the case.
"There are lines that go back six blocks," Donald Trump said of those allegedly waiting to get into the building, before adding, "I tell you that because you won’t read about it." Despite his claims, a statement released appears to contradict Trump's remarks. According to the report in The Hill, there were no lines of people waiting outside the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on Friday during the hour before the president was set to give his speech. This isn't the first time that Trump has made a comment that has been at odds with factual information. The rhetoric coming out of the White House that often conflicts with what is reported in the media has been described as an "alternative fact" by Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway.
Next up
Donald Trump has only been in office for a month, but his time in the White House has not been without controversy. Over the last 30 days, Trump has lost his National Security Adviser in retired Gen. Michael Flynn due to a scandal involving alleged communication with Russian officials, while also facing a increased war of words with the press. While the billionaire real estate continues to speak out about his success, the opposition to his agenda appears to be growing by the day.