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White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, speaks during the daily briefing. PM

Alternative facts 'Trump sent a powerful message that facts can be altered to suit his own agenda'

Altering the truth is always wrong but it could be fatal if orchestrated to justify war or the use of nuclear weapons, writes Jason O’Sullivan.

FOLLOWING DONALD TRUMP’S inauguration, the newly appointed White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, lambasted journalists for what he claimed was “deliberately false reporting” regarding the attendance figures at the ceremony. He declared: “this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period.”

This was Spicer’s first official press briefing and his lecturing tone to the attending press was rightly received both in a critical and ridiculing manner, particularly given his inaccurate claims on crowd size which were easily disproved through available aerial photographic evidence circulating on social media.

Trump already circulating ‘misinformation’

It is alarming however, that despite such clear evidence confirming the disparity in numbers between Obama’s first inauguration in 2009 and Trump’s in 2017, Spicer (and more so the new regime) persisted in knowingly relaying incorrect information to the world’s press, in an unashamedly and blatant attempt to reconstruct the truth.

In other words, circulating “misinformation”.  To compound such falsehoods, Trump’s senior advisor Kellyanne Conway attempted to defend and spin such nonsensical statements by claiming Spicer “gave alternative facts”.

Of late, the term “misinformation” has become commonplace within the political arena, and is in itself a sad indictment of the way politics has developed and transitioned in recent years.

Brexit propaganda

The Brexit propaganda machine utilised for the “Leave” side during last year’s EU referendum campaign, which saw the UK electorate voting to leave the EU, aptly demonstrated the powerful effect misinformation can achieve if orchestrated to the right target audience.

Conservative MP Michael Gove, a talisman for the “Leave” side had said during a Sky News interview before the vote that, “Britain has had enough of experts.” Such rhetoric was clearly unsubstantiated but utilised to fuel doubts about the role of experts and their societal importance.

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage admitted the day after the shock result, that it was a “mistake” to promise that £350 million a week would be spent on the NHS if the UK backed a Brexit vote, after this monumental funding pledge had been used as a key influencing tactic throughout the campaign.

The deliberate propagation of ignorance

Trump Kellyanne Conway gets ready to go on television outside the White House, January 22 2017. Manuel Balce Ceneta Manuel Balce Ceneta

Tony Blair apologised publically last year following the damning report from the Chilcot inquiry, which heavily criticised Blair for his decision to lead Britain to war in Iraq in 2003. The report noted that Blair had exaggerated the case for war in Iraq and that Britain’s intelligence agencies produced “flawed information”.

The above examples, to name but a few, demonstrate that the use of covert misinformation is not a new phenomenon and has been the subject of much research in previous decades. One prominent expert on this topic is Robert Proctor, a science historian at Standford University, who coined the word “agnotology” to describe the study of “deliberate propagation of ignorance”.

Proctor’s initial research into the so-called study of “agnotology” arose from the communicative tactics Big Tobacco companies deployed in the 1970s, to allegedly create doubt in the minds of the public about the harmful effects of smoking. Such confusion and deceit was aimed at obscuring the facts for the benefit of the ever lucrative tobacco industry.

In a more modern context, occasional dissenting and unverified data reports that question the validity of legitimate facts relating to climate change and the imminent need for protective measures, could be linked with such deliberate dissemination of mass ignorance for unscrupulous corporate gain.

Global brands use covert propaganda

Large-scale corporate self-interest enables global companies and brands to fund mass manipulative propaganda in a more covert and sophisticated manner than ever before.

Through the creation of biased think-tanks that have the potential to influence policy, or through the promotion of online bloggers who gain financially for their impartial support of industry positions or products, all play an important role in shaping public opinion and swaying the political agenda.

There is little doubt that Trump is unlike most modern day politicians and he has prided himself on being a businessman first. This exception to the rule can be attractive for some of the electorate who have grown tired or apathetic towards the political elite.

What is most unusual however, is that in the past such misinformation was carried out in a disguised and guarded fashion to avoid unwanted detection or scrutiny by the media or various interest groups.

Openly altering the truth

On the contrary, the attempt to overtly contradict clear evidence of previous crowd data as done this week by the new Trump team, sends a powerful message that the truth may be challenged and facts altered to suit Trump’s manifesto and future policies.

It is quite innocuous where the truth is openly altered for something as irrelevant as mere crowd numbers, but could be fatal when orchestrated for acts to justify war or the use of nuclear weapons.

It is a worrying time for world politics and international affairs. There is now an even greater need for journalistic endeavour to uphold the truth and maintain ethical integrity.

Similarly, an even greater role must be placed on all citizens to ensure they take responsibility for their civic duties in questioning such misinformation and seeking the truth, where possible, to ensure that justice and liberty prevail in these turbulent times.

Jason O’ Sullivan, is a solicitor and public affairs consultant at JOS Solicitors.

Trump’s chief advisor Kellyanne Conway defends crowd claims as ‘alternative facts’>

“Sometimes we can disagree with the facts” – the first official press conference of the Trump administration>

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94 Comments
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    Mute Wodanaz von Mises
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:40 AM

    That is nothing really new is it? Deliberat Misinformation and confusion has been a proper functioning divide and conquer strategy for those in ivory towers and seats of power for centuries. Only in the last 10 years with use of mass media it has been lifted to a whole new level by people such as Surkov.

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    Mute Patches O Houlihan
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:00 AM

    Well said. The primary role of the mainstream media is to protect the interests of the ruling class by relentlessly peddling their ideology.

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    Mute eric nelligan
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:15 AM

    Look at this site.

    The Journal is fiercely biased. I do not know anything about the background of its owners and funders but the journal clearly leans a certain way when I comes to supporting/opposing certain political particles, abortion views and foreign policy

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    Mute Terry McClatchey
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:43 AM

    @Wodanaz von Mises: No, this is new – at least in Western democracies. Politicians have always engaged in spin or bias whereby they emphasise facts that are favourable to themselves and avoid or divert from those that are less convenient for their case. Being caught in an outright lie used to be a resigning matter. Those who say “sure they all do it” or “it’s what has always happened” are simply preparing their audience for greater lies to come. This is not completely new to history but where we have seen past proponents of the “big lie” (both left and right), it has not led to a happy ending.

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    Mute David Murphey
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:44 AM

    “ruling class”?

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    Mute Charles Williams
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:49 AM

    @Wodanaz von Mises: Excellent point, however in the hands of a fool propaganda and misinformation is a transparent as daylight and the Trump circus and its master clown is fooling nobody.

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    Mute Daisy Chai NSaw
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:55 AM

    Stick to Sheitbart.

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    Mute Rosa Parks
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:52 AM

    @eric nelligan: Eric thejournal.ie is less biased than CNN. Newstalk etc. It had Larry Donnelly on who put forward more neutral position.

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    Mute Wodanaz von Mises
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    Jan 29th 2017, 12:22 PM

    @Terry. Also in Western world this is nothing new. The only real problem is that people follow one party or state their misinformation strategy and agitate against the other party or state their misinformation strategy and tactics. But it has been happening here in the West and elsewhere in the world for centuries and centuries. From the Greeks to the Romans and from Constantine to Goebbels. And this proves that the divide and conquer if effective. Coz people always have been and are still very much willing to go at their neighbours’ throat based on the propaganda and spin from their religious and or political leaders who they choose to believe and follow blindly. Only stops when people stop choosing and following religious or political Messiahs. Whether they are called Trump, Obama, Putin, Allah, Jesus, Soros, Bannon or Gerry Adams. Once people pick their Messiah they give up their freedom and independence and become radicals themselves. No difference in blindly following the teachings of Mohammed or blindly clinging on to Donald Trump or Obama as saviours. Filth is filth.

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    Mute Patches O Houlihan
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    Jan 29th 2017, 12:32 PM

    Yes David. The ruling capitalist class. 8 of them now have more combined wealth than the poorest half of humanity, 3.6 billion people.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Jan 29th 2017, 3:12 PM

    @Wodanaz von Mises: Black Propaganda?

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    Mute Mr Snuffleupagus
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:51 AM

    The US press is laughable. There are no hard hitting interviews with Obama US as the media is dominated by liberals and democrats. Resarch last year showed that the average age of White House reporters under Obama had dropped t just 27 years old. The room was filled with kids. Yes men and women all believing in everything the guy said and did.

    Trump is a narcissist, no question. he has a massive ego. But by banning, or threatening to ban the media from the White House, which I think he should do btw as they are unfit for purpose, he is playing them. He’s at this 50 years. He knows people no longer trust the media. It’s game over for meida organisations as no-one believes them anymore.

    If the media keep falling over themselves to report everything flippant he did or said or tweets, every idiosyncrasy, and every foolish statement, and couple that with their clear and obvious dislike of him, then they undermine their own credibility as it further displays their lack of partisan claims or unbiased reportage. If the media act as childish as he does, then they lose too. Trump knows this IMO. I honestly believe he’s playing them very well. He’s undermining them. and not the other way around. Last year, during the US election, the US media even gave up its pretence of being unbiased.

    As for Trump blatantly lying and alternative facts etc, nothing new there. Clinton claimed she was shot at in Bosnia and was caught spoofing, yet she got a free pass by comparison. Why? because they media is dominated by liberals who turn a blind to their candidate.

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    Mute Barry Humphreys
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:02 AM

    The media are as guilty of doing this as he is.

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    Mute John003
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:11 AM

    Heard Samantha Power on newstalk last week….Without contradiction saying Obama actions in Syria were humanitarian……To protect Syrian people from Assad and the Russians….Is that not fake news. Mainstream media never question that version of events .

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    Mute John Henry
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:49 AM

    @John003: Newstalk is stuffed to the rafters with liberal blowhards, George Hook aside.

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    Mute Zoe Daly
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    Jan 29th 2017, 12:32 PM

    @Barry Humphreys: true, the media are accusing Trump of doing – what they themselves have done for years.
    The deliberate ignoring, or covering up, of important stories is another effective form of news manipulation. Below is one such case of the covering up of an important crime story, because it did not fit the media agenda.
    http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/breda-o-brien-ignoring-inconvenient-facts-is-fake-news-too-1.2953780

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    Mute Patrick Kavanagh
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:10 AM

    “By taking the role of the political opposition to Trump, the media has discredited itself as an honest critic on topics where Trump needs criticism, such as the environment and his tolerance of oppressive methods used by police. The presstitutes have ended all chance of improving Trump’s performance with reports and criticism.

    Trump needs moderating on the environment, on the police, and on the war on terror. Trump needs to understand that “the Muslim threat” is a hoax created by the neoconservatives and the military/security complex with the complicity of the presstitutes to serve the hegemony agenda and the budget and power of the CIA, Pentagon, and military industries. If the US stops bombing and slaughtering Muslims and training and equiping forces to overthrow non-compliant Muslim governments such as Syria, Iraq, and Libya, “the Muslim threat” will disappear.”

    Paul Craig Roberts

    “If I’d written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people – including me – would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.”

    Hunter S Thompson

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    Mute Rosa Parks
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:17 AM

    @Patrick Kavanagh: Correct Patrick. Thats why the Irish Times reported a few days ago that the 2017 Edelman report on Trust found Irish readers trust in the media has fallen to the lowest level in 17 years.

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    Mute H0tt3rBank3r
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:42 AM

    Now that Breitbart Bannon is on the national security council and head of the national defense intelligence agency and the joint chiefs of staff are off it, you have to wonder what advice the NSC is giving.

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    Mute gowfc@yahoo.com W
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:11 AM

    Bannon is once reported saying that he wants to bring the whole establishment “crashing down”. He might well do that.

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    Mute Tina Kanayo
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:48 AM

    It may have had the lowest people to attend…..But when you take into consideration that Trump’s inauguration was live streamed on-line and broadcast all over the world, then yes it had the largest numbers of people watching. Why are you people not reporting about other world leaders and their corruption? Don’t France and Germany have upcoming elections? I would love to hear reports on that. I’m a liberal but MSM is making it easier for people to like Trump

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    Mute Reg
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:05 AM

    And the Internet was only invented this year?

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:13 AM

    @Tina Kanayo: I completely agree. I’m liberal myself. But the left and the msm are being played. Noone sees it.

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    Mute Rosa Parks
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:14 AM

    “The Brexit propaganda machine utilised for the “Leave” side during last year’s EU referendum campaign, which saw the UK electorate voting to leave the EU, aptly demonstrated the powerful effect misinformation can achieve if orchestrated to the right target audience.
    Conservative MP Michael Gove, a talisman for the Vote “Leave” side had said during a Sky News interview before the vote that, “Britain has had enough of experts.” Such rhetoric was clearly unsubstantiated but utilised to fuel doubts about the role of experts and their societal importance.”

    Gove was correct. The so-called experts failed to predict the 2008 financial crisis. They also told us Trump and Brexit were impossible.

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:37 AM

    Fact: Trumps inauguration had a smaller crowd than Obama’s. Alternative fact: it had a bigger audience… Once again the left was played by Trump. They were made to look completely subjective. I can’t believe the penny still hasn’t dropped. That the term alternative fact is complete legitimate.

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    Mute H0tt3rBank3r
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:46 AM

    No Louis, objectively there were less people at Trump’s inauguration than at Obama’s. To suggest there were more and this is an alternative fact is an effort to change the meaning of the word fact. Interesting though isn’t it that the liars-in-chief in the Trump administration are Catholic. Their faith has taught them well.

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    Mute Tina Kanayo
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:51 AM

    H0ty3rBanks3r by “audience” they mean people that watched on-line and on their tellies so they were right. And why this push against Catholics?

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:08 AM

    @H0tt3rBank3r: No, you’re not being objective. In fact by concentrating entirely on the ‘crowd’ and ignoring the audience, you’re being myopic. The left is losing this argument badly and empowering Trump. It’s embarrassing how easy it is. And it’s the real reason this nut job got elected.

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    Mute H0tt3rBank3r
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:56 AM

    There is no evidence that the internet ‘crowd’ watching was bigger or smaller. It has not been measured. And that “fact” only came into play when the evidence of photographs, metro usage and hotel bookings objectively demonstrated that the number attending the inauguration of Obama was greater than the number attending that of Trump. And since, Trump has forbidden the Parks Service to distribute photos. He also tested that Fox had more viewers of the inauguration than CNN. Nielsen showed they had the same number (actually helpful for Trump). This though is just one example of the lies being told by the good Catholic (she said it) KellyAnn Conway and her mate Seán Spicer.

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    Mute Val Martin
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:02 AM

    @Louis Jacob: So are you say the selection of government in America should be based on 1) an election under the constitution 2) The numbers who turn up for protests in Country 3,000 miles wide or 3) A combination of 1 and 2?

    Could someone answer this question for me?

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:06 AM

    @Val Martin: It should be based on 1 of course… But it’s your hero who’s getting upset about what crowd showed up where.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 11:02 AM

    @Tina Kanayo:
    Spicer’s claim was that BOTH the internet audience and the physical crowd were bigger than for Obama’s inauguration.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 11:05 AM

    @Val Martin:
    Your buddy Trump seems to be the only one who was obsessed with the size of crowds – pretty telling that that was his priority ahead of the multitude of serious issues facing the US today.

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    Mute HelloGoogleTracking!
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    Jan 29th 2017, 1:22 PM

    @Avina

    Obviously trump can be petty.

    The media circulated the photo of large empty areas in a photograph without a time stamp….obviously to provoke trump….they want to make him respond to further their stories and attempt to undermine him.

    He took the bait, but it did not play out as they expected. Yes the combined audience who watched the inauguration was most probably bigger than Obama….just because of the controversy alone…I don’t find hat hard to believe.

    I don’t know or care (and neither does the media, there are no objective numbers) which physical crowd was bigger…..it doesn’t matter at all.

    But I also don’t trust the media to be fair, they have an agenda to undermine and frustrate trump….so I don’t trust their figures or photo either….

    The gigapixel photo on CNN directly contradicted the medias photo…..

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 2:33 PM

    HGT
    Your claim that the media deliberately picked a time when the place was empty in order to humiliate Trump doesn’t stand up to scrutiny – PBC created a timelapse of the entire event.

    It doesn’t bother me one bit how big or small the crowds were. What bothers me is that Trump felt that such a trivial issue deserved more attention than the dozens of important and pressing issues facing the US, and that his team were so willing to nakedly lie in order to drive home a false narrative.

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    Jan 29th 2017, 3:07 PM

    Not at all….

    My claim is the media created this issue to bait trump…yes he is petty, yes he feels the media are against him (they are)

    He also feels they are willing to say anything, even if not true….they are

    He has addressed all the big issues, immigration, trade deals, relations with Russia, Mexican border, globalisation…..

    But he also addressed the crowd issue….and the point being made is that he believes he saw 1-1/5 millions…..that’s what he thought he saw.

    Also the fact that it is likely the most watched ever worldwide is very plausible…but is being ignored.

    Accusations about lies from the same media complicit is Iraq, Syrian, Afghanistan, lybia, etc yeah right.

    Also Obama saying he deported more than ever….false he redefined deportation to include turning people away at border…..lies

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 3:18 PM

    If that’s true, what does it tell you about the judgment of the most powerful man in the world that he rose to the bait so easily?
    Bravo for the whataboutery in the rest of your post.

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    Jan 29th 2017, 3:26 PM

    It tells you that he is not going to tolerate the bias in the media, and is going to tackle it head on.

    It is corporately controlled, does not reflect the views of the public, and has its own agenda.

    Their candidate lost, and he will challenge everything they say….and yes he is the leader of the free world now, and they need to show some respect.

    And I expect they will…they have lied to us for their master for a decade with obvious lies….and he and the people are sick of it.

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    Mute Bejasus Bejorrah
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:35 AM

    im so upset ..the trump stories have trickled down to 1 an hour now ..wtf…cop on journal..youre letting the side down ..

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    Mute Rosa Parks
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:16 AM

    “Alternative facts” is an ambiguous term. The MSM say it means “Lie”. I would argue it means facts that are disputed, or what Donald Rumsfeld called “known unknowns”.

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:26 AM

    @Rosa Parks: I think its just a different fact about the same topic. Fact: Its a sunny day. Alternative fact: Its a cold day. I dont think its that ambiguous.

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    Mute H0tt3rBank3r
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:00 AM

    No Louis. Those are not alternative facts. They could both be facts about the same thing. What Trump+ are doing is saying is it is a very hot day when the thermometer says it’s -32℃.

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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:03 AM

    @H0tt3rBank3r: Wrong again. Its a question of semantics. He used the words ‘audience’ and ‘crowd’ and the term alternate facts was then sprung on the media by Conway. You cant point to one time they actually lied on this topic.

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    Mute H0tt3rBank3r
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:50 AM

    A lie is a lie. Period.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 11:19 AM

    @Louis Jacob:
    Spicer’s words were:
    “this was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe”
    It wouldn’t have been an ‘alternative fact’ if he’d left out the bit about “in person”, but he didn’t, and his claim was laughably easy to disprove.

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    Jan 29th 2017, 1:29 PM

    @Avina

    Both in person and around the world – means the two combined.

    You are chose an interpretation to justify your position, ask him what he meant rather than tell him what he meant.

    Simple English, he defined one audience (people who saw it) and defined those as people In Person and around the world. Simple

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 2:40 PM

    You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel now HGT – the interpretation of pretty much any rational english speaker (who didn’t have an agenda to twist vocabulary to defend Spicer/Trump) would be as I’ve said.

    If he’d wanted to say the two audiences combined he could have done so, but he didn’t.

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    Jan 29th 2017, 3:15 PM

    Spicer explained what he meant – it is you being determined to stick with an incorrect interpretation…and use it as a basis to accuse lies.

    Doesn’t hold up

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 4:07 PM

    For “Spicer explained what he meant” read “Spicer was forced to backpedal when his lies were so easily exposed”

    Incidentally, what do you think about Spicer’s bizarre and ridiculous claim that the grass covers made the crowd look much smaller than it actually was, not to mention his outright lie that it was the first time they had ever been used?

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    Jan 29th 2017, 4:11 PM

    @Avina Laaf:

    No he clarified what he said after the media intentionally exaggerated and misinterpreted his comments which were clear.

    His point was that the total audience who watched it was the biggest ever if you include everyone who watched, TV, online, etc etc…….which has merit.

    You are chasing to ignore this….but that is just your bias.

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    Jan 29th 2017, 4:27 PM

    Keep telling yourself that. I noticed you ignored my question.

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    Jan 29th 2017, 4:31 PM

    @Avina Laaf:

    You seem also to ignore that the audience was bigger including everyone as spicer explained……why is that? You don’t believe that the event was massive and watched all over the world after the campaign, the entire world media was focussed on it, everyone watched it. To see what Trump would say, and what would happen……the interest was massive.

    Perhaps he made a mistake about the covering, so what, seems quite petty to obsess about that and ignore the substance of his point, which i have repeated, and you ignored again.

    But again this is the bestsellers the media can come up with…..something irrelevant….

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 6:12 PM

    I have no doubt that the worldwide audience was the biggest ever – that’s the rise of technology and the reach of the next inauguration is likely to be bigger again. What’s your point?

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    Mute Joseph Molloy
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:35 AM

    That Kelly Anne thing needs go back to plastic surgeons office get her money back she looks lovely I’ve love child between Donald duck trump and backend of an ass/mule…

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    Mute Bejasus Bejorrah
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:36 AM

    @Joseph Molloy: and youre so pretty joseph

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    Mute Joseph Molloy
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:09 AM

    At least Im showing my face..

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    Mute Bejasus Bejorrah
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:33 AM

    You’re not helping …put it away..

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    Mute Brendan Keegan
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:38 AM

    @Joseph Molloy: plastic face for plastic news

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    Mute Joseph Molloy
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:39 AM

    That’s why you hide yours it’s covered with brown bag or burka

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    Mute Joseph Molloy
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:42 AM

    I take u have yrs covered with burka. If not think of it

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    Mute Rosa Parks
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:52 AM

    @Joseph Molloy: Only liberals are allowed to say that about a woman.

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    Mute HelloGoogleTracking!
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    Jan 29th 2017, 1:17 PM

    @Joseph,

    McDonald’s want their saturated fat back from your face…..looks like a cross between a potato and an ape.

    Wow it is easy to make cheap meaningless insults about someone’s appearance.

    You are so noble

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    Mute John Henry
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:47 AM

    If Clinton had won the election we would be on the verge of all out nuclear war right now as she had a deep seated hatred for Russia. Trump winning has made that scenario unlikely and added to the fact he wants to stop the islamification of America then i fail to see the problem. If only our european leaders would follow suit.

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    Mute Donal Proctor
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:39 AM

    Cue the George Orwell quotes

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 11:23 AM

    The word “misinformation” allows for the possibility of an honest mistake. I’d have used the word “disinformation”, which specifically means a deliberate attempt to mislead by using known falsehoods.

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    Mute HelloGoogleTracking!
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:19 PM

    Yes misinformation like:

    The Russians hacked Hillary
    Trump is Russian agent
    The whole rape thing from CIA

    Etc etc

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    Mute HelloGoogleTracking!
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:20 PM

    That was suppose to be “tape”

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:48 AM

    I don’t honestly think that we can trust anything the American administration tells us anymore, they are so far up their own #arse that they cant see further than their navel and alter facts to suit their own agenda.

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    Mute Joe Caulfield
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    Jan 29th 2017, 12:39 PM

    Calling on the media to do their job. Where have they been for last 8 years?

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    Mute Tony Hartigan
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:12 AM

    With all of the Executive Orders he is issuesing is it possible for him too activate the Nuclear Button by Executive Order or are there safeguards in place ???

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:12 PM

    @Tony Hartigan: The craziest president was Nixon, he use to run around the White House mixing his tables with drink wanting to fire nukes at Russia, his chiefs of Staff prevented him doing that…

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    Mute John Mullan
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:24 AM

    This is all leading us towards a global nuclear war. There will be no one left. If this is the best humanity can do after several million years ( not 10000) I personally am glad we’re going. Borrow as much money as you can and have some fun while you are still here

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    Mute John003
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:38 AM

    @JohnMullan….If Trump improves relations with Russia then nuclear war is less likely actually

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jan 29th 2017, 9:42 AM

    @John003: Its completely the opposite. Its the idea of mutually assured destruction that has stopped them from being used. The idea of Russia and the US joining forces and using nukes in a strategic way against common enemies is one Trump has discussed in the past.

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    Mute HelloGoogleTracking!
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    Jan 29th 2017, 3:32 PM

    Joining forces and sorting out ISIS and ending the evil wars of Bush and Obama is in the best interests of the US and Russia.

    Fermenting unrest and civil wars in Ukraine and Syria and Libya and coups in Egypt are making the world unstable and dangerous.

    The policies of expanding NATO to surround Russia was reckless and dangerous.

    Trump is reversing these policies….which were driven by vested interests, and hawks, and that will lead to more peace not less.

    Also less chance of nuclear war….thank god crazy Russia hating Hillary didn’t get in….that was the path to nuclear war…..not trump

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:17 PM

    @HelloGoogleTracking!: Obama used drones and created 7 drone wars on 7 countries?

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    Mute D'Murph
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    Jan 29th 2017, 11:39 AM

    Political Game playing, whilst this is purely deflecting from the real issues.
    FACT: it’s people’s lives we are dealing with in the longterm – when is an alternative fact or gameplay going to cost us lives. It did many many years ago

    The greatest enemy of democracy is silence

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    Mute Permo Dermo
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    Jan 29th 2017, 1:28 PM

    Trump is looking after America first. All we need to do is grow a pair of balls and stop relying on America- we’re Europeans and part of a massive export market so lets forget about Trump/America

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    Mute Each Way Thief
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    Jan 29th 2017, 8:57 PM

    Test

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:16 PM

    @Permo Dermo: The EU is full of Goldman Sachs ex-employees, the E.U. is controlled by the Troika, so that is the IMF who’s base is in Washington D.C. and by Merkel who took her orders from Obama?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0zC4cxzszQ

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    Mute Bernard O'Brien
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    Jan 29th 2017, 12:31 PM

    If it could be proven that over half the people at Obama’s gig were high and incapable of witnessing anything and Trump’s groupee’s were all bible thumping teetotalers who never took their eyes off the stage ………………..well is that a fact ?

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    Mute Mercurial One
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    Jan 31st 2017, 3:45 PM

    Good article and thank you Jason O’Sullivan for calling the new US administration for what it is – ‘The Trump Regime’.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Jan 29th 2017, 3:11 PM

    The fact is the photo they used that even RTE used showed clearly that with the crowds in the Obama inauguration that they zoomed in on them to fill the photo with more people. But the fact is there were more people at Obamas inauguration than Trumps, a lot more but it doesn’t help matters when the press who are anti Trump plays these tricks to make things worse looking. It just gives Trump armo but that is why they might be doing it, to wind him up.

    The fact is the press were pro Hillary and anti Trump, this I think helped Trump because people are not as stupid as the press would like and with CNN giving the questions to Hillary in the debates then that gave some support to Trump.
    Is Trump worthy to be President, no because he is too rough but is he justified to win over Hillary after all the fake news about him and the dirty tricks, who knows but for me it is only an eejit who puts profits before Global warming but it was there election not ours.
    The fact is Trump did Gerrymandering and got people off the voting register but does anyone talk about this, no. Not even the Democratic party said anything about those things as they were up to voter messing as well.
    Trump is not fit to be president but neither was Hillary and this election was between the candidate that represented the corruption of politics versus a candidate that represents everything wrong with society?
    Fake news was the media using lies to win the election for Clinton, those news stations were in pro Clinton areas and these areas had so called educated people as the link below will prove.
    So where are those 11 women that said Trump raped them, before the election 5 of them were shown to be liars, then google would not allow anything about Hillary’s health be searched for on their search engine and Facebook wouldn’t allow anyone to post a link to Wikipedia on Hillary’s emails and then they talk about the 1st Amendment?
    Hillary’s campaign was about fake news on Trump, if she stuck to the facts and what she would do then she would have won especially if she left those celebs alone as that showed her not to have any real policies, just celeb friends and that didn’t impress the rural farmers at all.
    The fact is if Sanders was put foreward then Trump wouldn’t have won and this election was about voting for the person you least liked. All the fake news about Trump was seen as fake news and helped him win, it backfired. After he was elected it still continued with bull about Russia in order to blacken Trump and to make people forget what Hillary did and what was in her emails. All this election did was prove how undemocractic, corrupt and nasty the democratic and news media are in the US, the media there did more damage to themselves and to America than any foreign power could do because they lied under the term of fake news and they are still doing it to poison the well on Trump…

    https://www.rt.com/shows/news/374706-rtnews-january-22-17msk/

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 29th 2017, 6:18 PM

    The only comprison photos I’ve seen were shot from the exact same location (Washington memorial) with the exact same perspective – pretty meaningless otherwise.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Jan 29th 2017, 10:10 PM

    @Avina Laaf:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/26/donald-trump-inauguration-crowd-size-national-parks-photos#img-1
    I let you decide as they don’t seem the exact same to me in proportion?
    But this thing with fake news and Trump is crazy, the Russian hacking thing was proven to be bull as was Christopher Steele, all it was about was McCarthyism part 2.
    FBI Director James Comey being questioned by the Select Committee under Mr. Burr over getting access to the DNC emails and server.

    Mr. Burr: “Were you given access to do the forensics on those servers.”
    Dir Comey: “We were not, we were, a highly respected private company eventually got access and shared with us what they saw there.”
    Mr. Burr: “Was there one request or multiple requests.”
    Dir Comey: “Multiple requests at different levels and ultimately it was agreed to is, that the private company would share with us what they saw.”
    Mr. Burr: “Do you know why were you denied access to these servers”
    Dir Comey: “I do not know for sure, mmm, I do not know for sure.”

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 30th 2017, 8:22 AM

    You think there weren’t actually more people in the right hand photo than the left, and it’s just an illusion caused by perspective??
    Thanks for giving me a good laugh in the morning – you’re beginning to sound like Spicer!
    :0D

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 30th 2017, 8:26 AM

    Or maybe, like him, you think the huge crowd blended in to the ‘never been used before’ grass covers to give the false impression that it was emptier than it actually was!
    :0)

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Jan 30th 2017, 8:27 AM

    Hardcore Trump voters might fall for that kind of garbage, but thankfully the rest of us are just not that stupid.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 1st 2017, 5:06 AM

    @Avina Laaf: No, there were more people at Obama’s no doubt. Just that Obamas seemed more zoomed in. Just the press adding a little spice to it. Can’t argue with the sizes at all, just the press milking it a touch.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 1st 2017, 5:13 AM

    @Avina Laaf: I am not a Trump supporter, just an anti-Hillary one, I was pro Saunders. Trump has plenty of things to talk about like Gerrymandering and removing people off voter registers, which the Democratic party are not saying a word about. But instead talk about Russian bull, the best being Putin poisoned Hillary Clinton…
    I am just sick of this bull about Tump as he and his party has done a lot of things that the same press will not talk about or report, makes you wonder if the Democrates did the same but Trump never did 23 rapes or get the Saudis behind 911 to donate to the campaign as they crucified Christians to trees, throw gays off roofs like Isis, treat women like dirt and punish rape victims and help set up Isis…

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 1st 2017, 5:17 AM

    @Avina Laaf: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/16/world/paris-attacks-syrian-refugees-backlash/
    I can say that many are very stupid as they choose the so called news stories so that they reinforce what they already believe. Trump is not right at all but Hillary was worse, she said she wanted to start a war with Russia and Iran. I rather have a loon talking peace that another loon talking about a world war? Wouldn’t you?

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Feb 1st 2017, 9:11 AM

    Except she never said that Alois – that was just more alt-right fake news.
    There were two bad candidates in that presidential race, and it’s a sad indictment of the US political system that they couldn’t come up with better.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:39 AM

    @Avina Laaf: I saw the video of her saying that on RT, She said she wanted to start a war with Russia and Iran.
    https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t-913&p=youtube+hillary+clinton+wants+a+war+with+russia+iran#id=1&vid=d6f7a767bb611b6687b03d6ef8f0bd7c&action=click

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