Inside Trump’s fake news recidivism

Since then, Trump has made several unusually specific factual assertions that were quickly shown to be inaccurate, suggesting more unvetted information may be reaching him than had been the case in the heyday of Kelly’s control:

Arguably the most notable one … During Wednesday’s devil-may-care, 95-minute Cabinet meeting, Trump said that back in 1979, the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan “because terrorists were going into Russia. They were right to be there.” A Wall Street Journal editorial scolded: “We cannot recall a more absurd misstatement of history by an American President.”

Walls as a weapon … Trump tweeted last Sunday: “President and Mrs. Obama built/has a ten foot Wall around their D.C. mansion/compound.” The WashPost reported: “Obamas’ neighbors [said] there is no such wall. The 8,200-square-foot structure, despite several security features, is completely visible from the street.”

At the Cabinet meeting, Trump said: “[T]he Vatican has the biggest wall of them all.” Dan Scavino, Trump’s director of social media, had tweeted during the campaign: “Vatican City is 100% surrounded by massive walls.” The N.Y. Times reports: “Vatican City has walls, but they do not enclose the entire territory and visitors can easily enter some parts.”