NBC reporter fact-checks the President live: Why should Americans trust you?

IN A heated moment during his combative news conference on Thursday, Donald Trump’s command of the facts was openly challenged by a reporter who asked, “Why should Americans trust you?”

The issue was the margin of victory in the Electoral College, which Trump asserted early in the news conference was the “biggest” since fellow Republican Ronald Reagan, who was elected in 1980 and 1984.

Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by a 304-227 tally of stateby-state electors, who represent votes cast in the election. Seven electors voted for someone else. “We got 306 because people came out and voted like they’ve never seen before so that’s the way it goes,” the President said.

A quick check by NBC’S Peter Alexander at the news conference showed Barack Obama amassed more electoral votes in 2008 (365) and 2012 (332). In 1988, President George H W Bush, a Republican, drew 426 electoral votes. Few observers, however, were expecting a White House reporter to confront Trump about it in real time.

“You said today that you had the biggest electoral margin since Ronald Reagan,” Alexander said, reading off a list of several recent previous presidents who had larger margins than Trump.

“Why should Americans trust you when you accuse the information they’ve received of being fake when you’re providing information that’s not accurate?” the TV correspondent asked.

The president insisted he was talking about Republican presidents. He seemed to blame his staff. “I was given that information,” he replied. REUTERS

PETER ALEXANDER