In a journalistic finale to 2018, reporters were engaged in a lively debate Monday over whether or not President Donald Trump lied.
And the alleged untruth the professionals were obsessing over? Whether the president was really in the Oval Office like he claimed.
I am in the Oval Office & just gave out a 115 mile long contract for another large section of the Wall in Texas. We are already building and renovating many miles of Wall, some complete. Democrats must end Shutdown and finish funding. Billions of Dollars, & lives, will be saved!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
“I’m in the Oval Office. Democrats, come back from vacation now and give us the votes necessary for Border Security, including the Wall. You voted yes in 2006 and 2013,” Trump tweeted Monday morning.
This sparked an urgent need for some reporters to fact-check the president, as per usual.
Bloomberg‘s Justin Sink noted that there was “no marine outside the west wing.”
the president just tweeted that he was in the oval, but no marine outside the west wing pic.twitter.com/Y5EAx2wOoV
— Justin Sink (@justinsink) December 31, 2018
MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin spelled it out for those not on the inside.
Trump tweeted at 10:37AM: “I’m in the Oval Office.”
The pool report, at 11:02AM, said: “No Marine posted outside of the West Wing as of 11am.”
When the president is in West Wing (in the Oval, for example) a Marine always stands guard. No Marine means no Trump.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 31, 2018
Playboy correspondent Brian Karem offered his journalistic two cents.
POTUS tweet minutes ago claimed he was in the Oval Office. No marine there so that’s another lie. @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/rnJnQt88HO
— Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) December 31, 2018
And The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman:
POTUS tweeted earlier that he’s in the Oval Office. Per pool, as off 11 am there was no Marine guard outside the West Wing lobby, which there is when POTUS is in the Oval.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 31, 2018
Breathless reports came in from news outlets uncovering the mystery.
BUSTED: Reporter catches Trump in a bald-faced lie about being in the Oval Office https://t.co/jYuWh8lmqh
— Raw Story (@RawStory) December 31, 2018
Trump Caught In Blatant Lie Claiming He Was Working In Oval Officehttps://t.co/hL6Dwqb7BW
— HillReporter.com (@HillReporter) December 31, 2018
And the free-for-all spread as Trump was accused of lying about his whereabouts.
There’s no Marine guard outside. You’re not in the Oval Office. This might be your weirdest lie yet! https://t.co/3ctmlbPLrh
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) December 31, 2018
We see you, Donald. https://t.co/uOZ2qE403H
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) December 31, 2018
There’s no marine guard posted outside the west wing. Which means you’re not in the Oval Office. Which means you’re lying. Again.
— Matt Bush (@ItsMattBush) December 31, 2018
But Associated Press White House reporter Zeke Miller stepped in to clarify the protocol, noting that things may be different on holidays and weekends.
Important: A Marine is usually, but *not always* outside the West Wing when the president is in the Oval. https://t.co/hb3ABsytHg
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) December 31, 2018
Often nighttime, weekends and public holidays. The 100% indicator is whether a USSS agent is posted in the colonnade
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) December 31, 2018
The fact that Trump was fact-checked on his location and reporters spent valuable time debating whether he lied is just another one of the great journalistic moments of 2018. Social media users summed up the circus on Twitter.
IMPORTANT: Trump is in the White House.
Pelosi and Schumer, at the beach.
The press, in the ?
— Trump Democrat (@trump_democrat) December 31, 2018
Slow news day
— Colleen Scanlon (@ColleenScanlon) December 31, 2018
Wow that’s a big pressing story to be reporting.
— B Conservative (@b_conservative1) December 31, 2018
Why the #fakenews and speculation @maggieNYT ? Please just stop. When can we see proper journalism?
— BDH (@BDH28163287) December 31, 2018
At the dawn of the New Year, can we all pause to reflect on the absurdity of us having to read tea leaves to determine if POTUS is really in the Oval Office when he says he is?
— Little Frenchy (@LittleFrenchy12) December 31, 2018
Why is this important?
— Kevin Morrison (@KMorrisonRDU) December 31, 2018
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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