Donald Trump uses new website to rewrite history
of his presidency
Narrative omits two impeachments, economic crash,
Covid death toll and riot that marked end of his term
Martin
Belam and agencies
Tue 30 Mar
2021 11.15 BST
Donald
Trump has launched a new website celebrating his time as US president that
includes a very selective retelling of the history of his time in office.
45office.com
is billed as a platform for his supporters to stay in touch and a place where
Trump will continue his “America first” campaign.
The
centrepiece of the site is an 885-word history of the Trump presidency, listing
the achievements of what it describes as “the most extraordinary political
movement in history”.
In a
hyperbolic opening paragraph, it says he dethroned political dynasties,
defeated “the Washington establishment” and “overcame virtually every
entrenched power structure”.
The history
does, however, omit several significant moments from Trump’s presidency.
On the
economy, the site says: “President Trump ushered in a period of unprecedented
economic growth, job creation, soaring wages, and booming incomes.” Trump
frequently described his administration as building “the greatest economy in
the history of our country”, a claim repeatedly debunked. It also fails to note
that during the pandemic last year the US economy suffered one of its worst
financial crashes.
The US
recorded the world’s largest coronavirus death toll on Trump’s watch, but the
website describes his handling of the pandemic as a success, saying: “When the
coronavirus plague arrived from China, afflicting every nation around the
globe, President Trump acted early and decisively.” It neglects to mention that
Trump had in fact described coronavirus as a problem that’s “going to go away”
five times in March 2020, even as case numbers rose.
Also absent
is that Trump became the first US president in history to twice face
impeachment trials in Congress. And that he was the first US president in over
one hundred years to lose the popular vote twice. Hillary Clinton secured 2.8m
more votes than Trump in 2016, and Joe Biden’s 2020 margin of victory was even
larger, at 7m votes.
Nor does it
mention that he became the first major world leader to be banned from social
media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter while in office after they deemed
he had used their sites to cite an insurrection. The Capitol riot, which led to
the loss of five lives, also does not warrant a mention.
The
website’s homepage boasts that “the office of Donald J Trump is committed to
preserving the magnificent legacy of the Trump administration, while at the
same time advancing the America first agenda”.
It also
promises that “through civic engagement and public activism, the office of
Donald J Trump will strive to inform, educate, and inspire Americans from all
walks of life as we seek to build a truly great American future”.
Trump
retains significant influence over the Republican party despite his loss in the
2020 election and has hinted at a possible presidential run in 2024. He has
also started actively backing Republican candidates who may be able to unseat
fellow party members Trump feels were disloyal to him by failing to back his
baseless claims of election fraud last year.
In an
interview with Fox News this month, Jason Miller, a former Trump campaign
spokesperson, said that following his bans from Twitter and Facebook, Trump
would launch his own social media platform in the next few months.
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