Kellyanne Conway accuses TV pundits of getting their facts wrong after infamous ‘alternative facts’ claim
‘People on TV are never really held to account for what they get wrong, and I’d like to remind your viewers, none of these people on TV are ever under oath,’ says the former Trump aide
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Kellyanne Conway, the Donald Trump adviser who coined the term “alternative facts”, has spoken out against pundits getting their facts wrong.
“People on TV are never really held to account for what they get wrong, and I’d like to remind your viewers, none of these people on TV are ever under oath,” Ms Conway said on TV, speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
Ms Conway served as Donald Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, and later, once he was president, as his senior counselor. As she defended the administration in TV interviews, she faced frequent accusations of being overly flexible with the truth.
The most infamous example came just two days into Mr Trump’s presidency. After White House press secretary Sean Spicer claimed Mr Trump had enjoyed the “largest audience to ever to witness an inauguration, period” – a claim that was demonstrably false – NBC’s Chuck Todd challenged Ms Conway over the falsehood.
Trump accuses former close ally Kellyanne Conway of ‘destroying’ her husband George
Kellyanne Conway attacked for ‘gaslighting’ claim that Biden has a ‘fact problem’
Conway says Trump’s accounting firm ditching him is worse than getting impeached
Kellyanne Conway memoir 'Here's the Deal' coming out May 24
Kellyanne Conway and Mike Pompeo among 13 Trump aides who campaigned illegally, federal investigation finds
She responded by coining her most famous phrase.
“You’re saying it’s a falsehood,” Ms Conway said defensively, “and they’re giving – Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that.”
“Alternative facts are not facts,” Mr Todd shot back. “They’re falsehoods.”
Critics of the Trump administration immediately seized on the phrase as an example of Orwellian doublespeak, and many have used the term to mock Mr Trump and his allies – especially Ms Conway – ever since.
On Twitter, the reactions to the former Trump aide’s “oath” comment were no exception.
“Miss Alternative Facts says what?” one viewer commented on a post of the video.
“BRB I need to go outside and scream at the top of my lungs,” another tweeted.
Another suggested an oath tailored to Ms Conway’s style of truth-telling: “Do you solemnly swear to tell the alternate facts, the whole alternate facts, and nothing but the alternate facts?”
The Independent has reached out to Ms Conway for comment.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments