Timothy L. O'Brien, Columnist

Trump's Long Embrace of Alternative Facts

Decades before running for president, he was developing a rich lexicon of euphemisms for falsehood.

January 27, 2017 at 3:14 PM UTC

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

Standing room only.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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Donald Trump's ubiquitous spokeswoman, Kellyanne Conway, coined a new term in the new president's first week. In an exchange about Inauguration Day turnout with NBC's Chuck Todd, she called false White House claims of record-setting crowds "alternative facts."

While the term "alternative facts" is likely to become a signature catchphrase, forever associated with Trump, Conway, her boss and press secretary Sean Spicer are playing an old White House game.