The credibility of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) came under questioning as the prominent newspaper, The Washington Post, gave her the highest rating of ‘four Pinocchios’ following fact-checking one of her claims. The Washington Post’s Pinocchio Test gives a rating to the truthfulness of comments made by politicians. One Pinocchio symbolizes that the statement carries some truth, but has been selectively delivered. However, a score of four Pinocchios, the maximum rating in the system, is assigned to statements that are grossly distorted.
Rep. Pelosi had drawn this hefty score for a problematic claim she made regarding border crossings in the reign of President Joe Biden. In a statement that lacked transparency, Pelosi suggested that the influx of immigrants under President Biden was lower compared to the era of President Donald Trump. The Washington Post didn’t hesitate to snap back, implying Pelosi’s statement was ‘as clear as mud’ and far from the factual reality.
According to data available, the volume of migrants who poured into the United States during the term of President Biden is reportedly four times what was observed during the mandate of President-elect Donald Trump. In an attempt to embellish the facts, an aide to Pelosi tried to clarify the context of her statement. The aide claimed that Pelosi’s statement stemmed from reports implying that Biden had implemented more deportations compared to Trump.
However, this explanation simply amounted to more confusion and complicates the matter further. The article, presented as the reference evidence, failed to support the Pelosi’s defense and offered a contradictory narrative. It suggested that by the time the fiscal year of 2024 ends, Biden would potentially overtake any single year of Trump’s deportations. However, it did not iterate that Biden had already deported more people than Trump.
The verdict of The Washington Post was clear, Pelosi’s claim was pathetically weak, grounded in misinformation. Digging deeper into the deportation statistics reveals that Pelosi’s claim crumbles even more. During Trump’s term, the deportations per year by Immigration and Customs Enforcement never ducked below 52,000 individuals. On the other hand, Biden’s deportation count hasn’t ventured past 40,000.
It’s mildly amusing to take note of the fact that while Trump’s deportation numbers trailed behind those of Obama, still larger than Biden’s. Despite Obama being unofficially labeled as the ‘deporter-in-chief’, Trump’s deportations did not match those of his predecessor. The exercise painted a picture that contrasts starkly with Pelosi’s claim.
The Washington Post remained firm on their assessment of Rep. Pelosi’s statement. Based on the evidence, they issued Pelosi the notorious ‘four Pinocchios’ for her misinformed assertion about Biden’s immigration policies and the number of people entering the country. This was a clear indictment of her attempt to mislead public opinion.
Rep. Pelosi also pointed a finger at Biden when commenting on the failure of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. She cast a shadow over Biden’s decision to step down late from the presidential race, which, in her opinion, handicapped the chances of other potential Democratic candidates.
Pelosi’s assertion implied that due to Biden’s late withdrawal, other candidates did not have the opportunity to step into the primary. She conveniently overlooks the fact that a well-fought primary is a staple of democratic politics and blaming Biden’s timing exponentiates the unpopular regard for her views.
She pressed on to suggest that an early exit by Biden could have brought out different outcomes. These musings continue to undermine the democratic process, adding another layer to Pelosi’s tall tale of distortions. Vacuuming the rationale aside, Pelosi failed to consider that Harris’ campaign could have been flawed from its inception, disregarding other factors that might have contributed to her defeat.