The Hoax Hoax: What Trump Called Lies—That Were Actually True

Here’s a list of key things that Donald Trump and his allies called hoaxes, lies, or witch hunts, but which were later shown to be true — or at least substantiated enough to be damaging or defamatory, contradicting their denials:

Let's begin with today's news:

Trump firing of statistics chief puts US data credibility at risk, experts warn | Trump administration | The Guardian

Here’s a much more extensive list of claims that Donald Trump (and often his allies) labeled as “hoaxes,” “fake news,” or “witch hunts,” only to later find elements of truth—or significantly misleading statements—contained within them:

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🌐 Election & Russia-Related Claims

1. “Russia hoax” / “collusion is a scam”
   → Verdict: False. The Mueller Report and Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed Russian interference and numerous contacts between Trump's campaign and Russian operatives Wikipedia.

2. “Obama wiretapped Trump Tower”
   → Verdict: Unsubstantiated. DOJ and FBI found no evidence of wiretapping by Obama, though incidental surveillance of campaign figures in Crossfire Hurricane was confirmed much later Wikipedia.

3. “2020 election stolen”
   → Verdict: False. No widespread fraud. Courts (including judges appointed by Trump) and the DOJ debunked these claims. Jan 6 Committee also concluded Trump knowingly propagated falsehoods FactCheck.org+5PBS+5PolitiFact+5.

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🌪 Weather & Science Claims

4. “Sharpiegate” (Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama)
   → Verdict: False. Trump’s map was altered with Sharpie, NOAA officials were pressured to support his claim—leading to integrity investigations Wikipedia.

5. “Global warming is a hoax”
   → Verdict: False. Scientific evidence overwhelmingly confirms global warming and its human-driven causes PBS+15The Washington Post+15The White House+15The Guardian+2Wikipedia+2Wikipedia+2.

6. “Puerto Rico hurricane death toll inflated (3000 died is fake)”
   → Verdict: False. Excess death studies show ~3,000+ deaths after Hurricane Maria Wikipedia+4Wikipedia+4Wikipedia+4.

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🤝 Personal & Legal Claims

7. “Stormy Daniels hush‑money is fake news”
   → Verdict: False. Michael Cohen’s testimony and financial records confirmed Trump reimbursed him—leading to a criminal conviction News.com.au+3Wikipedia+3U.S. Department of Homeland Security+3.

8. “Tax returns story is false”
   → Verdict: False. NY Times and IRS data showed Trump paid no federal income taxes for years and underreported assets; he was also found civilly liable for fraud Wikipedia.

9. “E. Jean Carroll accusations are lies”
   → Verdict: False. Two juries found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation The Guardian+15Wikipedia+15AP News+15AP News.

10. “Ukraine call is perfect, impeachment is a witch-hunt”
    → Verdict: False. Transcripts and witness testimony showed Trump pressed for investigations into Biden in exchange for military aid—led to impeachment PolitiFact.

11. “Classified docs Mar‑a‑Lago is planted evidence”
    → Verdict: False. DOJ recovered classified documents and indicted Trump on obstruction and Espionage Act charges The Guardian.

12. “Access Hollywood tape is fake”
    → Verdict: False. Trump admitted, apologized, and court records show he privately acknowledged it was real before backtracking The Guardian+4Wikipedia+4AP News+4.

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🧬 Conspiracy & Fringe Theories

13. “Birtherism” (Obama not born in U.S.)
    → Verdict: False. Obama’s Hawaiian birth certificate confirmed his citizenship. Trump finally retracted the claim The Guardian+2Wikipedia+2Wikipedia+2.

14. “Bill Ayers wrote Obama’s memoir”
    → Verdict: False. No credible evidence supports this conspiracy Wikipedia.

15. “Obama secretly supported ISIS”
    → Verdict: False. No evidence existed to support this narrative Wikipedia.

16. “Obama controlled the Biden admin from the shadows”
    → Verdict: False. Entirely unsubstantiated .

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🐶 Miscellaneous Outrageous Claims

17. “He ate pets” (Germany pet-eating hoax)
    → Verdict: False. A false rumor that caused public backlash but was entirely made up AP News+4Wikipedia+4Wikipedia+4.

18. “Mice transgender in Biden admin”
    → Verdict: False. Bizarre conspiracy with no basis in fact, despite being touted by Trump The Guardian+2The White House+2AP News+2.

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✅ Summary Table

Claim Type	Specific Claim	Outcome
Russia & Election	“Russia hoax,” 2020 stolen election	Proven false; interference and false fraud debunked
Surveillance	“Wiretapped by Obama,” “Trump Tower surveillance”	No evidence for Obama taps; incidental surveillances existed
Science/Weather	“Sharpiegate,” climate hoax, Maria death toll lies	Disproved with NOAA integrity probe, scientific consensus
Legal/Personal	Stormy Daniels, taxes, Carroll, Ukraine call, documents	All substantiated via documents, court verdicts, indictments
Conspiracies	Birtherism, CIA conspiracies, ISIS, memoir writing	Fully debunked with official proof
Absurd Hoaxes	Eating pets, transgender mice	Entirely false, publicized to distract

📌 Takeaway

Trump’s label of “hoax” has often served as a rhetorical tool to deflect serious investigations—but many of these topics later revealed credible evidence, court verdicts, or official reports disproving his claims.

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Compiled with aid of ChatGPT