During the 2016 presidential campaign, when it became clear that Donald Trump played fast and loose with the truth, the Washington Bureau Chief for the Toronto Star, Daniel Dale, began fact-checking and cataloging Trump’s false statements.

He’s still at it, and the fabrications, distortions and outright lies currently number more than 3,000.

Now, in the lead up to the midterm elections, Trump is telling whoppers at a record pace.

In an interview with PBS Dale said, “And so, in 2017, he averaged 2.9 false claims per day. As of now, it's 4.5 false claims per day. So, it's more than five per day in 2018. And it's escalated even further as we have gotten closer to the midterms.”

Using little lies to obscure a big one?

There are too many untruths to catalog. Lies about migrants making their way north in Mexico. Lies about riots in what Trump called “sanctuary cities.” Lies about a new tax cut (when Congress isn’t in session.) It goes on and on and on.

But could they be lies with a purpose?

Trump wants to distract voters from the biggest lie being told by him and other Republicans, including Martha McSally.

He phrased it this way during a rally in Nevada: “Republicans will always protect people with pre-existing conditions.”

If you repeat it often enough

He put it this way right here in Arizona: “Republicans will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions.”

And this way in Kentucky: “Republicans — only — will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions.”

And like this on Twitter:

All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions, and if they don’t, they will after I speak to them. I am in total support. Also, Democrats will destroy your Medicare, and I will keep it healthy and well!

It’s not true.

Words don't match actions, at all

There is no polite way to describe it, not when everything Trump and other Republicans have done proves otherwise.

Republicans voted more than 50 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Yes, McSally was among them.

The American Association of Retired Persons pointed out that the Republican replacement bill “included an ‘age tax’ that could have added as much as $13,000 a year to health insurance costs for older Americans. It also would have discriminated against people who already had health conditions like cancer or diabetes.”

Trump’s Justice Department has refused to protect the Affordable Care Ace, supporting 20 states – Arizona among them – trying to gut the law, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Arizona politicians pretend to care

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is part of that assault on the law, putting the health care of thousands of Arizonans at risk.

Not only did McSally support gutting the law and the protections, she made the news by urging her colleagues with the fiery profane admonition: “Let’s get this f-ing thing done!”

Republicans say their plan to replace Obamacare will include requirements for insurers to cover pre-existing conditions.

This, too, is a sham.

Their bill allows states to wiggle out of such protections and does nothing to prevent insurers from jacking up the rates for people dealing with serious illness. This means that many of those people will not be able to afford insurance. In essence, protection for those with pre-existing conditions does not exist.

The most unhealthy pre-condition

After the justice department refused to defend Obamacare The American Cancer Society along with other patient advocacy groups said in a statement:

"The decision by the Department of Justice to abandon critical patient protections is devastating for the millions of Americans who suffer from serious illnesses or have preexisting conditions and rely on those protections under current law to obtain life-saving health care. Without access to comprehensive coverage patients will be forced to delay, skip or forgo care. This was often the case before the law took effect and would likely be the same should these essential protections be eliminated."

It almost seems as if President Trump had a pre-existing plan that involved telling pre-existing lies to protect Republican candidates like McSally from having to own up to their fabrications about protecting those with pre-existing conditions.

Ultimately, Trump wants to deny voters access to the truth so they can’t be cured (before the election, anyway) of what may be the most unhealthy pre-existing condition of all:

Ignorance.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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