Fake News is Inconvenient Truth
Published: April 5, 2026 •
2 min read
Any time Donald Trump hears something he doesn’t like, it's “fake news.” It doesn’t matter if it’s a journalist, a government report, a video recording, or his own words played back to him. If he doesn’t want to hear it or wants anyone to believe it, real or not, he calls it fake. But here's a secret: fake news just means an inconvenient truth he doesn't like. It's dismissing the truth with a hand wave so no one will look too closely at it. And this isn't just something Trump does. It isn't even anything new.
Claiming something is "fake news" is the oldest trick in the would-be-king playbook.I have compiled a list of political leaders that have used this same tactic. Maybe you will recognize some of the names. It is certainly a uniquely exclusive group.
List of Political Leaders Who Denounce Media as Fake News
Napoleon Bonaparte (France, 1799–1815) – Controlled the press and denounced opposing newspapers as spreading falsehoods during his rule.
Adolf Hitler (Germany, 1933–1945) – Used the term Lügenpresse (“lying press”) to label critical media as enemies of the state.
Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union, 1924–1953) – Called Western and dissident media “anti-Soviet propaganda,” delegitimizing independent reporting.
Benito Mussolini (Italy, 1922–1943) – Branded independent newspapers as untrustworthy or foreign-influenced while promoting state-controlled outlets.
Mao Zedong (China, 1949–1976) – Criticized foreign journalists and domestic publications as spreading lies against the revolution.
Richard Nixon (USA, 1969–1974) – Labeled critical media like The Washington Post as biased during Watergate.
Vladimir Putin (Russia, 2000–present) – Regularly calls Western media propaganda and frames independent Russian media as misleading.
Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil, 2019–2022) – Accused Brazilian media of spreading false information, particularly around COVID-19 and political scandals.
Viktor Orbán (Hungary, 2010–present) – Criticizes independent media as biased, promoting state-aligned outlets.
Narendra Modi (India, 2014–present) – Government and party-linked rhetoric often frames critical journalists as spreading misinformation.
“Fake news” isn’t just a catchphrase or a quirk—it’s a warning sign. Once people stop believing what they see, hear, and read, they’ll believe anything. And that’s when democracy dies—not with a bang, but with a tweet.
Authoritarians often start by discrediting the press. Trump’s “fake news” label doesn’t just target lies—it targets anything that holds him accountable. That should concern all of us.
