A close examination of every public word from the former president during a crucial week of his campaign.

By Angelo Fichera (April 7, 2024)

Since the beginning of his political career, Donald J. Trump has misled, mischaracterized, dissembled, exaggerated and, at times, flatly lied. His flawed statements about the border, the economy, the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 election have formed the bedrock of his 2024 campaign.

Though his penchant for bending, and often breaking, the truth has been well documented, a close study of how he does so reveals a kind of technique to his dishonesty: a set of recurring rhetorical moves with which Mr. Trump fuels his popularity among his supporters.

In the week starting with Mr. Trump’s victory speech in Iowa through his win in the New Hampshire primary — the contests that put him on the path to becoming his party’s nominee for the third consecutive time — The New York Times analyzed all of his public statements, including speeches, interviews and social media posts.

His words focused heavily on attacking his political rivals, self-aggrandizing and stoking fear to make his case for 2024. In doing so, Mr. Trump often relied on repeated falsehoods and half-truths. He has yet to deviate from this approach in the general election.

Here’s a look at how he does it.

• He grossly distorts his opponents’ records and proposals to make them sound unreasonable.

• He exaggerates and twists the facts to make his record sound better than it is.

• He relies on both well-worn and fresh claims of election rigging to suggest he can lose only if his opponents cheat.

• He has turned his criminal cases into a rallying cry, baselessly asserting that he is being persecuted by his successor.

• He makes unverifiable claims about what the world would have been like had he secured a second term.

• He describes the United States as a nation in ruins.

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