Trump vs Reality Overview: No Other Network Would Dare TV So Bold (and) Exhausting

Above all, credit is due for their commitment to the bit. In general, the UK broadcasters responded to Donald Trump’s state visit with cautious inserts embedded in scheduled news programming. Then along came Channel 4, which opted for ambition, junking off a full night’s schedule to deliver an unbroken, lengthy, evidence-driven, systematic refutation of almost every single thing that Trump has said since beginning his second term in January.

The extensive special, called Trump v the Truth, served as the centerpiece of what effectively became a Trump-themed programming block on Wednesday. Before it aired was episode two of The Donald Trump Show, an unusual segment that combined a sarcastic Come Dine With Me commentary over historical videos. All day long, regular hosts were replaced with a mimic who whined about their programming. For example, the impersonator remarked about his hatred of tossed salads.

Still, Trump v the Truth was always the real pull; an impressive show of force that few other broadcasters would have been brave enough to try. Beginning in the evening and running through the early morning, the show was billed as a carefully verified fact-checking effort of more than 100 inaccuracies that Trump has shared during his latest time in office, in addresses, media appearances, comments and social media posts.

On paper, this is an admirable example of public service journalism. In today’s climate where Trump routinely attempts to muzzle the press – only days ago, he launched a massive case against a prominent publisher – so for a broadcaster to call him out as thoroughly as this may lead the way for other nations to follow.

Watching the entire program was a different matter entirely. From its opening moments, the show maintained an consistent format: initially there was a clip of Trump, and then plain text on screen would drily correct him. Recordings of him announcing a impossible drop in drug prices was succeeded by text pointing out “There’s no way reduce a price by more than 100% as a 100% reduction means the price is free”. Footage of him claiming that the US is the sole nation absentee elections was followed by text noting that numerous other countries use it.

Prepare for weeks in a isolation chamber to recover from this …

The pattern persisted, jumping from small untruths about Trump taking credit for the word “equalise” and major distortions about Ukraine starting the war with Russia. In these cases, one couldn’t help but hope that Channel 4 had made a shorter show on the more serious claims. The anger you feel when faced with a major misleading statement – like his ongoing statements that most of immigrants are dangerous offenders – is soon diminished by more minor fare, including a fact about the background of the individual to make that discovery. When this happens, it seems as if being stuck in a bar with the most tedious person.

Difficult to find a decent comparison for the numbing experience of watching Trump v the Truth. It was reminiscent of Slow TV, but with the scenic ride replaced by a real danger to world stability. It was comparable to the old informational segments on VH1, but with entertaining facts about Madonna replaced with information about the punishment for killing national symbols. It was, in its sheer unrelenting length, a little bit like being experiencing a particularly terrifying bad dream.

Yet, this exhausting monotony was probably intentional. This was more than just activism and rather an overwhelming barrage designed to drain your energy under the weight of Trump’s falsehoods. And it worked. Once it was over, I only desire to pass the next three months in a sensory deprivation tank until my nervous system recovers.

An important issue is the target viewer. His base are unlikely to change by the fact that a overseas network spent hours drily rectifying his position on a criminal’s history. Those against him don’t need reminding that he doesn’t tell the truth, and were not required to be awake all night to be informed.

Maybe there’s a sliver of a possibility that Trump himself inadvertently pressed a device before he crashed out at the royal residence last night, and it started playing, and it led him to realize the falsehoods he spread. If that’s the case, then Trump v the Truth will have been justified. Alternatively, it might be wise that we write this off a noble but flawed attempt.