When U.S. Data Lies, the World Listens

The Trump administration’s manipulation of statistics is exporting uncertainty into the international system.

An illustration shows charts and graphs atop Donald Trump's face. September 22, 2025, 12:01 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Trump’s Second Term

Ongoing reports and analysis

Welcome, America, to the age of data theater.

If U.S. President Donald Trump’s disdain for truth once played out on Truth Social or via his press secretary , the past month’s actions show that his administration is no longer content just to dispute official numbers. Instead, it is now engaging in what we term data theater . Data theater does more than present false information. Its goal is to hollow out the impartial production of knowledge by gutti

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