UK journalist delivers expert takedown of Trump adviser who refuses to call the president a liar — but concedes he 'does say things that are false'

British journalist Mehdi Hasan is not one to mince words when it comes to President Donald Trump. And when he interviewed Trump senior adviser Stephen Moore on al Jazeera’s “Head to Head” on October 3, Hasan stressed that Trump often goes way beyond spin or exaggeration — he flat-out lies and makes things up.

Moore acknowledged to Hasan, “I think when Trump does say things that are false, that does undermine his presidential authority. I wish he wouldn’t do it. He should stop saying things that are untrue.”

Hasan bluntly asserted, “So, he’s a liar?” — to which Moore responded, “I’m never going to say that. I think Trump is an exaggerator, and I think it gets him in trouble.”

Incredulous, Hasan told Moore, “Exaggerator? You call it exaggeration?”

Moore offered a specific example of what he calls “exaggeration” on Trump’s part, recalling, “It’s like when he said we were going to get 5% growth; we knew we weren’t going to get 5% growth.”

Hasan shot back, “That’s an exaggeration. But when he says: my dad was born in Germany even though he was born in New York, that’s not an exaggeration, it is? When he says (First Lady) Melania (Trump) got to know (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un — she’s never met Kim Jong Un — that’s not an exaggeration. Those aren’t exaggerations. Those are lies.”

Moore went on to claim that Trump has a “180 IQ” and above-average intelligence, and Hasan noted some of the ridiculous things Trump has said — telling Moore, “This is a man who thinks wind turbines cause cancer, thinks you can stop a hurricane with a nuclear weapon, thinks you need ID to buy a box of cereal…. These are things he says every day.”