MSNBC host Joy Reid was fact-checked by CNN’s Jake Tapper after she made a false claim about the 2000 presidential election results and the origin of the name FiveThirtyEight.
On Twitter, Monday evening, Reid tweeted, “Here’s the thing: the reason there’s a thing called @FiveThirtyEight is because 538 was the margin in FL when the Republican SCOTUS reversed the 2000 election during a recount, making Dubya the president.”
“That’s the kind of margin where races can flip. That’s not what’s up now,” she claimed.
Reid’s tweet, however, was inaccurate.
On Tuesday, Tapper was one of the many people who took to social media to debunk Reid’s claims.
“This isn’t accurate,” he declared. “The margin in Florida was 537 votes (538 is the number of electoral college voters).”
Tapper also pointed out that “the SCOTUS didn’t reverse the 2000 election,” as “Bush always led in every count.”
This isn’t accurate. The margin in Florida was 537 votes (538 is the number of electoral college voters); the SCOTUS didn’t reverse the 2000 election (Bush always led in every count). https://t.co/oVREnnu6nT
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 10, 2020
Others reacted with awe.
Holy shit https://t.co/gm1rK10lae
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) November 10, 2020
MY GOD. SHE STILL HAS NOT DELETED THIS. https://t.co/aIoDmRBzmX
— Jeff B., who on earth is this guy?? (@EsotericCD) November 10, 2020
How is it that MSNBC has someone so stupid on their payroll? 538 is the total number of Electoral College votes. SCOTUS didn’t reverse a recount in Florida in 2000. These are the people who yell that Fox News viewers get lied to and this lady is full of shit. https://t.co/YENz9twqeP
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) November 10, 2020
Who is going to tell her? @NateSilver538? https://t.co/HyOooy4Dss
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) November 10, 2020
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