Republicans’ reliance on fake historical quotes goes from bad to worse

When it comes to prominent Republican officials getting caught peddling fake historical quotes, Sen. Rand Paul tends to be in a league of his own. The Kentucky Republican has, after all, been caught pushing fake quotes from Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

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Paul, however, is not without company. On the Fourth of July in 2023, for example, Sen. Josh Hawley promoted a fake quote from Patrick Henry. (When he got caught, the Missouri Republican boasted that the “the libs” were “major triggered” by his willingness to amplify misinformation.)

Last year, it happened again when House Speaker Mike Johnson, shortly before he was sworn in for the new Congress, shared a quote from Jefferson that’s popular in conservative circles but is entirely made up.

With a track record like this, it’s tempting to think officials would take better care to avoid similar mistakes. And yet, the hits just keep on coming. The Wash ington Post reported:

A giant banner bearing the face of Theodore Roosevelt decorates the facade of the Office of Personnel Management in downtown Washington and carries an inspirational quote it attributes to the late leader. There’s one problem: Historians say the 26th president never uttered the phrase.

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“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength,” says the quote, which is overlaid in serif font under Roosevelt’s portrait and attributed to him.

It’s certainly a nice quote, but there’s just no evidence to suggest Roosevelt ever said it.