How Trump Got Caught in a Ridiculous Lie About Inauguration Gowns Being Sold Out

Here's a ridiculous sentence: Donald Trump recently lied about there being a shortage of gowns in Washington DC stores in anticipation of his inauguration on Jan. 20. In an interview with The New York Times following the 2017 Golden Globes, Trump insisted that his inauguration would be a star-studded event despite the criticism he's received from much of Hollywood. "We are going to have an unbelievable, perhaps record-setting turnout for the inauguration, and there will be plenty of movie and entertainment stars," he said. "All the dress shops are sold out in Washington. It's hard to find a great dress for this inauguration."

As you might have guessed, not all of the clothing stores in the nation's capital were sold out of dresses. Indeed, The Washington Post followed up on the president-elect's claim and found the opposite to be true. The publication spoke with Martha Slagle, the vice president and general manager of a local Neiman Marcus, who said, "You have more than a thousand evening gowns to choose from . . . I'm stuffed with beautiful gowns."

Similarly, a smaller boutique owner, Krista Johnson of Ella Rue, disproved Trump's statement. "Unless a thousand people came in today, we'd still have choices," she said. To really drive the point home, Lena Farouki, the owner and buyer at Georgetown boutique Curio Concept, confirmed what her fellow proprietors had said. On selling out of dresses, she said, "It would be really difficult to achieve . . . we're a bigger city than people think." Perhaps the president-elect needs to widen his scope of the capital then? Or, you know, stop lying.