The new era of ‘alternative facts’

We knew Donald Trump was going to be disruptive. His entire campaign was unpredictable and provocative, so to think he was going to emerge on day one of his presidency as measured and calm and the kind of guy you trust to have the nuclear codes with was a stretch.

And yet, it’s astonishing what he decided to do on his first full day in office.

At the CIA headquarters, in what was expected to be a moment to heal his fractured relationship with the intelligence community, the president gave a rambling campaign-style speech, boasting about how many times he’s been on the cover of Time magazine, bragging about his intellect, suggesting everyone in the room probably voted for him and saying he’s in a running war with the media.

READ MORE: Here’s why the picture of Donald Trump’s inauguration did not undersell crowd size

He called the media “among the most dishonest human beings on earth” and said, “they’re going to pay a big price.”

An attack, and then a threat. Audacious, ominous, and petty. There he was, standing in front of the white marble Memorial Wall at the CIA that honours CIA officers who have died in the line of duty, and the President was in a snit over media reports about how many people came to his party.

WATCH BELOW: U.S. President Donald Trump claims that “a million to a million and a half” people attended inauguration despite U.S. media reporting low turnout.

1:50 Trump claims there were over a million people at Inauguration speech

We know what happened next. His press secretary Sean Spicer, in the first White House press briefing of the Trump administration, yelled at reporters and declared that Trump had attracted “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration” in person and around the world. He accused the media of faking the numbers to “minimize the enormous support” the president had.

He left without taking questions.

Thanks to Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway helpful explanation to Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press, we now know those were “alternative facts”.

Not the truth, but “alternative facts”.

WATCH BELOW: White House Press Secretary delivers statement refuting claims of low attendance at inauguration

3:24 White House Press Secretary delivers statement refuting claims of low attendance at inauguration

It boggles the mind. We seem to be entering a time when not only is the United States deeply divided politically, there’s not even a basic agreement on what is truth and what is a lie. What is fact, and what is fiction.

READ MORE: Inflated inauguration numbers called ‘alternative facts’ by top Trump advisor, Kellyanne Conway

Getting into a snit over a crowd is petty and smacks of insecurity.

But what happens when the press secretary – or the President – starts presenting “alternative facts” about things that matter? Like foreign policy, North Korea, Iran, terrorism, ISIS? Is the President really going to present the American people with “alternative facts” instead of the truth?

It feels like we’ve not only entered a new political era under Donald Trump but an ominous new era where facts no longer matter to the President of the United States.

WATCH BELOW: Kellyanne Conway defends White House press secretary’s inauguration numbers as ‘alternative facts’

6:30 Kellyanne Conway defends White House press secretary’s inauguration numbers as ‘alternative facts’