YP Letters: Backing of Barack Obama was actually beneficial

IF Bill Carmichael feels he has to defend President Trump’s mid-term election performance, he should at the very least not rely on fake news to do it (The Yorkshire Post, November 9).

His column stated that ‘every candidate’ former president Barack Obama campaigned for during the election was defeated – a clear mistruth that circulated as a meme on pro-Republican Twitter accounts in the hours after Democrats retook the House of Representatives.

In fact, analysis by the Brookings Institution following the election shows of the 24 candidates Obama campaigned for, 15 were successful. Even if Obama didn’t campaign in person for a candidate, his endorsement alone was often beneficial. More than 20 congressional candidates he endorsed took seats from Republican incumbents and helped to flip the House.

Fortunately for Bill, political fact-checking organisations are thriving as a result of the Trump administration’s propensity for half-truths and blatant lies. He would do well to check with them before he writes his next piece on US politics rather than just believing everything he reads on the internet.