premise: Kellyanne Conway has used the phrase "alternative facts."
hypothesis: `` Alternative facts '' is a phrase used by U.S. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway during a Meet the Press interview on January 22 , 2017 , in which she defended White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer 's false statement about the attendance numbers of Donald Trump 's inauguration as President of the United States . Conway 's use of the phrase `` alternative facts '' to describe demonstrable falsehoods was widely mocked on social media and sharply criticized by journalists and media organizations , including Dan Rather , Jill Abramson , and the Public Relations Society of America . Conway later defended her choice of words , defining `` alternative facts '' as `` additional facts and alternative information '' . Kellyanne Conway . Since Trump 's inauguration , Conway has been embroiled in a series of controversies , including using the phrase `` alternative facts '' , making reference to a `` Bowling Green massacre '' that never occurred , claiming Michael Flynn had the full confidence of the president hours before he was dismissed , and publicly endorsing commercial products associated with the president 's daughter Ivanka Trump .