Tracking all of President Trump’s false or misleading claims – Washington Post

“Richard Cordray will let you down, just like he did when he destroyed the government agency that he ran.”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Twitter

Cordray, who is running for Ohio governor, was the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It’s hard to understand how he could destroy something that had not even existed before.

“The Stock Market is up massively since the Election, but is now taking a little pause – people want to see what happens with the Midterms. If you want your Stocks to go down, I strongly suggest voting Democrat. They like the Venezuela financial model, High Taxes & Open Borders!”

Oct 30, 2018Oct 19Oct 19Oct 16Oct 10Oct 6Oct 1

Topic: Economy

Source: Twitter

This is a nonsense fear tactic. Trump’s claim originates with the Democrats who have embraced some socialist policies. While Venezuela is governed by socialist leaders, it’s status as an increasingly failed state follows years of dictatorship and economic mismanagement, not simply a few socialist policies. Most analysts said the stock market swoon resulted from disappointing corporate earnings stemming from Trump’s tariff policy.

Topic: Biographical record

Source: Twitter

The president retweeted a false claim that CBS deleted an episode of “Late Night with Stephen Colbert” that featured Trump from its website and YouTube channel. The episode remains online.

“CNN and others in the Fake News Business keep purposely and inaccurately reporting that I said the ‘Media is the Enemy of the People.’ Wrong! I said that the ‘Fake News (Media) is the Enemy of the People,’ a very big difference. When you give out false information – not good!”

Topic: Biographical record

Source: Twitter

Trump’s definition of “fake news” is that it is negative, not that it accurately reflects what happened. People in the news business have a different definition of fake news — things that did not happen. Reporters do make mistakes, but responsible news organizations correct them.

“Check out tweets from last two days. I refer to Fake News Media when mentioning Enemy of the People – but dishonest reporters use only the word ‘Media.’ The people of our Great Country are angry and disillusioned at receiving so much Fake News. They get it, and fully understand!”

Topic: Biographical record

Source: Twitter

This is preposterous. The president routinely condemns media outlets by name for unflattering coverage. He specifically called the New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN “the enemy of the American people” in a previous tweet from 2017.

“In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor – and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country!”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Twitter

Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor in Florida, has said that an FBI investigation into Tallahassee is not looking into him. Trump claims without evidence that Gillum is a thief.

“Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border. Please go back, you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!”

The Trump administration has shown no evidence that gang members are part of the migrant caravan from Central America. It is part of the “legal process” to apply for asylum once inside the United States. Except for the National Guard, members of the U.S. military are generally barred from enforcing immigration laws under the Posse Comitatus Act.

“There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news. The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People, must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly. That will do much to put out the flame… ….of Anger and Outrage and we will then be able to bring all sides together in Peace and Harmony. Fake News Must End!”

Topic: Biographical record

Source: Twitter

Trump blames the media for a lot of things, but this is absurd. These tweets allude to two notorious individuals. Cesar Sayoc is an ardent Trump supporter who mailed pipe bombs to CNN and prominent Democratic figures including Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Trump routinely attacks CNN and these same Democrats in his rallies and public remarks. Robert Bowers murdered 11 Jewish congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. According to his online postings, Bowers believed Jewish people were secretly behind the migrant caravan from Central America. Trump and top administration officials have also spread baseless conspiracy theories about who might be funding the caravan.

“I moved the, as you know, the embassy to Jerusalem … It was going to take years and years to build and it was going to cost over a billion dollars — I opened up a beautiful building for $400,000, already open, saved well over a billion dollars — and it’s opened after four months.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 26Oct 24Oct 9Oct 6Sep 26Sep 21Jul 31Jul 24May 29Mar 5

Topic: Foreign policy

Source: Interview

The new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is a temporary location. It’s not a new building; the U.S. refurbished its existing consulate in Jerusalem. Costs for the permanent embassy could well surpass $400,000 when all is said and done.

“I think President Obama would have gone to war very — if he had an extra year he would be in right now a war with North Korea — he told me it was by far, and I’m not knocking him for this, he said it’s by far his biggest problem. Look at what we’ve done.”

Topic: Foreign policy

Source: Interview

Trump exaggerates the possibility of war, which had been heightened by his own harsh rhetoric.

“We got everything [from North Korea]. There’s no missiles, we got our hostages back, we have the remains coming back — everything.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 27Oct 26Oct 19Oct 15Oct 12Oct 11Oct 11Oct 9Oct 9Oct 6Oct 4Sep 29Sep 25Sep 25Sep 24Sep 21Sep 19Sep 18Sep 7Sep 6Aug 30Aug 23Aug 23Aug 20Aug 19Aug 7Jul 24Jun 26Jun 25Jun 21Jun 20Jun 13Jun 13Jun 12

Topic:

Source: Interview

Trump highlights the visible fruits of his talks with North Korea. But The Washington Post reported in June that U.S. intelligence officials, citing newly obtained evidence, have concluded that North Korea does not intend to fully surrender its nuclear stockpile, and instead is considering ways to conceal the number of weapons it has and secret production facilities.

“Look what happened for Ted Cruz; who’s doing great now — we left Houston, he’s now doing great — they don’t even talk about that race and his opponent is not very good.”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Interview

The polls show the race between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) have tightened since Trump’s rally for Cruz. Beto raised far more money than Cruz.

“He [Cesar Sayoc] was insane a long time before — you look at his medical records — he was insane for a long time. Bernie Sanders had a fan who shot a very good friend of ours, Steve Scalise — and other people — he was a total maniac — nobody puts his name in the headline, Bernie Sanders in the headline with the maniac.”

Topic: Crime

Source: Interview

The situations are not the same. Unlike Trump, Sanders did not use the same kind of rhetoric against the media or Republican figures; there was no direct line between Sanders’s language and the supporter who shot at members of Congress.

“So a reporter for the Washington Post, there’s a story that — a place that I was doing, an arena was empty and he shows a picture; not a very good crowd, Mr. Trump, something to that effect. And then it turned out that he took the picture five hours before the people started coming into the arena. The arena was packed and there were thousands of people outside. They had to retract it. But this is the kind of dishonesty that we have.”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Interview

Trump is making a mountain out of a tweet. Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel tweeted a photo of a nearly empty arena, but he quickly deleted it after he was informed it was from hours earlier. Weigel responded minutes after a tweet from Trump, who said he had “put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived.” Weigel said he took the tweet down after Daily Mail political editor David Martosko told him he had gotten it wrong. “Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I’d gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner,” he tweeted. Trump later called on Weigel to be fired, even though it appeared to be an innocent mistake. Weigel still works for The Post.

“The FBI offered him [Andrew Gillum] tickets at $1,800 apiece and he took them. He took a trip with the same FBI agent — I guess he was posing as a developer or something — the man stone cold took this stuff. I don’t even think he should be allowed to continue on with the race.”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Interview

Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor in Florida, accepted tickets to “Hamilton” in 2016 from an undercover FBI agent who was posing as a real estate developer. Gillum claims he did not receive the tickets directly, but through his brother, although text messages show he might have been aware of the origins. The undercover agent and Gillum and his brother met and socialized in New York, but they did not travel together as Trump claimed, and there’s no evidence the tickets cost $1,800 apiece.

“When you look at that caravan and you look that caravan and look at largely, very, you know, big percentage of men, young, strong — a lot of bad people, a lot of bad people in there. People that are in gangs — we don’t want them in this country. If they want to come into the country, you have to apply, like other people.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 29Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 24Oct 23Oct 23Oct 23Oct 22Oct 22Oct 22Oct 22Oct 22Oct 20Oct 20Oct 20Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 18Oct 18Oct 18Oct 18

Topic: Immigration

Source: Interview

Trump has no evidence that there are “a lot of bad people” among the migrants. Many are poor families, carrying a few belongings and fleeing gang violence or poverty.

“I’m sending up the military. This is the military. And they’re standing there and one thing that we’ll have — When they are captured, we don’t let them out. What has been happening and we’re not as of pretty recently — we’re not letting them out. What happens is they would catch and release. We’re catching, we’re not releasing. So they want to come over. But we’re not even doing that. We’re not letting them into this country.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 29Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 24Oct 23Oct 23Oct 23Oct 22Oct 22Oct 22Oct 22Oct 22Oct 20Oct 20Oct 20Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 19Oct 18Oct 18Oct 18Oct 18

Topic: Immigration

Source: Interview

Full story

The military is restricted by law in the types of activities it can carry out on the border, and is forbidden from apprehending or searching migrants. Trump would need to change U.S. law before ending catch and release.

“The problem is — they release them [immigrants applying for asylum] in and then they have the trial three years later and nobody shows up.”

Topic: Immigration

Source: Interview

Justice Department data show 60 to 75% of non-detained migrants have attended their immigration court proceedings. For the specific group of migrants Trump was addressing, asylum-seekers, data suggests the return rate is even higher. The data for a program that Trump ended in June shows participants had a 100 percent attendance record at court hearings. They also had a 99 percent rate of check-ins and appointments with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

“And also, President Obama separated children from parents. Nobody talks about this.”

Nobody talks about this because it is not true. The underlying laws were the same, but the Trump administration, as a policy decision called “zero tolerance,” mandated anyone caught crossing the border illegally was to be criminally prosecuted. That meant children were separated and placed in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services. Obama did not have the same “zero tolerance” policy.

“The Hispanic Americans have the best unemployment numbers and employment numbers in the history of our country. The African Americans have the best employment and unemployment numbers in the history of our country. Asians, best employment numbers in the history of our country.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 26Oct 22Oct 19Oct 16Oct 13Oct 12Oct 10Oct 6Oct 4Oct 1Oct 1Sep 24Sep 24Sep 7Sep 7Sep 6Aug 30Aug 24Aug 24Aug 7Jul 31Jul 27

Topic: Jobs

Source: Interview

The Asian-American statistic has been around for less than 20 years. And while it reached a low of 2.1 percent rate in May 2018, it returned to 3.5 percent in September, the most recent month available.

“We have so many companies, big ones like Foxconn and like the car companies — they’re moving back to Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida — they’re coming back and nobody’s ever seen this.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 27Oct 12Jul 24Jul 19Jun 28Jun 23Jun 19May 16May 11May 10Apr 28Apr 18Apr 16Apr 12Mar 14Mar 10Mar 9Mar 7Feb 23Feb 5Jan 30Jan 28Jan 28Jan 26Jan 24Jan 18Jan 16

Topic: Jobs

Source: Interview

Trump suggests that Mexican jobs are leaving for the United States. In reality, Chrysler is shifting truck production to the United States, but not at the expense of jobs or plants in Mexico. The Mexicans keep their jobs, while new ones will be created in the United States. The Foxconn deal had been in the works for years, and cost per job has become so controversial that it has been a drag on Gov. Scott Walker’s bid for re-election.

“We have really helped rebuild China. … They’ve been taking out an average of $500 billion dollars, billion, a year, for many years.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 17Oct 17Oct 14Oct 13Oct 13Oct 12Oct 12Oct 11Oct 9Oct 9Oct 9Oct 6Oct 4Oct 2Oct 2Oct 2Oct 1Oct 1Sep 29Sep 26Sep 26Sep 21Sep 20Sep 17Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 4Aug 30Aug 29Aug 23Aug 16Aug 7Aug 4Jul 31Jul 26Jul 24Jul 19Jul 13Jun 28Jun 27Jun 26Jun 23Jun 20Jun 19Jun 15Jun 12May 24May 22May 18May 15Apr 28Apr 18Apr 16Apr 12Apr 7Apr 6Apr 5Apr 4Apr 3Mar 23Mar 22Mar 22Mar 14Mar 10Mar 9Mar 9Mar 8Mar 6Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 23Feb 13Feb 13Dec 28, 2017Nov 11Nov 9Nov 6Jul 25Apr 4Feb 23

Topic: Trade

Source: Interview

Trump regularly complains about the trade deficit with China, saying it is $500 billion. But it was $310 billion in 2016. The goods deficit in 2017 was $375 billion, the number that Trump is citing here, but that will most likely be lower when the trade in services figure is calculated.

“There should never been a special counsel. In my opinion. It’s an illegal investigation totally.”

Topic: Russia

Source: Interview

The special counsel was appointed by the deputy attorney general appointed by Trump.

“There was no collusion. There was never any collusion.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 19Oct 16Oct 16Oct 14Oct 13Oct 11Oct 11Oct 9Oct 8Sep 26Sep 26Sep 24Sep 20Sep 20Sep 18Sep 17Sep 17Sep 16Sep 15Sep 12Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 4Sep 1Aug 30Aug 23Aug 22Aug 22Aug 22Aug 21Aug 21Aug 20Aug 20Aug 19Aug 19Aug 17Aug 15Aug 14Aug 14Aug 12Aug 10Aug 9Aug 6Aug 5Aug 1Jul 31Jul 27Jul 22Jul 22Jul 21Jul 19Jul 17Jul 17Jul 17Jul 16Jul 16Jul 16Jul 15Jul 14Jul 13Jul 11Jul 7Jul 7Jul 6Jul 5Jul 1Jul 1Jun 28Jun 28Jun 28Jun 27Jun 23Jun 23Jun 20Jun 18Jun 18Jun 17Jun 16Jun 15Jun 14Jun 8Jun 5Jun 2Jun 2May 30May 29May 29May 27May 26May 23May 23May 20May 20May 20May 20May 18May 17May 17May 15May 7May 2May 2May 2Apr 18Apr 18Apr 11Apr 9Feb 24Feb 10Feb 10Feb 3Jan 25Jan 16Jan 11Jan 10Jan 10Jan 10Jan 6Jan 6Jan 5Dec 28, 2017Dec 28Dec 28Dec 15Dec 12Nov 26Nov 11Oct 27Oct 25Oct 25Oct 18Oct 16Oct 11Oct 10Sep 22Sep 22Aug 3Jul 29Jul 23Jul 12Jul 9Jun 22May 12May 10Apr 28Apr 5Apr 1Mar 20Mar 20Mar 20Mar 20Feb 26Feb 24Feb 16Feb 7

Topic: Russia

Source: Interview

The special counsel investigation into potential collusion between Russia and Trump’s campaign and obstruction of justice continues, and no conclusions have been announced.

“Just watched Wacky Tom Steyer, who I have not seen in action before, be interviewed by @jaketapper. He comes off as a crazed & stumbling lunatic who should be running out of money pretty soon. As bad as their field is, if he is running for President, the Dems will eat him alive!”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Twitter

Tom Steyer is a billionaire Democrat who has donated millions to support 2018 Democratic campaigns. He’s not likely to “run out of money” anytime soon.

“I remember when we had the attack in Manhattan, we opened the stock exchange the next day. People were shocked.”

Oct 27, 2018

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Remarks

Full story

In an effort to justify holding a campaign rally after 11 people at a synagogue were murdered in Pittsburgh, the president referenced an event that did not happen. The NYSE and even the over-the-counter Nasdaq exchange never opened for trading the morning of the attacks and were closed until Sept. 17 — the longest shutdown since 1933.

“With what happened early today, that horrible, horrible attack in Pittsburgh, I was saying maybe I should cancel both this and that. And then I said to myself, I remembered Dick Russell, a friend of mine, great guy, he headed up the New York Stock Exchange on September 11th, and the New York Stock Exchange was open the following day. He said — and what they had to do to open it you wouldn’t believe, we won’t even talk to you about it. But he got that exchange open. We can’t make these sick, demented, evil people important.”

Oct 27, 2018

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Campaign rally

Full story

In an effort to justify holding a campaign rally after 11 people at a synagogue were murdered in Pittsburgh, the president referenced an event that did not happen. The NYSE and even the over-the-counter Nasdaq exchange never opened for trading the morning of the attacks and were closed until Sept. 17 — the longest shutdown since 1933.

““Remember the teams, the Yankees, George Steinbrenner. He said we have got to play, even if nobody comes, nobody shows up, we have got to play.”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Campaign rally

Full story

Trump implied that baseball did not pause for the Sept. 11 attacks but started playing games as soon as possible. But the games were canceled that night — and then for the rest of the week. Professional baseball also did not start up again until six days later, on Sept. 17. The whole baseball season was pushed back a week.

“China has been ripping us off for many, many years. They’ve been taking out billions and billions of dollars out of our country. Five hundred billion dollars on average a year for many years.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 17Oct 17Oct 14Oct 13Oct 13Oct 12Oct 12Oct 11Oct 9Oct 9Oct 9Oct 6Oct 4Oct 2Oct 2Oct 2Oct 1Oct 1Sep 29Sep 26Sep 26Sep 21Sep 20Sep 17Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 4Aug 30Aug 29Aug 23Aug 16Aug 7Aug 4Jul 31Jul 26Jul 24Jul 19Jul 13Jun 28Jun 27Jun 26Jun 23Jun 20Jun 19Jun 15Jun 12May 24May 22May 18May 15Apr 28Apr 18Apr 16Apr 12Apr 7Apr 6Apr 5Apr 4Apr 3Mar 23Mar 22Mar 22Mar 14Mar 10Mar 9Mar 9Mar 8Mar 6Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 23Feb 13Feb 13Dec 28, 2017Nov 11Nov 9Nov 6Jul 25Apr 4Feb 23

Topic: Trade

Source: Interview

The trade deficit in goods and services in 2017 with China was $375 billion. Trump often just cites the goods deficit, which was $505 billion, according to the Census Bureau. In any case, countries do not make or lose money on trade deficits.

“They were asked about Mexico, and what turned out to be a great deal, the USMCA, and — a far better deal than NAFTA. NAFTA, to me, NAFDA was a horrible deal. ”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 22Oct 18Oct 13Oct 12Oct 12Oct 9Oct 9Oct 9Oct 6

Topic: Trade

Source: Interview

Trump keeps claiming that he significantly overhauled the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It’s not a total trade revolution, as Trump promised, but USMCA does make changes to modernize trade rules in effect from 1994 to 2020, and it gives some wins to U.S. farmers and blue-collar workers in the auto sector. Contrary to Trump’s assertions, Canada’s dairy supply management system stays mostly intact, and Chapter 19, the treaty’s dispute resolution mechanism, remains in place, a win for the Canadian lumber sector. Economists and auto experts think USMCA is going to cause car prices in the United States to rise and the selection to go down. Some elements of the deal were borrowed from the Trans Pacific Partnership, the trade deal Trump scrapped at the start of his term.

“What was one of the first things I did with China? Cattle. I got the cattle.

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Apr 28Apr 12Jul 25, 2017Jul 17May 12

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

China had already agreed to allow the sale of U.S. beef under a deal brokered by the Obama administration. The only thing new was that a definite date was set for when sales would begin.

“So, I can get you a farm bill immediately, tonight. I can get you a farm bill, essentially….Essentially, we need 10 votes, and the Democrats will not give us the votes that we need. The Democrats, I guess, don’t care too much about the farmers.”

Topic: Miscellaneous

Source: Prepared speech

Trump glosses over the fact that conservative Republicans have pushed for major changes in supplemental nutrition programs which has led to an impasse between the House and Senate.

“We have countries that — look at Canada Canada was charging us 275 percent tariff on farm products and dairy products that we’re sending into Canada. I mean, not right.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 24Oct 12Sep 29Sep 26Sep 26Sep 26Sep 21Sep 21Sep 20Sep 20Sep 7Sep 7Sep 5Sep 5Aug 31Aug 30Aug 27Aug 24Aug 21Aug 16Jul 26Jul 18Jul 1Jun 28Jun 27Jun 25Jun 23Jun 23Jun 21Jun 20Jun 19Jun 15Jun 12Jun 9Jun 9Jun 8Jun 7

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

Canada does have high dairy tariffs, just as the United States props up sugar prices. But Canada’s overall tariffs are lower than the United States — and Canada made large dairy concessions in the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement negotiated by Barack Obama, which Trump pulled out of in the early days of his presidency. According to the World Bank, here are the average tariff rates charged by G-7 nations: US: 1.6%; EU: 1.6%; UK: 1.6%; Italy: 1.6%; Germany: 1.6%; France: 1.6%; Japan: 1.4%; Canada: 0.8%

“We’re going to be eliminating job-killing regulations, which we’ve already done in record numbers.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 22Oct 17Oct 17Oct 17Oct 14Oct 13Oct 9Oct 9Oct 4Oct 2Oct 1Sep 29Sep 20Sep 17Sep 7Aug 31Aug 31Aug 24Aug 4Jul 31Jul 24Jul 23Jul 5Jul 1Jun 27Jun 25Jun 23Jun 23Jun 23Jun 20Jun 20Jun 15May 24Apr 28Apr 16Apr 12Mar 8Mar 7Feb 23Feb 5Feb 1Jan 30Jan 28Jan 26Jan 26Jan 26Jan 24Jan 20Jan 16Jan 8Dec 30, 2017Dec 27Dec 18Dec 14Dec 8Nov 29Nov 29Nov 6Nov 2Nov 2Oct 31Oct 17Oct 13Oct 11Oct 10Oct 7

Topic: Economy

Source: Prepared speech

Full story

Trump may have grounds to brag, but his claim cannot be easily verified. There is no reliable metric on which to judge his claim — or to compare him to previous presidents.

“We’re building up our military to a level that is higher than it’s ever been.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 23Oct 23Oct 19Oct 17Oct 16Oct 6Oct 1Sep 21Sep 17Sep 7Sep 7Aug 13Aug 2Jul 3Jun 27May 25Apr 26Mar 29Mar 25Mar 23Mar 14Feb 24Feb 14Feb 12Feb 5Feb 1Jan 18Jan 10Dec 30, 2017Dec 22Dec 20Dec 18Dec 15Dec 12Dec 7Dec 6Nov 23Nov 15Mar 17

Topic: Foreign policy

Source: Prepared speech

The military budget has declined in recent years, as a result of decreases in funding for Overseas Contingency Operations as both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan came to a close not because it’s been so gravely depleted.

“In the two years leading up to the election, agriculture products — and please remember this — our exports dropped by nearly $23 billion. Think of that. Agriculture exports. This is before I took office, before the election — dropped by $23 billion. Nobody wants to say that, but I say it. Now they’re up by more than $14 billion, and that’s before these great trade deals kick in.
great trade deals.”

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

Since 2008, U.S. agricultural exports have accounted for a 20% share of U.S. farm and manufactured or processed agricultural sales. In 2018 agricultural exports are forecast to be flat, at $144.5 billion, due largely to abundant supplies in international markets and strong competition from major foreign competitors. The ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute is expected to shift trade patterns, but the aggregate value of U.S. exports is expected to hold steady.

“Before the election, American farmers saw their net income plummet by one-third. Now we have increased net farm incomes — and this is during negotiations of these tough deals — by $4 billion.”

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

Trump is correct that farm income fell steadily from 2013 before rebounding in 2017, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. “U.S. farm income experienced a golden period during 2011 through 2014 due to strong commodity prices and robust agricultural exports,” according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. However, national net farm income in 2018 is forecast to drop 13 percent from 2017, not counting Trump’s bailout for farmers hurt by his tariffs. Adjusting for inflation, that would bring income levels to around 15-year lows.

“When we had NAFTA, we lost millions and millions of jobs. Thousands and thousands of companies moved to Mexico, and Canada, to a lesser extent. But they moved to Mexico — car companies, other companies. Millions and millions of jobs.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 24Oct 23Oct 22Oct 20Oct 20Oct 19Oct 17Oct 12Oct 12Oct 11Oct 9Oct 4Oct 2Oct 2Oct 1Oct 1Oct 1Oct 1Sep 29Sep 26Sep 21Sep 20Sep 20Sep 20Sep 17Sep 11Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 5Sep 5Sep 5Sep 1Aug 31Aug 24Aug 23Jun 23Jun 6Jun 1Apr 16Apr 12Apr 12Apr 9Apr 3Apr 3Apr 1Mar 14Mar 5Mar 5Mar 1Jan 11Dec 18, 2017Dec 8Nov 5Nov 2Oct 25Oct 10Jul 25Jun 21Apr 29Apr 21Apr 20Apr 18Mar 17Mar 15Mar 15Feb 24Jan 26

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

Trump’s attack on NAFTA is over the top. It is often difficult to separate out the impact of trade agreements on jobs, compared to other, broader economic trends. But the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service in 2015 concluded the “net overall effect of NAFTA on the U.S. economy appears to have been relatively modest, primarily because trade with Canada and Mexico accounts for a small percentage of U.S. GDP,” though it noted “there were worker and firm adjustment costs as the three countries adjusted to more open trade and investment among their economies.”

“I opened China to our beef a year ago. I haven’t checked recently how we’re doing there because we are in the middle of a pretty nasty dispute that we will win. We will win. No, we’re going to win it. But China was taking our beef. First time since the year 2000, when they ended it. But I went to President Xi, and he agreed to do it. And it was great.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Apr 28Apr 12Jul 25, 2017Jul 17May 12

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

China had already agreed to allow the sale of U.S. beef under a deal brokered by the Obama administration. The only thing new was that a definite date was set for when sales would begin.

“They’ve been doing beyond well — taking out $500 billion a year out of the United States. Would you say that’s a lot? That’s a lot of corn. That’s a lot of wheat. That’s a lot of soybeans.”

Oct 29, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 17Oct 17Oct 14Oct 13Oct 13Oct 12Oct 12Oct 11Oct 9Oct 9Oct 9Oct 6Oct 4Oct 2Oct 2Oct 2Oct 1Oct 1Sep 29Sep 26Sep 26Sep 21Sep 20Sep 17Sep 7Sep 7Sep 7Sep 4Aug 30Aug 29Aug 23Aug 16Aug 7Aug 4Jul 31Jul 26Jul 24Jul 19Jul 13Jun 28Jun 27Jun 26Jun 23Jun 20Jun 19Jun 15Jun 12May 24May 22May 18May 15Apr 28Apr 18Apr 16Apr 12Apr 7Apr 6Apr 5Apr 4Apr 3Mar 23Mar 22Mar 22Mar 14Mar 10Mar 9Mar 9Mar 8Mar 6Mar 5Mar 1Feb 26Feb 23Feb 13Feb 13Dec 28, 2017Nov 11Nov 9Nov 6Jul 25Apr 4Feb 23

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

The trade deficit in goods and services in 2017 with China was $375 billion. Trump often just cites the goods deficit, which was $505 billion, according to the Census Bureau. In any case, countries do not make or lose money on trade deficits.

“The European Union sends us Mercedes Benzs, BMWs, by the millions. They won’t take a piece of corn. They won’t take wheat.”

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

The U.S. has substantial wheat and corn exports to the European Union, though Canada is a strong competitor. There are no barriers to trading grain with Europe. U.S. consumers buy a lot of high-value products from Europe, causing a trade deficit. Meanwhile, German automakers sold 1.35 million vehicles in the United States in 2017, about 8% of total U.S. car sales. Of those, only 494,000 were exported from Germany to the United States — 25% less than in 2013, according to the German carmakers association. Most of the remainder were made in the United States and in Mexico, which has a free trade agreement with the United States.

“The European Union has been very restrictive. They don’t take a lot — not only farm products; medical products. So many products they don’t take. And yet, we take theirs. And when they do take our product, they charge us massive tax — massive. A tariff — massive. And we take theirs, same product, we charge them almost nothing.”

Topic: Trade

Source: Prepared speech

The European Union is the U.S.’s biggest trading partner, with total trade of more than $700 billion.

“To help American products compete and win all around the world, we passed the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 22Oct 20Oct 19Oct 13Oct 12Oct 10Oct 9Oct 9Oct 4Oct 2Oct 1Sep 29Sep 26Sep 25Sep 21Sep 20Sep 17Sep 7Sep 6Aug 31Aug 31Aug 30Aug 30Aug 24Aug 23Aug 21Aug 21Aug 13Aug 7Aug 4Aug 2Jul 31Jul 27Jul 24Jul 23Jul 5Jun 29Jun 28Jun 27Jun 23Jun 23Jun 20Jun 19Jun 6May 29May 24May 5Apr 16Apr 6Apr 5Mar 20Mar 14Mar 10Mar 8Mar 7Feb 24Feb 23Feb 5Feb 1Jan 30Jan 28Jan 26Jan 26Jan 18Jan 10Jan 8Jan 8Dec 22, 2017Dec 22Dec 22Dec 20Dec 18Dec 18Dec 13Dec 12Dec 8Dec 1Nov 29Nov 28Nov 27Nov 2Nov 2Nov 2Nov 1Nov 1Oct 31Oct 31Oct 29Oct 25Oct 25Oct 18Oct 17Oct 17Oct 16Oct 16Oct 16Oct 11Oct 10Oct 7Oct 6Oct 6Oct 6Sep 29Sep 27Sep 24Sep 22Sep 6Jul 25Jun 26Jun 21Jun 8Jun 7May 18May 17May 5May 4May 4May 1May 1

Topic: Taxes

Source: Prepared speech

Full story

Trump’s tax cut was nearly 0.9 percent of the gross domestic product, meaning it would be far smaller than President Ronald Reagan’s tax cut in 1981, which was 2.89 percent of GDP. Trump’s tax cut, if enacted in law, would be the eighth largest tax cut — and even smaller than two tax cuts passed under Barack Obama.

“Our tax cuts will save family farms and small-business owners from the deeply unfair estate tax, also known as the death tax, so that your farms will stay in your families without you borrowing a fortune from the banks — — mortgaging your farms so that you can pay off the tax.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 23Oct 22Oct 19Oct 9Oct 2Sep 6Aug 30Aug 4Aug 2Jul 5Jul 5Jun 27Jun 23Jun 23Jun 19Jan 8Dec 22, 2017Dec 20Nov 29Sep 27Sep 27

Topic: Taxes

Source: Prepared speech

Full story

This is an enormous stretch. Trump often claims he saved family farms and small businesses by gradually repealing the federal estate tax. Repealing the estate tax primarily benefits the wealthy. The estate tax rarely falls on farms or small businesses, since only those leaving behind more than $5 million pay it. According to the Tax Policy Center, nearly 5,500 estates in 2017 — out of nearly 3 million — were subject to the tax. Of those, only 80 taxable estates would be farms and small businesses.

“We’ve removed more job-killing regulations than any administration in history. And we’ve all done that. We’ve done that in less than two years. No administration, whether it’s four years, eight years — or more, in one case — has done more.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 22Oct 17Oct 17Oct 17Oct 14Oct 13Oct 9Oct 9Oct 4Oct 2Oct 1Sep 29Sep 20Sep 17Sep 7Aug 31Aug 31Aug 24Aug 4Jul 31Jul 24Jul 23Jul 5Jul 1Jun 27Jun 25Jun 23Jun 23Jun 23Jun 20Jun 20Jun 15May 24Apr 28Apr 16Apr 12Mar 8Mar 7Feb 23Feb 5Feb 1Jan 30Jan 28Jan 26Jan 26Jan 26Jan 24Jan 20Jan 16Jan 8Dec 30, 2017Dec 27Dec 18Dec 14Dec 8Nov 29Nov 29Nov 6Nov 2Nov 2Oct 31Oct 17Oct 13Oct 11Oct 10Oct 7

Topic: Economy

Source: Prepared speech

Full story

Trump may have grounds to brag, but his claim cannot be easily verified. There is no reliable metric on which to judge his claim — or to compare him to previous presidents.

“Since the day I took office, we have removed, delayed, cancelled, or withdrawn more than 2,200 planned federal rules and regulations.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 27Oct 26Oct 24Oct 22Oct 17Oct 17Oct 17Oct 14Oct 13Oct 9Oct 9Oct 4Oct 2Oct 1Sep 29Sep 20Sep 17Sep 7Aug 31Aug 31Aug 24Aug 4Jul 31Jul 24Jul 23Jul 5Jul 1Jun 27Jun 25Jun 23Jun 23Jun 23Jun 20Jun 20Jun 15May 24Apr 28Apr 16Apr 12Mar 8Mar 7Feb 23Feb 5Feb 1Jan 30Jan 28Jan 26Jan 26Jan 26Jan 24Jan 20Jan 16Jan 8Dec 30, 2017Dec 27Dec 18Dec 14Dec 8Nov 29Nov 29Nov 6Nov 2Nov 2Oct 31Oct 17Oct 13Oct 11Oct 10Oct 7

Topic: Economy

Source: Prepared speech

This number appears exaggerated. Many of these regulatory actions had been stalled for some time.

“We are ditching one of the most ridiculous regulations of all, except it’s got the most beautiful name, the title. I said, “Oh, I’m going to sign this, because I know how bad it is. I’m going to get killed.” And I didn’t, because everybody knew how bad. It’s got the most beautiful title — the disastrous Waters of the United States rule….It means you couldn’t farm your land. It means you couldn’t build houses on your land. It means you couldn’t do anything with your land. If you had a little puddle on your land — you heard this — it was considered, for purposes of that rule, a lake. And you came under restrictions and regulations that made it impossible to go anywhere near it. Honestly, it was insane.”

Oct 27, 2018Feb 23Jan 8Nov 29, 2017Jul 25Jul 19Jul 12Jun 21Feb 28

Topic: Environment

Source: Prepared speech

Full story

The Obama-era Waters of the United States rule technically has an exemption for puddles. But opponents of the rule argue say since a “puddle” is not defined in the rule, the EPA can still regulate what some people may consider puddles.

“I did another one too: the Paris Accord. That drained us. That drained us. That was costing us — that would have cost us hundreds of billions of dollars, the environmental accord.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 22Sep 29Sep 20Aug 31Aug 21Jul 31Jul 5Jan 28Dec 18, 2017Dec 8Aug 22Jul 12Jul 7Jun 29

Topic: Environment

Source: Prepared speech

Full story

Each country set its own commitments under the Paris Accord, so Trump’s comment is puzzling. He could unilaterally change the commitments offered by former President Barack Obama, which is technically allowed under the Accord.

“We, right now, have the cleanest air and the cleanest water, which is what I want. I want absolutely immaculate air and crystal, clean water.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 22Oct 16Sep 20

Topic: Environment

Source: Prepared speech

The United States does not have the world’s best air quality, as Trump claimed. According to WHO’s database of the annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter in urban areas, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and New Zealand each were less polluted than the United States in 2016.

“We’ve created more than 4.2 million new jobs since the election.”

Oct 27, 2018Oct 27Oct 24Oct 22Oct 19Oct 13Oct 12Oct 10Oct 9Oct 6Oct 4Oct 1Sep 21Sep 7Sep 6Aug 30Aug 24Aug 21Aug 7Aug 3Aug 2Jul 31Jul 26Jul 26Jul 24Jul 19Jul 18Jul 18Jun 28Jun 25Jun 20Jun 20May 10May 4Apr 28Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Mar 20Mar 14Mar 10Mar 8Mar 7Feb 26Feb 23Feb 5Feb 1Jan 30Jan 26Jan 24Jan 18Jan 8Dec 30, 2017Dec 20Dec 18Dec 13Dec 8Dec 6Nov 29Nov 5

Topic: Jobs

Source: Prepared speech

Trump often inflates his totals by including nearly three months when he was not yet president. At the time of this speech, 3.8 million jobs had been created during his presidency, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the 19 months starting after Trump’s inauguration, the economy created 3.58 million new jobs — but that is still less than the 3.96 million created in the last 19 months of Obama’s presidency.