Five fact-checks on Trump
President Donald Trump will campaign in Wisconsin on Wednesday, hoping to boost the prospects of fellow Republicans in the Nov. 6 elections.
Ahead of Trump’s visit, here’s how the president has done on five recent statements he’s made on national issues. The fact-checks were done by our PolitiFact colleagues.
Immigration: “Every single Democrat in the U.S. Senate has signed up for the open borders, and it’s a bill, it’s called the ‘open borders bill.’” Rating: False.
There is no such bill. The bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, DCalif., and supported by all Senate Democrats, is meant to stop family separations at the border. The measure does not eliminate the enforcement of immigration laws. Trump gave an inaccurate and misleading description of the bill.
Health care: “Some of the Democrats have been talking about ending (coverage for) pre-existing conditions.”
Rating: Pants on Fire.
Our colleagues couldn’t find any examples of what Trump claimed Democrats were saying. A Democratic proposal to end pre-existing conditions would run 100 percent counter to Democrats’ own history with the Affordable Care Act and would undercut one of the Democrats’ most powerful messages on the campaign trail this year.
Energy: “The United States is now the No. 1 energy producer in the world. That happened just recently.” Rating: Half True.
The United States does rank first internationally in petroleum, crude oil and natural gas production, though it ranks third in the world in coal production. Meanwhile, only for crude oil was the No. 1 spot achieved recently. For petroleum and natural gas, the United States has ranked first for years.
Veterans: Says Republicans “just passed” the Veterans Choice program
after 44 years of trying. “They’ve been trying to pass that one for many, many decades.” Rating: False. Trump described the program as one that allowed veterans to get private care at government expense. The program to do exactly that has been around for four years. And it’s always been referred to as Choice.
Trade: “Since NAFTA’s adoption, the United States racked up trade deficits totaling more than $2 trillion.” Rating: Mostly True.
The trade deficit is different from the national debt in that it is not money owed to another country in the future. But if you compile the trade deficit for goods alone, Trump is on target. The amount might be smaller once services are factored in. It’s worth noting that this statistic emphasizes the negative impacts of the trade deal but ignores positive impacts, such as significant increases in U.S. exports to both countries.