FACT FOCUS: Trump blends falsehoods and exaggerations at rambling NJ press conference
Former President Donald Trump gave his second press conference in the span of a few weeks as he adjusts to a new, vigorous Democratic nomination process in preparation for next week’s Democratic National Convention.
At his New Jersey golf club, the Republican presidential candidate mixed lies about the economy with misleading statements and deeply personal attacks on his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Here are the facts examined in more detail.
TRUMP: “As a result of Kamala’s inflation, price increases cost the average household a total of $28,000. … When I left office, I left Kamala and corrupt Joe Biden with a growing economy and no inflation. Mortgage rates were about 2%. Gasoline was $1.87 a gallon. … Harris and Biden blew it all up.”
THE FACTS: Trump made numerous economic claims that were exaggerated or misleading. Prices did rise during the Biden-Harris administration, but $28,000 is much higher than independent estimates. Moody’s Analytics calculated last year that price increases over the past two years cost the average American household $709 a month. That would equate to $8,500 a year.
Separately, the U.S. economy grew rapidly as it reopened after COVID in 2020, as Trump’s term ended, and it continued to do so after Biden took office. Growth reached 5.8% in 2021, Biden’s first year in office, as the recovery continued, faster than in any year Trump was in office. Mortgage rates were low when Trump left office amid the pandemic, prompting the Federal Reserve to cut its key interest rate to near zero. Gas prices fell as the economy largely shut down and Americans drastically reduced their driving.
TRUMP: “Virtually 100% of the net job growth over the past year has gone to immigrants.”
THE FACTS: This is a misinterpretation of government jobs data. The numbers do show that the number of foreign-born people with jobs increased last year, while the number of American-born Americans with jobs decreased. But foreign-born is not the same as “migrants” — it would include people who arrived in the U.S. years ago and are now naturalized citizens.
Moreover, the data is based on Census research that many economists argue undercounts both foreign- and native-born workers, according to a report by Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson of the Brookings Institution released this weekIn 2023, employment of native-born Americans increased by 740,000, while employment of foreign-born Americans increased by 1.7 million. Much of the difference reflects the fact that the native-born population is older than the foreign-born population and more likely to be retired. In addition, the unemployment rate for native-born Americans is 4.5%, lower than the 4.7% for foreign-born Americans.
TRUMP: “You can rob a store as long as it’s under $950. … If it’s under $950, they can rob the store and they won’t be charged.”
THE FACTS: Trump was referring to California legislation that would allow thefts under $950. But his claim is false: A 2014 proposal changed penalties for many nonviolent property and drug crimes, but did not eliminate them.
Proposal 47 the minimum amount required to prosecute theft as a felony, rather than a misdemeanor, increased from $400 to $950.
Alex Bastian, then special counsel to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, who co-authored Prop 47, told The Associated Press in 2021 that the minimum amount was increased “to account for inflation and the cost of living,” but that most shoplifting cases were already prosecuted as misdemeanors since they did not exceed $400.
Prop. 47 was passed to comply with a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court order that affirmed that the state’s overcrowded prisons violated incarcerated people’s Eighth Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment. It ordered California to reduce the state’s prison population by 33,000 people within two years.
TRUMP, on Harris: “You know, she wants to defund the police.”
THE FACTS: Harris praise pronounced for the “defund the police” movement following the 2020 killing of George Floyd, where she questioned whether money was actually being spent on public safety. However, she has not said during her current campaign that she supports defunding law enforcement.
The Biden administration attempted to reform the police, but legislation stalled on Capitol Hill and Biden ultimately opted the issuance of an executive order. It also pumped more money into in local branches.
TRUMP: “I won Pennsylvania and did much better the second time around. I won it in 2016 and did much better the second time around. I know Pennsylvania very well.”
THE FACTS: False. Trump won the state in 2016, when he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the presidency. But he lost the state in 2020 to President Joe Biden, a resident of Pennsylvania. According to the official certified resultsBiden and Harris received 3.46 million votes, compared to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence’s 3.38 million votes, a margin of about 80,000 votes.
Trump says he will lower energy prices by reversing President Joe Biden’s policies that encouraged renewable energy at the expense of fossil fuels.
TRUMP: “We’re going to drill, baby drill, we’re going to bring energy prices down almost immediately.”
THE FACTS: Oil production in the US reached a record high under Biden’s administration.
The U.S. Department of Energy reported in October that U.S. oil production reached 13.2 million barrels per day, surpassing the previous record set in 2020 by 100,000 barrels. Department statistics also show that the U.S. has produced more crude oil in a year than any other country — ahead of the past six years.
TRUMP: “If she succeeds, we’re going to have a crash like 1929.”
THE FACTS: The economy has shown recent signs of strength —no evidence that America is on the brink of economic collapse.
On Thursday the S&The P 500 jumped 1.6%, its sixth gain in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose Thursday, as did the Nasdaq Composite.
Recent economic reports shows that consumers spent more on shopping last month and fewer workers filed for unemployment benefits.
Fear that the economy is slowing down last month after a sharp drop in job openings and higher unemployment. But those concerns were eased earlier this month when better-than-expected unemployment numbers led to Wall Street’s best rally since 2022.
TRUMP: “She was the border czar, and she did nothing. She’s the worst border czar in history. … She was the person in charge of the border, and she was never there.”
THE FACTS: Biden tapped Harris in 2021 to work with countries in Central America to address the root causes of migration and the challenges it creates. Illegal border crossings are one aspect of those challenges, but Harris was never assigned to the border or appointed to head the Department of Homeland Security, which supervises law enforcement at the border.
TRUMP: “The black population had the best numbers ever on jobs, income, everything. The Hispanic population had the best numbers ever.”
THE FACTS: It’s true that Black and Hispanic unemployment fell to record lows under Trump, but that was disrupted by COVID. When Trump left office, Black unemployment had risen to 9.3% and Hispanic unemployment had risen to 8.5%. Under Biden, Black unemployment fell to a new record low of 4.8% in April 2023, while Hispanic unemployment hit the Trump low of 3.9% in September 2022.
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Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
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