This week’s fact-checking video by CNN’s Jake Tapper tackles a few of the many falsehoods that President Donald Trump made at the annual National Republican Congressional Committee spring dinner in Washington, D.C.
- Speaking about wind turbines — which Trump referred to as “windmills” — the president falsely suggested the noise from them “causes cancer.” There’s no evidence of that.
- The president repeated the false claim that until he signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs could not fire employees — even “sadists” who “were hurting our veterans.”
- The president again wrongly described the way the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program works, claiming the program required the U.S. to accept a lottery winner even if the person was a “stone cold killer.” The U.S. screening process bars entry to those with criminal convictions, such as murder.
- Trump also said foreign governments manipulate the visa program to offload some of their worst citizens. In fact, individuals apply for the visa directly with the U.S. embassy or consulate — a foreign government is not involved.
- Trump again falsely claimed to have “saved $1 billion” on building a new embassy in Jerusalem, saying he “got it done for $400,000.” He is comparing the cost of renovating an existing facility in Jerusalem to use as a temporary embassy with the cost of a new, permanent embassy. A State Department official told us it has started the search for a site for a “new Embassy compound, the planning and construction of which will be a longer-term undertaking.” The temporary facility merely has delayed the cost of a new facility.
For more on these claims, see our articles “Trump’s Faulty Wind Power Claims,” “VA Could Fire Workers Before Trump Signed Law,” “Trump’s Baseless Immigration Claim” and “Trump’s Bogus Embassy Boast.”
Our past video collaborations with CNN’s “State of the Union” are available on our website.