CNN’s “State of the Union” and FactCheck.org this week review three claims that President Donald Trump made at a campaign rally in Kentucky.
Video: Trump Campaigning in Kentucky
Issues: Social Security
FactChecking McCarthy’s Statistics
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy got some of his facts wrong about mandatory spending and the labor participation rate during a recent appearance on Fox Business.
Cruz on Social Security as a ‘Ponzi Scheme’
In a televised debate on taxes, Sen. Ted Cruz denied that he ever called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” But in a 2011 interview, Cruz gave the definition of a “Ponzi scheme” and said, “That is exactly how Social Security operates.”
NRA Exec’s False Gun Claim
The head of the National Rifle Association’s political and lobbying arm incorrectly described a repealed Social Security Administration reporting requirement for gun background checks as targeting senior citizens “who asked for help handling their finances.”
Trump Nixed Gun-Control Rule
Q: Did President Donald Trump repeal a rule that aims to block some people with mental disorders from buying guns?
A: Yes. The Social Security Administration is no longer required to submit the names of certain mentally disabled beneficiaries to a federal agency that conducts gun background checks.
Trump Didn’t Increase Social Security
Q: Did President Trump increase monthly payments to Social Security beneficiaries?
A: No. Trump had nothing to do with the automatic cost-of-living increases for 2017, which were announced by the Social Security Administration last October.
Trump Twists Facts on WikiLeaks
Donald Trump cited apparent excerpts from Hillary Clinton’s past closed-door speeches, contained in emails leaked by WikiLeaks, but he twisted those excerpts in some cases.
Video: FactChecking the Veep Debate
FlackCheck.org, our sister website for political literacy, looks at a sampling of the claims that we flagged during the only vice presidential debate of the general election.
Wisconsin Senior Scare
A Wisconsin Democrat’s ad falsely accuses his opponent of proposing to cut Social Security benefits for two-thirds of seniors. Actually, benefits would go up for the poorest one-third of current beneficiaries, and would be unchanged for most others.
Clinton’s Economic Speech
Two days after Donald Trump gave a major speech on economics in Detroit, Hillary Clinton came to Michigan to offer a rebuttal. We found that Clinton stretched the facts on a few points.