Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resorted to a rhetorical sleight of hand in recent days to defend the Trump administration’s policy of separating families that illegally cross the border.
Nielsen’s Rhetoric on Family Separations
Locations: International
Video: U.S.-Canada Trade
In this week’s video, CNN’s Jake Tapper reviews President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. trade deficit with Canada is “close to $100 billion a year.” It’s not.
Trump Garbles Canadian Trade Stats
The official U.S. statistics on trade with Canada show that the United States has a trade surplus with our neighbor to the north. The U.S. surplus was $2.8 billion in 2017, according to the Census Bureau. Yet, President Donald Trump has claimed that the U.S. has “close to $100 billion a year loss with Canada” or $17 billion “minimum.”
FactChecking Trump’s Energy Boasts
At a meeting on hurricane preparedness, President Donald Trump took credit for U.S. energy production milestones that have been expected for years, and misstated the facts in the process.
A Timeline of Trump Tower Meeting Responses
In a recently disclosed letter, President Donald Trump’s attorneys said the president “dictated” his son’s statement to the New York Times about a June 2016 meeting between top Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer. That contradicts earlier claims by Trump’s representatives.
Scientist Schools Congressmen on Climate
During a recent hearing on the role of innovation in addressing climate change, several Republicans made faulty claims about the climate, past and present.
Trump Misquotes Clapper on FBI ‘Spy’
In a morning tweetstorm on the Russia investigation, President Donald Trump misquoted James Clapper. Trump claimed the former intelligence director said, “Trump should be happy that the FBI was SPYING on his campaign,” when, in fact, Clapper said the FBI did not spy on his campaign.
Trump Blurs Facts on London Embassy
President Trump distorted the facts about the construction of new embassy in London, wrongly implying it ended up costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. In fact, Trump’s own State Department told us it “used no taxpayer dollars to fund the project.”
Trump’s False ‘No Collusion’ Tweet
President Donald Trump falsely claimed in a tweet that there were “No questions on Collusion” in a list of questions the special counsel reportedly has for the president. There are several inquiries about possible collusion among the questions published by the New York Times.
Muslim Nurses Not Exempt From Hand Washing
Q: Are Muslim nurses excused from washing their hands before medical procedures in Britain?
A: No. That is an old misrepresentation that has been circulating online since 2010.