The president revises history, exaggerates accomplishments and makes false claims.
Trump’s Phoenix Fiction
Locations: National
Charlottesville Driver a Clinton Supporter?
Q: Is the man who drove his car into a crowd in Charlottesville, Virginia, a Hillary Clinton supporter, and funded by George Soros?
A: There is no evidence to support either claim. In fact, the driver is a registered Republican, and his former teacher said he supported Donald Trump during the presidential campaign.
Was Driver Acting in Self-Defense?
Q: Does a video corroborate a belief by Charlottesville police officers that the driver in the fatal car attack at a white nationalist rally “was not acting maliciously”?
A: No. Police have charged James Alex Fields Jr. with multiple offenses, including second-degree murder and “aggravated malicious wounding.”
Trump’s Hollow Claim about ‘Inner Cities’
President Donald Trump claimed that his administration is “spending a lot of money on the inner cities.” But there has been little change in spending so far, and his first budget proposes to cut or eliminate funding for some programs that benefit cities.
Trump Press Conference, in Context
President Trump answered critics who said he waited too long to condemn the white nationalists who staged a protest in Charlottesville, Virginia that turned violent. We put into context some of his statements.
Obama Center Not Federally Funded
Q: Did President Trump cancel funding to build Barack Obama’s presidential library?
A: No. That story originated on a satirical news site. All presidential libraries have been constructed using private or non-federal funds.
Medicare Scare Tactics
Democratic TV ads warn seniors that “right now, your Medicare coverage is in danger” of “deep, automatic cuts” by “unelected Washington bureaucrats.” But those cuts, according to current estimates, wouldn’t be implemented until 2023, and they would amount to a fraction of Medicare growth that year.
Earth Won’t Go Dark for Days
Q: Did NASA confirm that there will be 15 days of darkness on Earth in November?
A: No. Variations of that false claim have been circulating since at least 2015.
CO2: Friend or Foe to Agriculture?
Rep. Lamar Smith said climate change “alarmists” ignore the “positive impacts” of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, such as increased food production and quality. But the impact of increased CO2 levels on agriculture is more complicated than that — and, on balance, likely negative, particularly in the future.
Invented Malia Obama Stories
Q: Was Malia Obama fired from an internship for smoking marijuana? Was she arrested for buying marijuana in Chicago?
A: No. Those spoof stories were made up to troll conservative readers.