Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris made a few false and misleading claims in two events that kicked off her 2020 presidential campaign.
Harris’ Campaign Kickoff Claims
Trump’s Pointless Job Boast
President Donald Trump lamented that the “media barely covers” the fact there are “More people working in U.S.A. today than at any time in our HISTORY.” It’s probably because, with the U.S. population increasing every day, the statistic is fairly pointless as a measure of economic success.
Sanders’ Tweet on Retirement Savings
Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that “more than half of older workers have no retirement savings.” But that figure includes retirees, not just “older workers,” and does not include workers with pension plans.
Trump’s Bogus ‘Catch and Release’ Statistic
President Donald Trump claimed — without any evidence — that only 2 percent of those apprehended crossing the border and released pending immigration hearings appear in court. Actually, administration officials put the figure at about 50 percent, while immigration experts say it is even higher.
Video: Has ISIS Been ‘Defeated’?
In this fact-checking segment, CNN’s Jake Tapper reviews Vice President Mike Pence’s claim that “ISIS has been defeated.”
Examining Shutdown Claims from Democrats
The weekslong partial government shutdown has led to around 800,000 federal employees not working or working without pay. It also has led to some false or questionable claims from Democrats about the shutdown’s impact on a host of federal services.
Trump Wrong About Wall Effect in El Paso
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that El Paso went from “one of the most dangerous cities in the country to one of the safest cities in the country overnight” after “a wall was put up” along the Mexico border.
Pence’s Claim that ISIS ‘Has Been Defeated’
On the same day ISIS claimed responsibility for a deadly attack against U.S. service members in Syria, Vice President Mike Pence declared that ISIS “has been defeated.” It is true that the U.S. and its allies have retaken virtually all of the land ISIS controlled in Iraq and Syria, but experts say the group still has tens of thousands of fighters and remains dangerous.
Trump Revises History on Mexico’s Wall Payment
President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise that Mexico would pay for a border wall, now misleadingly claims he never meant that Mexico would “write out a check” to pay for it. His campaign at least twice laid out specific methods of direct payment.
Trump’s Budget Wouldn’t Erase Deficits, CBO Said
Under President Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2018, there would have been hundreds of billions of dollars in deficits each year from 2018 to 2027, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That contradicts White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney’s claim that the U.S. “would actually be on a glide path to balancing the budget” under the plan.