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.
Clinton’s Economic Speech
Person: Donald Trump
Clinton’s Trumped Up Zika Claim
Hillary Clinton falsely claimed that “my opponent in this race, his campaign officials” have called Zika “an insignificant issue.” That was said by an unpaid local supporter of Donald Trump. Trump himself has called Zika a “big problem.”
Trump’s Baseless Claim on Iranian Execution
Donald Trump speculates that Shahram Amiri — an Iranian nuclear scientist who defected to the U.S. and reportedly became a CIA spy — was executed in Iran recently “because of Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails.” There is no evidence of that.
Trump’s Economic Speech
Donald Trump made several false and misleading statements in a speech at the Detroit Economic Club on Aug. 8.
Police Shootings Not at a Record Level
Donald Trump wrongly said that “they’re shooting our police at record levels.” The record for police firearm deaths, and deaths of officers overall, in recent decades was set in the 1970s.
Trump’s Revised 9/11 Claim
Donald Trump said that a reporter was “trying to change his story” after writing an article that Trump said supported the discredited claim that Trump watched “thousands and thousands” of people in New Jersey celebrate the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Groundhog Friday
This week’s wrap-up of repeated claims includes several we heard during the parties’ national conventions.
Kaine vs. Pence on Unemployment
Donald Trump ignores prevailing economic trends when he notes that when Tim Kaine was governor of Virginia “unemployment doubled” while under Gov. Mike Pence, Indiana has seen “great job growth.”
Trump’s Faulty ‘Rigged’ Reasoning
Donald Trump said he’s worried about a “rigged” general election, citing “precincts where there were practically nobody voting for the Republican” in 2012. Voting experts said such outcomes in certain urban districts were entirely plausible given the demographics.
Trump Misfires on Debate Claim
Donald Trump made the baseless accusation that the Hillary Clinton campaign was plotting to schedule two of three presidential debates on nights with NFL football games. The dates were set by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates last September.