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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump Wrong on Crime Record

Trump Wrong on Crime Record

President Donald Trump wrongly claimed that “our crime statistics are at a level that they haven’t been at,” calling the numbers “record setting.” The U.S. murder rate was lower in 2014, and the violent crime rate overall has been lower in several past years, with the lowest levels decades ago, according to FBI data.

Trump’s False Claim on Tijuana Coronavirus Cases

Trump’s False Claim on Tijuana Coronavirus Cases

President Donald Trump falsely claimed, “Tijuana is the most heavily infected place anywhere in the world, as far as the plague is concerned,” referring to the novel coronavirus. 

Trump Tweets Baseless Claims About Injured Buffalo Protester

Trump Tweets Baseless Claims About Injured Buffalo Protester

With no evidence, President Donald Trump promoted a conspiracy theory that Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old man who was hospitalized after being pushed by police during a June 4 protest in Buffalo, New York, was an “ANTIFA provocateur” who was trying to “black out” police equipment.

China Didn’t Stop Virus ‘Cold’ Outside Wuhan

China Didn’t Stop Virus ‘Cold’ Outside Wuhan

In remarks about SARS-CoV-2, President Trump wrongly said China “stopped it cold” from spreading from Wuhan to other parts of China “but they didn’t stop it cold from coming to the United States … and the rest of the world.” It did spread in China beyond Wuhan, but China also took extreme measures to slow the spread of the disease that the U.S. did not.

Video of Trump’s ‘Choke’ Quote Refers to Political Rivals

Video of Trump’s ‘Choke’ Quote Refers to Political Rivals

Video clips of President Donald Trump pretending to choke while saying “I can’t breathe” have been circulating with the misleading suggestion that he was mocking George Floyd. The videos pre-date Floyd’s death and show the president mocking his political rivals — not Floyd.

Trump Touts Strong Jobs Report, Flubs Some Facts

Trump Touts Strong Jobs Report, Flubs Some Facts

In a Rose Garden address to comment on a surprisingly strong May jobs report, President Donald Trump continued to repeat false, misleading and exaggerated claims about the economy, the administration’s response to COVID-19, the border wall, veterans programs and trade with China.

The Semantics of ‘Tear Gas’ Versus ‘Pepper Spray’

The Semantics of ‘Tear Gas’ Versus ‘Pepper Spray’

Democratic politicians have criticized President Donald Trump for the use of “tear gas” to disperse protesters near the White House on June 1 before Trump walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church to pose for photos with a Bible. The president countered, “They didn’t use tear gas.”

Viral Posts Share Old, Edited White House Photo in Dark

Viral Posts Share Old, Edited White House Photo in Dark

Across social media, posts falsely claim to show a picture of the White House in the dark — purportedly “for the first time” in history — as protesters marched outside on May 31. But the image is actually from 2014 and was edited to appear darker.