Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump Uses Questionable Figure for U.S. ‘Plants and Factories’ Lost Since NAFTA

Trump Uses Questionable Figure for U.S. ‘Plants and Factories’ Lost Since NAFTA

When President Donald Trump has talked about the need for higher tariffs on imports of foreign goods because of a decline in American manufacturing, he has often made the claim that “90,000 plants and factories” in the U.S. closed after the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994. But that figure is questionable, and experts say other factors, such as automation, had more to do with the large decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs than trade.

Legal Scholars Dispute Constitutional ‘Loophole’ for a Third Trump Term

Legal Scholars Dispute Constitutional ‘Loophole’ for a Third Trump Term

President Donald Trump said in a March 30 interview that “there are methods” for him to serve a third term in the White House, and a Daily Mail article referred to a “loophole” in the 22nd Amendment that would make it possible. But legal experts told us the “loophole” legal argument is “implausible” and “defeats the clear intent” of the amendment.

Q&A on Egg Prices

Q&A on Egg Prices

President Donald Trump campaigned in 2024 on lowering egg prices, which increased significantly toward the end of the term of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. Where do prices stand now? What caused them to spike last year? We answer those questions and more.

Viral Posts Share Phony ‘Leaked’ Audio of Vance Criticizing Musk

Viral Posts Share Phony ‘Leaked’ Audio of Vance Criticizing Musk

Vice President JD Vance has said White House adviser Elon Musk has made “mistakes” in his work with the Department of Government Efficiency. But social media posts are sharing what experts said is a manipulated audio clip that purports to be Vance making much harsher remarks about Musk. The vice president’s spokesperson called the clip “100% fake.”

Whoppers of 2024

Whoppers of 2024

Our annual roundup of the worst falsehoods of the year.

Video Shows ‘Voter Error,’ Not ‘Election Interference’ in Kentucky

Video Shows ‘Voter Error,’ Not ‘Election Interference’ in Kentucky

A video showing a Laurel County, Kentucky, voter having difficulty marking a ballot for former President Donald Trump was investigated and found to be an “isolated incident” of “voter error,” a spokesperson for the secretary of state said. Social media posts baselessly claimed it was an example of “election interference.”

Crime Stats Still Show a Decline Since 2020

Crime Stats Still Show a Decline Since 2020

Crime statistics compiled by the FBI and other sources show an increase in violent crime, notably murders, in 2020 and a decline since. A revision to the FBI data this year doesn’t change that overall trend, despite claims made on social media and by the Trump campaign to the contrary.

FactChecking the Vice Presidential Debate

FactChecking the Vice Presidential Debate

Despite a mostly civil debate between Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the two disagreed repeatedly not just on policy, but also on the facts. We referee some of those competing claims, and other factual missteps by the vice presidential candidates.

Trump, Vance Wrong About ‘Illegal Immigrant Murderers’

Trump, Vance Wrong About ‘Illegal Immigrant Murderers’

In campaign appearances over the weekend in the swing state of Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, falsely accused Vice President Kamala Harris of letting more than 13,000 “illegal immigrant murderers” into the United States.