Washington – AP FACT CHECK: Trump Distorts Facts In Speech

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    President Donald Trump is applauded as he addresses a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)Washington – President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday night about corporate job expansion and military cost-savings that actually took root under his predecessor and gave a one-sided account of the costs and benefits to the economy from immigration — ignoring the upside.

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    A look at some of his claims in his prime-time speech to Congress:

    TRUMP: “According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America’s taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.”

    THE FACTS: That’s not exactly what that report says. It says immigrants “contribute to government finances by paying taxes and add expenditures by consuming public services.”

    The report found that while first-generation immigrants are more expensive to governments than their native-born counterparts, primarily at the state and local level, immigrants’ children “are among the strongest economic and fiscal contributors in the population.” This second generation contributed more in taxes on a per capita basis, for example, than did non-immigrants in the period studied, 1994-2013.

    The report found that the “long-run fiscal impact” of immigrants and their children would probably be seen as more positive “if their role in sustaining labor force growth and contributing to innovation and entrepreneurial activity were taken into account.”

    ___

    TRUMP: “We’ve saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price” of the F-35 jet fighter.

    THE FACTS: The cost savings he persists in bragging about were secured in full or large part before he became president.

    The head of the Air Force program announced significant price reductions in the contract for the Lockheed F-35 fighter jet Dec. 19 — after Trump had tweeted about the cost but weeks before he met the company’s CEO about it.

    Pentagon managers took action even before the election to save money on the contract. Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the aerospace consulting firm Teal Group, said there is no evidence of any additional cost savings as a result of Trump’s actions.

    ___

    TRUMP: “Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many others have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.”

    THE FACTS: It’s unlikely Trump is the sole or even primary reason for the expected hiring he cites. Many of the announcements reflect corporate decisions that predate his election.

    In the case of Intel, construction of the Chandler, Arizona, factory referred to by Trump actually began during Barack Obama’s presidency. The project was delayed by insufficient demand for Intel’s high-powered computer chips, but the company now expects to finish the factory within four years because it anticipates business growth.

    More important, even as some companies create jobs, others are laying off workers. The best measure of whether more jobs are actually being created is the monthly employment report issued by the Labor Department, which nets out those gains and losses. The department will issue its report for February, the first full month of Trump’s term, on March 10.

    ___

    TRUMP: His budget plan will offer “one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.”

    THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised defense budgets by larger percentages than the $54 billion, or 10 percent, increase that Trump proposes. The base defense budget grew by $41 billion, or 14.3 percent, in 2002; by $37 billion, or 11.3 percent, in 2003, and by $47 billion, or 10.9 percent, in 2008, according to Defense Department figures.

    ___

    TRUMP: “We will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.”

    THE FACTS: Trump has provided little detail on how this would happen. Independent analyses of his campaign’s tax proposals found that most of the benefits would flow to the wealthiest families. The richest 1 percent would see an average tax cut of nearly $215,000 a year, while the middle one-fifth of the population would get a cut of just $1,010, according to the Tax Policy Center, a joint project by the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute.

    ___

    TRUMP: “Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force.”

    THE FACTS: That’s true, but for the vast majority of them, it’s because they choose to be.

    That 94 million figure includes everyone aged 16 and older who doesn’t have a job and isn’t looking for one. So it includes retirees, parents who are staying home to raise children, and high school and college students who are studying rather than working.

    They are unlikely to work regardless of the state of the economy. With the huge baby-boomer generation reaching retirement age and many of them retiring, the population of those out of the labor force is increasing and will continue to do so, most economists forecast.

    It’s true that some of those out of the workforce are of working age and have given up looking for work. But that number is probably a small fraction of the 94 million Trump cited.

    ___

    TRUMP: “According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen the attacks at home — from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, even the World Trade Center.”

    THE FACTS: It’s unclear what Justice Department data he’s citing, but the most recent government information that has come out doesn’t back up his claim. Just over half the people Trump talks about were actually born in the United States, according to Homeland Security Department research revealed last week. That report said of 82 people the government determined were inspired by a foreign terrorist group to attempt or carry out an attack in the U.S., just over half were native-born citizens.

    Even the attacks Trump singled out weren’t entirely the work of foreigners. Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his Pakistani wife killed 14 people in the deadly 2015 attack in San Bernardino, California, was born in Chicago.

    It’s true that in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, the FBI’s primary concern was with terrorists from overseas feared to be plotting attacks in the United States. But that’s no longer the case.

    The FBI and the Justice Department have been preoccupied with violent extremists from inside the U.S. who are inspired by the calls to violence and mayhem of the Islamic State group. The Justice Department has prosecuted scores of IS-related cases since 2014, and many of the defendants are U.S. citizens.

    ___

    TRUMP: “Obamacare is collapsing … imploding Obamacare disaster.”

    THE FACTS: There are problems with the 2010 health care law, but whether it’s collapsing is hotly disputed.

    One of the two major components of the Affordable Care Act has seen a spike in premiums and a drop in participation from insurers. But the other component, equally important, seems to be working fairly well, even if its costs are a concern.

    Trump and congressional Republicans want to repeal the whole thing, which risks leaving millions of people uninsured if the replacement plan has shortcomings. Some critics say GOP rhetoric itself is making things worse by creating uncertainty about the future.

    The health law offers subsidized private health insurance along with a state option to expand Medicaid for low-income people. Together, the two arms of the program cover more than 20 million people.

    Republican governors whose states have expanded Medicaid are trying to find a way to persuade Congress and the administration to keep the expansion, and maybe even build on it, while imposing limits on the long-term costs of Medicaid.

    While the Medicaid expansion seems to be working, the markets for subsidized private health insurance are stressed in many states. Also affected are millions of people who buy individual policies outside the government markets, and face the same high premiums with no financial help from the health law.

    Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation says “implosion” is too strong a term. An AP count found that 12.2 million people signed up for this year, despite the Trump administration’s threats to repeal the law.

    But a health care blogger and industry consultant, Robert Laszewski, agrees with Trump, saying too few young, healthy people have signed up to guarantee the stability of the insurance markets.


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    23 Comments
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    Liepa
    Liepa
    7 years ago

    Whom should I believe, POTUS or the left wing fibbers at AP. Hmmm, that’s a no brainer !!!

    pushkin
    pushkin
    7 years ago

    Why does AP FACT CHECK needs to be in caps lock?

    Buchwalter
    Buchwalter
    7 years ago

    Trump has alternative facts or lies. If one lies it has nothing to do with right wing or left wing, he is liar

    Secular
    Secular
    7 years ago

    AP, Fake news

    Buchwalter
    Buchwalter
    7 years ago

    The amazing thing that so called torah observing Jews support a vulgar female genitalia, grabbing rich goy,President of the United States, the result of Idiocy

    bsnow
    bsnow
    7 years ago

    Ya ok AP,

    7 years ago

    The article seems to contradict its own premise. As example, the F-35 saving “announcement” was under the Obama administration, but the fact remains Trump was already elected and it was his input that pushed them to make such an announcement in the first place. In other words, Trump was so good that his impact was felt even before he took office!

    Curiosity
    Curiosity
    7 years ago

    Even the Clinton News Network begrudgingly confirmed that the President’s speech was almost entirely spot on. The AP has absolutely no credibility on politics any more. I would be more inclined to believe the now-defunct Al Jazeera America on American politics.

    7 years ago

    I heard some Democrats booing Trump at the end of his speech. Whereas the Democrats making a thumbs down sign, not standing or applauding, may be acceptable, booing is not. The Democrats did not like, and even punished a South Carolina Congressman, for yelling at Obama, “You lie”, during his State of the Union address, several years ago. This just goes to show everyone what hypocrites the Democrats are. Incidentally, the AP, UPI, NY Times, NY Daily News, MSNBC, CBS, and CNN have time and time again, shown that they have an agenda of their own, and are not always balanced in their reporting, whether it concerns Trump, Israel, or the news in general.

    yaakov doe
    Member
    yaakov doe
    7 years ago

    It’s the medias obligation to fact check a Presidential statement. As far as I know the Associated Press is a responsible non partisan news organization. It can not be denied that Trump frequently makes easily disproved alternate facts.

    myownopinion
    myownopinion
    7 years ago

    AP FACT! Is that an oxymoron

    7 years ago

    This fact check starts out biased against Trump. IN a lot of these cases it all depends upon how you read things. For example: TRUMP: His budget plan will offer “one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.” The fact checker then goes on to compare with the past based upon percentage of previous budget rather than upon dollar value. I’m not saying which is the correct way to measure, just that either is fine and one way is in Trump’s favor while the other is against him. They chose the way that is against him, which is actually the more complex way to do it. I can give examples for all the others, but they limit my comments. If anyone really wants examples for the others, just post here and I will post answers.

    7 years ago

    Fact #1
    Poor immigrants from Mexico illegal or not are costing our budget a fortune. Our school budgets are drained due to a lack of tax payer parents. And they are all on medicad, food stamps etc… The convoluted analysis that second generation immigrants contribute more is so silly and flawed. Immigrants today are different than those that arrived years ago. And our first generation families are killing us.

    Fact # 2 Reducing costs: The president sets the tone. Bottom line the symantic over when it occurred is silly compared to the tone he is setting that we will not spend $400 on a toilet seat like under Bush.

    Fact # 3. Ford cancelled a 2 billion dollar factory in Mexico after Trump was elected. And once again the president sets the tone. So even if its a coporate decision its made based on the business atmosphere and tone set by the president. There is a reason that the dow is at 21k.

    I do hate defense spending and don’t see why we need to spend more. We already waste too much. And so I disagree with Trump on that one

    Fact #5 The greatest threat to our nation is muslims coming from outside. Its commons sense and obvious. no need to fact check that.

    7 years ago

    Fact #6 Tax relief to the middle class. Well he made it clear that he will raise the earned income credit and will reduce health costs. That’s a relief

    Fact #7 : The most dear to my heart. Obamacare. Its a disaster and failing. the only one it works for is the ones getting the free goodies. This si probably the biggest fake news out there. They pick on the 20 miliion people that it helped via freebies and ignore the 175 million others it hurt. It also killed small businesses with 50 employees who must pay for coverage in excess of 8% of salaries. Bottom line we are all suffering via higher costs thanks to this idiotic bill . of course those on medicad love it. I also like freebies. But there ain’t no free lunches. But no its “hotly disputed”.

    Fake messaging= Fake news