Former President Donald Trump held his second news conference in two weeks at his New Jersey golf club. He criticized the Democratic ticket ahead of the Democratic National Convention, making false claims about the economy and launching personal attacks on his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Here is a closer look at the facts.
Inflation did not have the impact Trump claimed, and growth was strong under Biden
TRUMP: Claims about inflation and economic growth during Biden’s administration were exaggerated or misleading. Independent estimates show that the typical US household was affected by lower price increases than what Trump claimed. Additionally, the US economy saw significant growth under Biden, reaching 5.8% in 2021, faster than any year during Trump’s presidency.
“Foreign born” does not equate to “migrants”
TRUMP: Falsely claimed that all net job creation in the past year went to migrants. However, the data includes foreign-born individuals who might not be recent migrants but long-term residents. Many economists argue that both foreign and native-born workers are undercounted in the Census research.
Theft threshold in California was not raised to $950
TRUMP: Misrepresented California’s law by stating that theft under $950 is allowed. In reality, a 2014 proposition raised the minimum theft amount from $400 to $950 to align with inflation and cost of living adjustments.
Harris did not campaign on defunding the police
TRUMP: Incorrectly claimed that Kamala Harris wants to defund the police. While Harris praised the “defund the police” movement after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, she did not express support for it in her current campaign.
Trump did not win Pennsylvania in 2020
TRUMP: Falsely claimed a victory in Pennsylvania in 2020. Official results confirm that President Joe Biden won the state with a margin of approximately 80,000 votes.
Oil production hit a record high under Biden
TRUMP: Promised to bring down energy prices by increasing oil production. However, under Biden’s administration, the US reached an all-time high in oil production.
Economy shows signs of strength, not collapse
TRUMP: Warned of a potential economic crash under Biden’s presidency, but recent reports show signs of economic strength and growth.
Harris was not named border “czar”
TRUMP: Incorrectly referred to Harris as the border czar, when she was actually assigned to work with Central American countries on migration issues.
Black unemployment is lower under Biden
TRUMP: While Trump saw record low Black and Hispanic unemployment numbers, they rose during the pandemic. Under Biden, Black unemployment fell to a new low of 4.8% in April 2023.
For more AP Fact Checks, visit: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck
