Murder rate spikes

“And yet the murder rate in our country is the highest it’s been in 47 years, right? Did you know that? Forty-seven years. I used to use that — I’d say that in a speech and everybody was surprised, because the press doesn’t tell it like it is. It wasn’t to their advantage to say that. But the murder rate is the highest it’s been in, I guess, from 45 to 47 years.”

Trump in meeting with Sheriffs on 2/7/2017

Truth:  Murders declined by 42 percent between 1993 and 2014, even as the U.S. population rose by 25 percent over the same period.

— PolitiFact

This lie is inconvenient for Trump because he seeks to exploit fear as a mechanism for expanding his power. “For Trump, the potency of fear has become more than a campaign tool; it’s now a governing mechanism.”

Iran attacked our Navy vessel

“Iran’s additional hostile actions that it took against our Navy vessel are ones that we are very clear are not going to sit by and take,” Spicer said, addressing why the administration had decided to put the country “officially on notice” Wednesday.

Sean Spicer press briefing – 2/2/2017

Truth:  Spicer was referring to a Houthi attack on a Saudi vessel.  Houthi rebels receive support from Iran and Saudi Arabia is a muslim nation not subject to Trump’s ban despite the fact that most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis.  Trump has a complicated  relationship with Saudi Arabia involving business interests, according to the Washington Post.

It’s not a travel ban

“It’s not a Muslim ban. It’s not a travel ban,” Spicer told reporters. “It’s a vetting system to keep America safe.”

Press briefing by Sean Spicer, 1/31/2017 reported in The Hill

Truth:  As widely reported and neatly summarized in The Hill:

The order bars from people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya from traveling to the U.S. for at least 90 days. It also suspends refugee admissions from all countries for four months and indefinitely blocks Syrian refugees from entering the country.”

The president also used the term (“ban”) Saturday when he said he would stick by his new policy despite widespread outcry from critics.

“We’re going to have a very, very strict ban and we’re going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years,” he said.

Only 109 people were detained

Truth: “A senior Department of Homeland Security official said Saturday that in the first 23 hours the order was in effect, 375 people had been detained on arrival in the U.S., prevented from boarding flights at their point of departure or intercepted while en route to the U.S.”  These figures do not take into account any actions taken on Sunday against travelers.  It also is not related to the Delta computer issue to which Trump referred.

“Donald Trump’s Immigration Order Sparks Confusion, Despair at Airports” – Wall Street Journal (paywall) 1/29/2017

UPDATE:  The US Department of Justice has since indicated that tens of thousands of visas were revoked.

Immigration Order similar to Obama policy

“My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months.”

Trump Statement regarding Executive Order via Factcheck.org

Truth:  As pointed out by Jon Finer in Foreign Policy, the action Trump refers to from 2011 only applied to Iraq refugees and applicants for Special Immigrant Visas.  Also, Obama couldn’t have “banned visas for refugees” because refugees do not travel on visas.

Obama’s action was a response to a specific threat posed by 2 Iraqi refugees in Kentucky. The resulting enhancement of vetting for certain Iraqis was never a ban and refugees continued to arrive and be admitted from Iraq during the 6 month period. Oh, by the way, the policy was coherent and rolled out after careful review to ensure smooth implementation unlike Trump’s executive order.

— Foreign Policy

Predicted Brexit while in Scotland

“I happened to be in Scotland, at Turnberry, cutting a ribbon when Brexit happened,” Trump said. “And we had a vast amount of press there and I said, Brexit — this was the day before, you probably remember — I said Brexit is going to happen, and I was scorned in the press for making that prediction.”

–Jan. 27, 2017 press conference via CNN


Truth:  Trump traveled to Scotland June 24th on business the day after the Brexit vote (June 23) to open a golf course.  He Tweeted:

Scotland voted overwhelmingly against the Brexit referendum and several Scotts had some very memorable responses to Trump’s tweet.

CIA speech applause was not engineered

They showed the people applauding and screaming and – and they were all CIA. There was – somebody was asking Sean – “Well, were they Trump people that were put–” we don’t have Trump people. They were CIA people. […]

“I got a standing ovation. In fact, they said it was the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl and they said it was equal.

Trump interview with David Muir (ABC) 1/25/2017

Truth: Government officials and sources familiar with the make up of the audience confirmed to CBS News that Trump brought about 40 supporters to the event. Sean Spicer denied this. Trump has used this tactic at his January 11, 2017  press conference and even paid actors to applaud him for the memorable announcement of his campaign.

On not receiving votes cast by fraud

“[O]f those votes cast, none of ’em come to me. None of ’em come to me. They would all be for the other side.”

Trump interview with David Muir (ABC) 1/25/2017

Truth:  Terri Lynn Rote, a 55-year-old Des Moines, Iowa resident who is a registered republican and self-described Trump supporter was charged in October with the felony of First Degree Election Misconduct for casting 2 early voting ballots.

Des Moines Register

Trump is an environmentalist

“I’m a very big person when it comes to the environment. I have received awards on the environment.”

— Meeting with business leaders, Jan. 23

Truth:  For more than 5 years, journalists and researchers have been unable to find evidence of awards given to Mr. Trump relating to environmental issues.  Like most real estate developers, the Trump Organization has been at odds with environmentalists on numerous occasions.

Washington Post