Donald Trump in The Associated Press


On Energy & Oil: FactCheck: US has been #1 producer of oil & gas since 2013

President Trump said in the 2019 State of the Union address, "We have unleashed a revolution in American energy--the United States is now the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas in the world."

THE FACTS: That depends on what the definition of "we" is. His claim is true in the unlikely event he was also crediting Obama and other recent presidents who were aggressive about energy production. The government says the U.S. became the world's top natural gas producer in 2013, under the Obama administration.

The U.S. now leads the world in oil production, too, under Trump. That's largely because of a boom in production from shale oil, which also began under Obama.

Source: A.P. Fact-Check on 2019 State of the Union address Feb 6, 2019

On Government Reform: Against funding post office due to mail-in ballots

Trump frankly acknowledged that he's starving the U.S. Postal Service of money in order to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots. In an interview on Fox Business, Trump noted two funding provisions that Democrats are seeking in a relief package. Without the additional money, he said, the Postal Service won't have the resources to handle a flood of ballots from voters who are seeking to avoid polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.

[In response], "Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said the U.S. Postal Service is suspending operational changes, like removing mail processing equipment and collection boxes, until after the November election," the Wall Street Journal reports. From a statement: "To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded."

Source: A.P. and Wall Street Journal on 2020 Trump Administration Aug 13, 2020

On Government Reform: Against funding post office due to mail-in ballots

Trump frankly acknowledged that he's starving the Postal Service of money in order to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots. Trump noted two funding provisions that Democrats are seeking in a relief package. Without the additional money, he said, the Postal Service won't have the resources to handle a flood of ballots from voters who are seeking to avoid polling places during the coronavirus pandemic. (Aug. 13 AP & WSJ)

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said the Postal Service is suspending operational changes, like removing mail processing equipment and collection boxes, until after the November election. The agency won't change retail hours at post offices across the country or close any mail-sorting facilities. Overtime hours will continue to be approved as needed to process mail.

From a statement: "To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded." (Aug. 18, PoliticalWire)

Source: A.P. and PoliticalWire.com on impeaching Trump Aug 13, 2020

On Health Care: FactCheck: Sued to end pre-existing condition protection

Trump said in the 2019 State of the Union address that he would "protect patients with pre-existing conditions."

THE FACTS: His rhetoric is at odds with his actions. In reality, his administration is seeking in a lawsuit to eliminate such coverage. His Justice Department is arguing in court that those protections in the Obama-era health law should fall. The short-term health plans Trump often promotes as a bargain alternative offer no guarantee of covering pre-existing conditions.

Government lawyers said in legal filings last June that they will no longer defend key parts of the Affordable Care Act, including provisions that guarantee access to health insurance regardless of any medical conditions. Then-Attorney General Sessions wrote in a letter to Congress that Trump approved the legal strategy.

Obama's health care law requires insurers to take all applicants, regardless of medical history, and patients with health problems pay the same standard premiums as healthy ones.

Source: A.P. Fact-Check on 2019 State of the Union address Feb 6, 2019

On Gun Control: FactCheck: NRA did oppose Trump "bump stock" ban

[CNN Town Hall transcript]: Q: Under your administration, you instructed the Department of Justice and ATF to ban bump stocks.

TRUMP: Yeah, as you know, the bump stocks are actually a very unimportant thing and NRA, I went with them and they said, "it doesn't mean anything. Actually, all they do is teach you how to shoot very inaccurately." So we did that.

A.P. Fact Check: The National Rifle Association is "disappointed" with the Trump administration's plan to outlaw bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire continuously. An NRA spokeswoman says the Justice Department should provide amnesty for gun owners who already have the devices, and says the regulation "fails to address the thousands of law-abiding Americans" who followed the government's previous guidance. Bump stocks became a focal point in the gun control debate after they were used in the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, the deadliest in modern U.S. history.

Source: A.P. FactCheck on CNN Town Hall (2024 candidates) Dec 18, 2018

On Abortion: FactCheck: No, Virginia doesn't allow abortion after birth

Trump said "the previous governor of West Virginia said the baby will be born and we will decide what to do with the baby. In other words, we'll execute the baby." Is that true? No, according to the AP report on 4/11/24:

CLAIM: Virginia Governor Ralph Northam during a 2019 radio interview spoke in support of infanticide, or "after-birth abortions."

AP'S ASSESSMENT: False. Northam was giving a hypothetical example of what could happen if a mother, whose fetus wasn't otherwise viable, requested an abortion while in labor. His comments came in response to a question about whether he supported state legislation that would have loosened restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy.

THE FACTS: Social media users are misrepresenting comments Northam made: "The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."

Source: A.P. FactCheck on 2024 Presidential debate in Philadelphia Sep 10, 2024

The above quotations are from Columns and news articles distributed by the Associated Press in other publications.
Click here for other excerpts from Columns and news articles distributed by the Associated Press in other publications.
Click here for other excerpts by Donald Trump.
Click here for a profile of Donald Trump.
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Sep 29, 2024