AP FACT CHECK: Trump skews file on Biden-Harris, financial system

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump greeted the Democratic presidential ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris this previous week with a litany of distortion and falsehoods, raging in opposition to circumstances of voting fraud the place they didn’t exist and declining to quash conspiracy theories about Harris’ eligibility for workplace.

Trump additionally misrepresented Biden’s place on taxes, once more minimized the coronavirus menace and exaggerated his personal file on the financial system.

A have a look at a number of the previous week’s rhetoric and the details:

ON BIDEN-HARRIS

TRUMP: “If Biden would win … he’s going to double and triple all people’s taxes.” — information convention Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump is exaggerating. Wildly so.

Biden would elevate taxes, totally on the rich. However a July estimate by the Committee for a Accountable Federal Finances finds that the rise is a small fraction of what Trump claimed. The previous vp’s plan would elevate “taxes for the highest 1 % of earners by 13 to 18% of after-tax earnings, whereas not directly growing taxes for many different teams by 0.2 to 0.6%,” the nonpartisan group stated.

To place that in perspective, tax collections would enhance by $3.Four trillion to $3.7 trillion over the following decade. That’s some huge cash. However it’s not a doubling or tripling. The federal government is on tempo to gather $47 trillion over the following decade, so the Biden plan could be roughly be a 7.8% enhance in revenues.

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TRUMP, requested about social media claims that Harris shouldn’t be eligible to run for vp as a result of her mother and father have been immigrants to the U.S.: “I heard it right this moment that she doesn’t meet the necessities. … I don’t know if that’s proper. I might have assumed that the Democrats would have checked that out.” — information convention Thursday.

THE FACTS: Harris, a senator from California, is with out query eligible.

Harris, 55, was born in Oakland, California, making her a natural-born U.S. citizen and eligible to be president if Biden have been unable to serve a full time period. Her father, an economist from Jamaica, and her mom, a most cancers researcher from India, met on the College of California, Berkeley, as graduate college students.

The Structure requires a vp to satisfy the eligibility necessities to be president. That features being a natural-born U.S. citizen, at the least 35 years previous and a resident within the U.S. for at the least 14 years.

“I can’t consider individuals are making this idiotic remark,” Laurence Tribe, a Harvard College professor of constitutional regulation, instructed The Related Press in 2019, when comparable false claims emerged about Harris throughout her presidential run.

“She is a pure born citizen and there’s no query about her eligibility to run,” Tribe stated.

Harris is the primary Black girl and Asian American to compete on a significant celebration’s presidential ticket. Trump in previous years indulged within the false conspiracy concept that President Barack Obama was born overseas.

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TRUMP CAMPAIGN: “Not way back, Kamala Harris referred to as Joe Biden a racist and requested for an apology she by no means acquired.” — assertion Tuesday from Katrina Pierson, Trump 2020 senior adviser.

THE FACTS: She by no means referred to as Biden a racist.

Pierson seems to be referring to Harris’ remarks throughout a Democratic major debate in Miami in June 2019 when the California senator challenged Biden’s file of opposing busing as a strategy to combine colleges within the 1970s.

Harris prefaced her criticism by telling Biden at the moment, “I don’t consider you’re a racist. I agree with you if you commit your self to the significance of discovering frequent floor.”

She then went on: “It was truly hurtful to listen to you speak concerning the reputations of two United States senators who constructed their reputations and profession on the segregation of race on this nation. It was not solely that however you additionally labored with them to oppose busing.

“There was a bit woman in California who was a part of the second class to combine her public colleges,” Harris stated. “She was bused to high school day by day. That little woman was me.”

It was a breakthrough second for Harris on the candidates’ first debate, gorgeous Biden, who responded that “he didn’t reward racists” and offered a hairsplitting protection of his place on busing. However she didn’t accuse him of being racist.

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SOCIAL SECURITY

TRUMP: “On the finish of the yr, the belief that I win, I’m going to terminate the payroll tax … We’ll be paying into Social Safety by means of the overall fund.” — information convention Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Beneath Trump’s proposal, Social Safety would lose its devoted funding supply.

Payroll taxes elevate about $1 trillion yearly for Social Safety, and the president was unconcerned concerning the lack of these revenues. Trump marketing campaign officers confused that the overall fund consists of belongings and liabilities that finance authorities operations and will achieve this for Social Safety. The final fund is nicknamed “America’s Checkbook” on the Treasury Division’s web site.

The danger is that the lack of a devoted funding supply might destabilize an anti-poverty program that gives funds to roughly 65 million Individuals. It additionally might power individuals to chop again on the spending that drives development to allow them to save for their very own retirement and well being care wants in the event that they consider the federal government backstop is in jeopardy.

A 12.4% payroll tax break up between employers and staff funds Social Safety, whereas a 2.9% payroll tax funds Medicare. The Social Safety tax raised roughly $1 trillion final yr, in accordance with authorities figures. Over a 10-year interval, Trump’s concept would blow a $13 trillion gap in a U.S. finances that’s already laden with rising debt hundreds.

Trump introduced a payroll tax deferral by means of the top of the yr, a part of a collection of strikes to bypass Congress after talks on a broader coronavirus aid invoice that has stalled. He says he’ll make it a everlasting tax lower with the assistance of Congress. Democrats have described that concept as a nonstarter.

White Home press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Thursday advised to reporters that Trump misspoke when he stated he would eradicate the payroll tax if reelected. She stated the president would solely push to make the payroll tax deferrals everlasting. However Trump clearly stated that he would eradicate the payroll tax 4 occasions at his Wednesday press briefing and even answered a query about “completely” rescinding it.

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TRUMP, requested how the overall fund can maintain the funds: “We’re going to have great development. … You will note development like you haven’t seen in a very long time.” — information convention Wednesday.

THE FACTS: It’s extremely unlikely that financial development could be sufficient to offset the lack of the payroll tax. Trump has a file of creating wildly inconceivable development projections. He advised that his 2017 earnings tax cuts would propel financial development as excessive as 6% yearly. That by no means occurred. Development reached 3% in 2018, then slumped to 2.2% and the U.S. financial system crumbled into recession this yr due to the coronavirus.

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VIRUS THREAT

TRUMP, on COVID-19: “No one understood it as a result of no person has ever seen something like this. The closest factor is, in 1917, they are saying — proper? The nice — the good pandemic definitely was a horrible factor, the place they misplaced, wherever from 50 to 100 million individuals. Most likely ended the Second World Battle; all of the troopers have been sick.” — information briefing Monday.

THE FACTS: He obtained the yr incorrect for the Spanish flu, as he routinely does, and should have overstated deaths from it. The pandemic unfold from early 1918 to late 1920. It killed an estimated 50 million worldwide, with about 675,000 of the deaths within the U.S., in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

That pandemic didn’t finish World Battle II, which got here 20 years later.

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TRUMP: “We’re nonetheless within the pandemic, which will probably be going away, as I say, will probably be going away. They usually scream, how one can you say that? I stated, as a result of it’s going to be going away.” — interview Thursday on Fox Enterprise Community.

THE FACTS: Regardless of what number of occasions he says it, the virus shouldn’t be going to only magically disappear.

The virus is now blamed for greater than 166,000 deaths and greater than 5.2 million confirmed infections within the U.S. — simply the best totals on the planet. Previously week, the common variety of new circumstances per day was on the rise in eight states, and deaths per day have been climbing in 26, in accordance with an Related Press evaluation.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s high infectious illnesses official, has warned that elevated circumstances throughout the South and West specifically put “your entire nation in danger.” On Thursday, as an example, the speed of optimistic virus circumstances in Texas soared to the best ranges of the pandemic, with almost 1 in each Four coronavirus checks coming again optimistic. Nevada had its largest each day soar in coronavirus fatalities up to now.

In February, Trump asserted coronavirus circumstances have been going “very considerably down, not up,” and stated will probably be high-quality as a result of “in April, supposedly, it dies with the warmer climate.”

Fauci says there “definitely” will probably be coronavirus infections within the fall and winter.

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TRUMP, on whether or not he nonetheless thinks youngsters are primarily immune from COVID-19: “Yeah, I feel that, for probably the most half, they do very nicely. I imply, they — they don’t get very sick. They don’t catch it simply.” — information briefing Tuesday.

THE FACTS: They aren’t immune, and he ignores racial disparities amongst these youngsters who get contaminated.

Though it’s true that youngsters are much less seemingly than adults to develop COVID-19, the CDC has however counted greater than 250,000 infections by the virus in Individuals youthful than 18, or roughly 7% of all circumstances. Racial disparities within the U.S. outbreak additionally prolong to youngsters, with Hispanic and Black youngsters with COVID-19 extra more likely to be hospitalized than white youngsters.

The entire variety of youngsters who’ve been contaminated however not confirmed is sort of definitely far larger than the CDC figures, consultants say, as a result of these with gentle or no signs are much less more likely to get examined. Trump additionally glosses over the truth that youngsters can unfold illness with out displaying signs themselves.

The CDC in May additionally warned docs to be looking out for a uncommon however life-threatening inflammatory response in some youngsters who’ve had the coronavirus. The situation had been reported in additional than 100 youngsters in New York, and in some youngsters in a number of different states and in Europe, with some deaths.

Two latest authorities stories laid naked the racial disparities.

One of many CDC stories checked out youngsters with COVID-19 who wanted hospitalization. Hispanic youngsters have been hospitalized at a price eight occasions larger than white youngsters, and Black youngsters have been hospitalized at a price 5 occasions larger, it discovered.

The second report examined circumstances of the uncommon virus-associated syndrome in youngsters. It discovered that just about three-quarters of the youngsters with the syndrome have been both Hispanic or Black, nicely above their illustration within the normal inhabitants.

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ECONOMY

TRUMP: “The manufacturing sector is booming and the manufacturing index is on the highest studying since October of ’18, which was a rare time period.” — information convention Wednesday.

THE FACTS: The pandemic crushed U.S. factories and the harm persists. There isn’t any growth.

Even after three months of job features, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics exhibits the manufacturing sector has 740,000 fewer jobs than earlier than the outbreak. All of the manufacturing facility hiring features underneath Trump have disappeared. There have been 257,000 extra manufacturing jobs on the day Trump grew to become president than now. Extra essential, the roles restoration has proven indicators of stalling. Simply 26,000 manufacturing facility jobs have been added in July, down from 357,000 added jobs in June.

The sector has been recovering. But after will increase in manufacturing in June, the Federal Reserve stated U.S. manufacturing facility output was operating 11.1% beneath pre-pandemic ranges. Trump cited one element of an index composed by the Institute for Provide Administration that signifies manufacturing facility manufacturing grew in July as nicely. It was the very best studying since August of 2018, not October as claimed by the president. However that very same report confirmed that producers are additionally slicing again on employment, suggesting {that a} growth has but to start.

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TRUMP, on tariffs on China: “We’ve taken in tens of billions of {dollars} from China. We by no means took 10 cents from China, by no means — not even 10 cents.” — information convention Monday.

THE FACTS: It’s false to say the U.S. by no means collected a dime in tariffs on Chinese language items earlier than he took motion. They’re merely larger in some circumstances than they have been earlier than. It’s additionally incorrect to counsel that the tariffs are being paid by China. Tariff cash coming into the treasury is especially from U.S. companies and shoppers, not from China. Tariffs are primarily if not totally a tax paid domestically.

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MAIL VOTING

TRUMP: Common mail-in voting is “a system riddled by fraud and corruption.” — information convention Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Voting fraud truly could be very uncommon.

The Brennan Heart for Justice in 2017 ranked the chance of poll fraud at 0.00004% to 0.0009%, based mostly on research of previous elections.

5 states relied on mail-in ballots even earlier than the coronavirus pandemic raised issues about voting in individual.

“Trump is just incorrect about mail-in balloting elevating a ‘great’ potential for fraud,” Richard L. Hasen, an elections professional on the College of California, Irvine, College of Legislation, wrote lately. “Whereas sure pockets of the nation have seen their share of absentee-ballot scandals, issues are extraordinarily uncommon within the 5 states that rely totally on vote-by-mail, together with the closely Republican state of Utah.”

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NEW YORK VOTING

TRUMP: “You simply have a look at what occurred with the Carolyn Maloney race. They need to do this race over, by the way in which. … Whenever you have a look at the poll, the ballots which might be lacking, and the poll frauds — no person is aware of what’s occurring with that race, and but they declared her a winner.” — information convention Wednesday.

THE FACTS: There’s no proof of fraud within the Democratic congressional major in New York Metropolis that was received by Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Nor did Trump provide any proof of fraud.

New York State determined to permit anybody to vote by mail within the June major due to the pandemic. Greater than 400,000 individuals voted by absentee poll in New York Metropolis, a determine that was 10 occasions the variety of absentee ballots forged within the 2016 major.

Opening and counting these ballots by elections officers took weeks, resulting in a authorized dispute over nonfraud points, akin to lacking postmarks. Candidates observing the rely say that hundreds of ballots have been disqualified due to technical errors voters wouldn’t have encountered if they’d voted in individual, like issues with their signature.

New York Metropolis’s Board of Elections in the end licensed the outcomes six weeks after the election.

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Related Press writers Amanda Seitz in Chicago, and Lauran Neergaard, Aamer Madhani and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — A have a look at the veracity of claims by political figures.

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