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Video: Trump’s Speech on Clinton


The latest fact-checking video from CNN’s Jake Tapper focuses on three claims that Donald Trump made in his June 22 speech attacking Hillary Clinton’s character.

  • Trump claimed that U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens “was left helpless to die as Hillary Clinton soundly slept in her bed.” That’s false. Two emails from Clinton show that she was awake after it was learned that Stevens had died in the attack on the diplomatic facility in Benghazi.
  • Trump said that Clinton “accepted $58,000 in jewelry from the government of Brunei when she was secretary of state.” That’s misleading. Trump neglected to mention that Clinton didn’t keep the gift, which was accepted on behalf of the United States and transferred to the General Services Administration.
  • Trump also claimed that the U.S. “trade deficit with China soared 40 percent during Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of state.” That’s an overstatement. The trade deficit increased by 17 percent when Clinton headed the State Department, which, we’d note, isn’t directly responsible for trade.

The video, part of an ongoing collaboration between CNN’s “State of the Union” and FactCheck.org, only covers some of the claims that we fact-checked from Trump’s speech. To see all 11 of our fact-checks, read “Trump’s Attack on Clinton’s Character.”