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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Recapping Trump’s Deceptive Tariff Claims

Recapping Trump’s Deceptive Tariff Claims

After months of delay, higher tariffs that President Donald Trump had vowed to impose on goods imported from dozens of countries went into effect on Aug. 7. Trump has made a series of false and misleading statements to justify his new tariff policies. Here is a recap of some of his claims that we have fact-checked.

Trump Offers No Evidence for Claim About Bill Clinton and Epstein Island

Trump Offers No Evidence for Claim About Bill Clinton and Epstein Island

Former President Bill Clinton flew multiple times on airplanes belonging to the late Jeffrey Epstein. But there is no evidence that Clinton visited the convicted sex offender’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands “28 times,” as President Donald Trump has claimed.

Trump’s Misleading Justification for Higher Tariffs on Imports of EU Goods

Trump’s Misleading Justification for Higher Tariffs on Imports of EU Goods

The United States and the European Union have reached a preliminary trade deal to avoid a 30% U.S. tariff on imported goods from the EU that President Donald Trump threatened would go into effect on Aug. 1. Trump had argued that higher tariffs were needed because EU tariffs and nontariff policies “cause the large and unsustainable trade deficits” between the U.S. and the EU, but economists disputed that statement.

Trump’s Hollow Surplus Claim

Trump’s Hollow Surplus Claim

In recent speeches and media scrums, President Donald Trump has lauded the federal budget surplus for the month of June, claiming the surplus had not happened in “many, many years” or “decades.” To be clear, the U.S. had not recorded a surplus in June since 2016 – but the country has had several surpluses in other months since that time.

The CBO Breakdown on Medicaid Losses, Increase in Uninsured

The CBO Breakdown on Medicaid Losses, Increase in Uninsured

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would reduce Medicaid enrollment and cause millions of people to become uninsured by 2034. It didn’t say that “5 million” of the people who are “going to lose insurance” would have “other insurance” so “they’re still insured,” as National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett misleadingly claimed.

Unraveling the Big Beautiful Bill Spin

Unraveling the Big Beautiful Bill Spin

As the Republican budget bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, nears the July 4 deadline set by the White House, lawmakers have been ramping up the rhetoric. We referee the claims from both sides.

Trump Exaggerates Tariff Revenue

Trump Exaggerates Tariff Revenue

Treasury Department data show that revenue from tariffs on imported foreign goods increased substantially in April and May, setting monthly records. But the total is less than half the figure President Donald Trump has cited. At least twice this month, the president has wrongly claimed that the U.S. “brought in $88 billion” from tariffs in “two months.”

Q&A on Federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles

Q&A on Federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles

The disagreement between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom over Trump deploying state National Guard troops to Los Angeles is now being debated in court. We’ll explain how the situation developed and answer some common questions.

Viral Graphic Makes False, Questionable Claims About House Reconciliation Bill

Viral Graphic Makes False, Questionable Claims About House Reconciliation Bill

A viral graphic warns that if the House-passed reconciliation bill becomes law, “we won’t have another election.” But there is no evidence to support that or some of the graphic’s underlying claims about “what’s coming” if the Senate also approves the legislation without any changes. For other claims, it’s unclear what they are based on.