Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump’s Selective Comparison Overstates Trade Deficit Decline

Trump’s Selective Comparison Overstates Trade Deficit Decline

Through President Donald Trump’s first full 10 months in office, the cumulative U.S. trade deficit in goods and services was down 3.9% from the same period in 2024. His claim that he has “slashed our trade deficit by 77%” appears to compare the monthly trade deficit in January 2025 to the deficit nine months later in October.

Patel’s Remarks Conflict With Minnesota Gun Law

Patel’s Remarks Conflict With Minnesota Gun Law

Minnesota allows individuals with a permit to carry a gun in public, concealed or not, and there is no state law against having a gun while at a demonstration. That contradicts FBI Director Kash Patel’s claim suggesting that “you cannot bring” a loaded firearm “to any sort of protest” in the state.

Trump’s Claims About Greenland

Trump’s Claims About Greenland

Prior to announcing on Jan. 21 that he has reached a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland with the secretary general of NATO, President Donald Trump had insisted that the United States needed to acquire Greenland for national security reasons. In this story, we’ll present what the president has said and the facts.

Trump’s Numbers, Second Term

Trump’s Numbers, Second Term

At the one-year mark of Trump’s second term, we launch our “numbers” series, providing various statistical measures of his presidency thus far.

Explaining Trump’s Claim That Venezuela ‘Stole’ U.S. Oil

Explaining Trump’s Claim That Venezuela ‘Stole’ U.S. Oil

President Donald Trump said one reason that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela and “indefinitely” control its oil sales is because “years ago” Venezuela “took our oil away from us” and “stole our assets.” That’s an oversimplification of what happened when Venezuela assumed greater control of its energy sector.

Exploring the Legality Questions About Venezuela Military Strike

Exploring the Legality Questions About Venezuela Military Strike

Several Democrats have claimed that the Trump administration’s Jan. 3 military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, was “illegal,” violating both domestic and international law.

Trump’s Native-Born Job-Creation Claim Based on Questionable Figures

Trump’s Native-Born Job-Creation Claim Based on Questionable Figures

For months, President Donald Trump or members of his administration have used federal data showing a large increase in employment for U.S.-born workers and a decrease in employment among foreign-born workers to claim that “all net job creation” in his second term has been for citizens. And for months, multiple economists and labor experts have said that officials should not do that because these specific figures are misleading.

FactChecking Trump’s Rapid-Fire Prime-Time Address

FactChecking Trump’s Rapid-Fire Prime-Time Address

President Donald Trump blitzed through a prime-time address to the nation on Dec. 17, but while short, Trump’s speech contained a number of inaccurate or misleading claims, many of which he has repeated in public speeches for months.

Probing Trump’s Verbal Attack on Somalis

Probing Trump’s Verbal Attack on Somalis

In a disparaging attack on Somalia in which he said he didn’t want people of Somali descent in the United States, President Donald Trump said Somalis “ripped off” Minnesota “every year” for “billions of dollars,” an apparent reference to a fraud investigation, and suggested that “like 88%” of Somalis receive “welfare” benefits. But the White House didn’t provide us with evidence for either of those figures.

Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims

Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims

After six congressional Democrats released a video advising members of the U.S. military and national security community to “refuse illegal orders,” President Donald Trump said the lawmakers should be tried in court for “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” But legal experts told us this was not sedition and that the legislators were restating the law that only lawful orders must be followed.