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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump Uses Questionable Figure for U.S. ‘Plants and Factories’ Lost Since NAFTA

Trump Uses Questionable Figure for U.S. ‘Plants and Factories’ Lost Since NAFTA

When President Donald Trump has talked about the need for higher tariffs on imports of foreign goods because of a decline in American manufacturing, he has often made the claim that “90,000 plants and factories” in the U.S. closed after the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994. But that figure is questionable, and experts say other factors, such as automation, had more to do with the large decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs than trade.

Trump vs. Harris on U.S. Manufacturing

Trump vs. Harris on U.S. Manufacturing

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris each claim they helped to revive American manufacturing and that the other has hurt it. And they both select cherry-picked data points to underscore their arguments.

Biden’s Misleading Talking Point on $100K No-Degree Jobs

Biden’s Misleading Talking Point on $100K No-Degree Jobs

While touting investments in semiconductor factories in the U.S., President Joe Biden has repeatedly left the misleading impression that new jobs at the facilities would pay well more than $100,000 a year for those without a college degree. But Intel has said $135,000 is the average salary for thousands of jobs, including those requiring advanced degrees.