In his much publicized visit to Iowa, President Donald Trump made a few false and misleading statements about agricultural exports.
FactChecking Trump’s Pitch to Farmers
Issues: NAFTA
Is Mexico Paying for the Wall Through USMCA?
President Donald Trump declared via Twitter that he is keeping perhaps his most famous campaign promise, claiming that “MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!” through a recent trade agreement negotiated with Mexico. But economic and trade experts we interviewed said that’s not possible.
Trump Wrong on Mexico’s VAT
President Donald Trump wrongly said that “nobody from this country knew” about Mexico’s value-added tax until after NAFTA was signed. A deputy U.S. trade representative at the time NAFTA was put in place said: “US policymakers, embassy officials and tax authorities were fully aware of Mexico’s VAT system.”
Facts on Trade
Here we highlight a number of key statistics about trade, and summarize some of the stories we have written when these facts have been misrepresented.
U.S. Trade with Canada Not ‘Smaller’ Than With Mexico
In announcing a tentative agreement with Mexico, President Donald Trump called Mexico “a very large trading partner” and said negotiations would now begin with Canada, which he called a “smaller segment.” But U.S. trade with Canada was about $57 billion larger than trade with Mexico in 2017.
Trump’s Phoenix Fiction
The president revises history, exaggerates accomplishments and makes false claims.
The U.S.-Canada Dairy Dispute
President Donald Trump has said that what Canada has “done to our dairy farm workers is a disgrace” and that “dairy farmers in Wisconsin and upstate New York … are getting killed by NAFTA.” But that trade agreement isn’t what’s hurting farmers in the current dispute.
FactChecking Trump’s CPAC Speech
President Donald Trump made a triumphant return to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, where he made a lot of the same false and misleading claims we’ve been fact-checking for months.
FactChecking the Final Presidential Debate
In the final debate in Las Vegas, we found the deck was still stacked against the facts.
FactChecking Trump’s Big Speech
The GOP nominee promises ‘no lies,’ but twists facts on taxes, crime, foreign affairs and more.