AP FACT CHECK: Trump's distortions are across the board

WASHINGTON – PresidentDonald Trumpsystematically fabricated his document ahead of boisterous supporters and the eyes of the realm this previous week.

To a core request – did the U.S. killing of an Iranian recurring steer some distance flung from an approaching assault on U.S. pursuits? – there’ll not be any definitive reply days after missiles flew. Trump and his officials acknowledged the U.S. assault accomplished that result nevertheless indulge in yet to dispute it.

In other matters, Trump equipped distortion at some stage within the breadth of public policy. He declared neat-air achievements when the air has turn out to be dirtier. He claimed to indulge in advance up with the “sizable thought” of letting veterans look personal care at public expense, when that became already legislation, accomplished by President Barack Obama.

He complained that he did not procure the Nobel Peace Prize for peace in Ethiopia, when he had tiny to nothing to procure with it.

He invented a dialogue with a Democrat in Congress and claimed he succeeded on two fronts where other presidents failed, every time for at the least 44 years, a made-up quantity.

And as he accomplished continuously, nevertheless this time within the center of dreadful brinkmanship with Iran, he falsely accused Obama of opening the U.S. treasury to Tehran and handing over a fortune.

A sampling from the week:

PEACE PRIZE

TRUMP: “I could repeat you about the Nobel Peace Prize, I will repeat you about that. I made a deal, I saved the country and I actual heard that the head of that country is now getting the Nobel Peace Prize for saving the country. I acknowledged, what, did I in fact indulge in one thing to procure with it? Yeah nevertheless,, that’s the methodology it’s miles. “Toledo, Ohio, rally Thursday.

THE FACTS: Trump did not put Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Top Minister Abiy Ahmed won the prize in October after he fully licensed a peace deal ending a 20-year border battle with neighboring Eritrea that saw some 80,000 americans killed. Trump had no known involvement within the peace deal.

The prize furthermore identified Abiy, Africa’s youngest leader, for sweeping modifications in Ethiopian society as he launched tens of thousands of prisoners, welcomed dwelling as soon as-banned opposition teams, expanded freedom of expression and acknowledged his country previous abuses.

Trump did conform to a quiz from Egypt’s president to mediate a dispute among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over a proposed dam on the Nile River. That mediation continues.

Trump is opinion to particular pique when he isn’t very identified within the fashion he thinks is deserved. He mocked teenage native weather activist Greta Thunberg when Time magazine named her person of the year closing month.

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JOBS

TRUMP: “The US misplaced 60,000 factories below the outdated administration, 60,000. You would not imagine that’s imaginable nevertheless I know or not it’s fair. … No, or not it’s fair. No, it’s fair. … Or not it’s 60,000 closed, long gone. They are all coming lend a hand. They are all coming lend a hand. ”- Toledo rally.

THE FACTS: It’s not fair.

The U.S. has certainly misplaced roughly 60,000 factories nevertheless that’s since 2001, the open of President George W. Bush’s administration. It didn’t happen “below the outdated administration.” And they also’re not “all coming lend a hand.”

Constructing spending on factories has declined since a most smartly-liked peak in 2015 for the length of Obama’s presidency. Factories decrease 12,000 jobs in December, in accordance with the jobs say Friday. Enlighten in manufacturing jobs decelerated sharply in 2019, to 46,000, down from 264,000 added jobs in 2018.

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VETERANS

TRUMP on the Veterans Administration: “For 44 years they strive to procure accountability. … I acknowledged, … I in fact indulge in an thought, one of these massive thought. You is inclined to be going to exit personal, you will procure up a physician, you will procure yourself mounted up, we’re going to pay the invoice, actual? And what happened? And I acknowledged how – how appealing is that? They are saying sir, we indulge in been working on that for 48 years nevertheless we indulge in by no blueprint were ready to procure it licensed. So I became very, very disenchanted nevertheless what I’m ethical at, getting things licensed and we acquired it licensed. ”- to cheers at Toledo rally.

THE FACTS: He did not think up the premise and procure it licensed. Obama acquired it licensed. Obama signed into legislation the Need program that lets veterans proceed to a non-public doctor at public expense below some conditions. Trump automatically ignores that and says presidents indulge in tried to procure it accomplished for 44 years. He most attention-grabbing expanded the program.

As for accountability, Trump claims that his legislation blueprint executable VA workers are with out discover fired. But a say launched in October by the VA inspector recurring discovered “significant deficiencies” within the accountability place of living of job established by the legislation, equivalent to uncomfortable leadership, shoddy coaching of investigators and a failure to push out underperforming senior leaders. p>

Moreover at the rally, Trump claimed that “44 years” of failure preceded his success in getting the “actual to make a selection a perceive at” initiative into legislation. That initiative, aimed toward giving terminally unwell sufferers more procure actual of entry to to unapproved medication, most attention-grabbing goes lend a hand five or so years.

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CANCER

TRUMP: “U.S. Cancer Loss of life Rate Lowest In Recorded History! Reasonably quite so a lot of ethical news popping out of this Administration. ”- tweet Thursday.

THE FACTS: The news came from the American Cancer Society, not the administration, and it doesn’t concentrate on Trump’s document.

The neighborhood acknowledged the dying rate from most cancers has declined in terms of 30% since 1991 and took its sharpest one-year fall in 2017. However the records did not concentrate on most cancers-compare spending below the Trump administration.

Trump proposed slicing spending at the National Institutes of Health nevertheless Congress disregarded the hassle and raised spending in a invoice the president signed. That isn’t very mirrored within the most cancers society say.

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IRAN

TRUMP: “Iran’s hostility substantially elevated after the silly Iran nuclear deal became signed in 2013. And they also indulge in been given $ 150 billion, to not mention $ 1.8 billion in cash.” – contend with Wednesday.

TRUMP: “Iran now may perhaps perhaps be not filthy rich uncover it irresistible became when President Obama handed him $ 150 billion ..” – remarks Thursday.

TRUMP: “They gave round $ 150 billion together with $ 1.7 billion within the exhausting cool cash, are you able to imagine? No, no, are you able to imagine? $ 1.7 billion, $ 1.8 billion in cash. ”- Toledo rally.

THE FACTS: There became no $ 150 billion payout from the U.S. treasury or other countries. The U.S. made a separate payment of roughly $ 1.8 billion to disguise a decades-primitive IOU.

When Iran signed the multinational deal to restrain its nuclear pattern in return for being free of sanctions, it regained procure actual of entry to to its possess assets, which had been frozen in another country. Iran became allowed to procure its a repayment. The deal in fact became signed in 2015, after a 2013 preliminary agreement. Trump has taken the U.S. out of it.

As for the $ 1.8 billion: In the 1970s, Iran paid the U.S. $ 400 million for navy gear that became by no blueprint delivered since the Iranian govt became overthrown and diplomatic family ruptured. After the nuclear deal, the U.S. and Iran announced they’d settled the topic, with the U.S. agreeing to pay the $ 400 million major alongside with about $ 1.3 billion in passion.

The $ 400 million became paid in cash and flown to Tehran on a cargo plane, which gave upward push to Trump’s outdated dramatic accounts of cash stuffed in barrels or boxes and delivered at hour of darkness. The design equipped for the fervor to be paid later, not filled into containers.

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TRUMP: “The silly Iran nuclear deal financed Iranian aggression while permitting a brief path to nuclear breakout. That is what it did. And by the methodology it expires so soon. They’ll indulge in nuclear weapons. “- Toledo rally.

TRUMP: “It’s shut to expiring. In other phrases, if I didn’t end it, it expires in a actually brief duration of time. ”- remarks at White Home on Thursday.

THE FACTS: The 2015 agreement isn’t very about to budge out. It imposes limits on Iran’s nuclear pattern for 15 years.

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TRUMP: “The missiles fired closing evening at us and our allies indulge in been paid for with the funds made readily available by the closing administration.” – contend with Wednesday.

THE FACTS: That accusation comes with out corroboration. The administration has equipped no records supporting the competition that in regaining procure actual of entry to to $ 150 billion of its assets that had been frozen in another country, Iran instructed a piece of that cash to the missiles that hit the U.S. bases in Iraq.

“I doubt anybody has the insight into Iran’s budgetary mechanisms to hiss that this cash became fashioned that’s the reason,” acknowledged Gerald Feierstein, a profession U.S. diplomat who retired in 2016 as the major deputy assistant secretary of roar for Reach Japanese Affairs.

“Or not it’s a funds-are-fungible roughly argument,” he acknowledged. “I imply, within the occasion that they’ve cash, are you able to suppose that buck went on to earn a missile, as against releasing up another buck that went to earn a missile?”

Joseph Votel, who retired from the U.S. Military in March as the tip navy commander for the Heart East, acknowledged he became not responsive to any particular intelligence on this request. “I procure not indulge in anything that would in particular improve that,” he acknowledged. “I’m not saying it did or it did not, nevertheless I procure not indulge in well-known functions to display it one methodology or the replacement.”

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ENVIRONMENT

TRUMP: “Now we indulge in some of the cleanest air and cleanest water on earth, and for our country the air is straight away cleaner than or not it’s been in 40 years.” – remarks Thursday.

THE FACTS: No, air quality has worsened below the Trump administration. And or not it’s a stretch to hiss the U.S. is one of many many countries with the cleanest air. Dozens of countries indulge in much less smoggy air. Trump made the remarks as he proposed the most smartly-liked enforcement rollbacks for the bedrock environmental acts credited with origin the neat-up of U.S. air and water a half of-century within the past.

As to water quality, one measure, Yale University’s world Environmental Efficiency Index, finds the U.S. tied with nine other countries as having the cleanest ingesting water.

But after decades of roar, growth in air quality has stalled.

There indulge in been 15% more days with unhealthy air in The US in 2017 and 2018 than there indulge in been on life like from 2013 thru 2016, the four years when the united stateshad its fewest quantity of at the moment since at the very least 1980, in accordance with an AP diagnosis of EPA records.

A most smartly-liked gape by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University discovered that lethal air particle pollution elevated 5.5% within the US between 2016 and 2018 after declining by 24.2% from 2009 to 2016.

“The improve became associated to 9,700 premature deaths in 2018,” the gape by Karen Clay and Nicholas Muller acknowledged. “At ancient valuations, these deaths represent damages of $ 89 billion.”

The Obama administration space records for the fewest air-polluted days.

Trump’s proposal would significantly decrease lending a hand on the National Environmental Protection Act’s requirement that federal businesses make a selection into consideration whether a enormous construction mission would hurt the ambiance ahead of they approve the mission. Diversified Trump proposals would roll lend a hand restrictions on vital sources of air and water pollution, together with coal-fired vitality flowers and autos. ”

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ISLAMIC STATE GROUP

TRUMP: “Three months within the past, after destroying 100% of ISIS and its territorial caliphate …” – contend with Wednesday on Iran’s missile strike on two Iraqi bases.

THE FACTS: His state of a 100% defeat is misleading as the Islamic Dispute neighborhood peaceable poses a risk.

IS became defeated in Iraq in 2017, then misplaced the closing of its land holdings in Syria in March, marking the pause of the extremists’ self-declared caliphate. Tranquil, extremist sleeper cells indulge in endured to open assaults in Iraq and Syria and are believed to be to blame for focused killings against native officials and individuals of the Syrian Democratic Forces.

U.N. experts indulge in warned that IS leaders are seeking a resurgence. This previous week, Protection Secretary Model Esper acknowledged the battle against the neighborhood became persevering with in Syria.

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IMPEACHMENT

TRUMP, on the Home Intelligence Committee chairman: “He’s a obnoxious flesh presser, Adam Schiff. He’s obnoxious. … He gave a sentence that he made up. He made it up, and it became not – it became not what became acknowledged within the dialog. This is why I launched the transcript, acquired approval from Ukraine. “- remarks Thursday.

THE FACTS: Trump’s timeline is harmful and he is exaggerating the episode and botching the timeline.

Schiff, D-Calif., Delivered what he known as a parody of Trump’s remarks within the president’s July 25 cellular phone call with Ukraine’s leader.

Schiff did so after the White Home launched a rough transcript of the call, not ahead of, as Trump states. So these that be taught the official memoir knew Schiff became riffing from it, not quoting from it.

Though Trump took umbrage at having phrases put in his mouth by Schiff, the president automatically invents dialogue. Or not it’s a staple of his rhetoric when he mocks political competitors. He did it Thursday evening at a rally, making up a dialog he pretended he had – with Schiff.

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TRUMP: “We launched the actual transcript.” – remarks Thursday.

THE FACTS: No, the White Home memo describing Trump’s cellular phone dialog with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will not be actual.

It became presented by the White Home as a rough transcript. The final public doesn’t know exactly what each and each leader acknowledged.

Officers who indulge in been tasked to hear in to the call suppose the rough transcript is largely actual in representing the material aspects of the dialog as they heard it.

One such stare testified that some quotations within the memoir indulge in been not actual, though he did not make a selection into consideration the variance to be consequential.

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TRUMP, explaining why he in the starting up held up navy lend a hand to Ukraine: “Why is it that the US will pay? And it affects Europe grand more than it affects the US. So why isn’t it that France, Germany, and all of these countries in Europe which would be so strongly affected, why aren’t they paying? ”- remarks Tuesday with Greece’s top minister.

THE FACTS: He’s unsuitable that European countries weren’t placing up lending a hand for Ukraine.

European Union institutions indulge in equipped grand more pattern assistance than the $ 204 million from Washington. Particular EU individuals, Japan and Canada furthermore contribute significantly.

Since 2014, the EU and European financial institutions indulge in mobilized more than $ 16 billion to support Ukraine’s financial system, counter corruption, create institutions and make stronger its sovereignty against extra incursions by Russia after its annexation of Crimea.

The U.S. is a heavy provide of navy assistance. But NATO furthermore contributes a diversity of navy-assistance programs and have confidence funds for Ukraine. In most such conditions, the programs are modest and NATO countries rather then the U.S. make a selection the lead

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ENERGY

TRUMP: “We’re neutral, and we procure not need Heart East oil.” – contend with Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump’s declaration of vitality independence is premature. The U.S. peaceable desires heaps of oil from the Mideast.

The amount of U.S. oil imports from the Persian Gulf by myself – 23 million barrels in October – wouldn’t be easy to fabricate up in different locations, at the very least not with out vital modifications in U.S. search recordsdata from or manufacturing.

Technological advances love fracking and horizontal drilling indulge in allowed the U.S. to noticeably improve manufacturing, nevertheless search recordsdata from remains brisk and the country peaceable imports thousands and thousands of barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iraq and other countries. Moreover, grand of what the U.S. produces is exhausting for domestic refiners to convert to life like use. So the U.S. exports that manufacturing and imports oil that is more ethical for American refineries to contend with.

On vitality more broadly, the U.S. is certainly shut to parity on how grand vitality it produces and how grand it consumes. In some months, it produces more than it consumes. On the replacement hand it has not accomplished self-sufficiency. In the first nine months of closing year, it imported about as grand vitality as it exported.

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MILITARY

TRUMP: “The American navy has been fully rebuilt below my administration, at a fee of $ 2.5 trillion.” – contend with Wednesday.

THE FACTS: That’s an exaggeration.

It’s fair that his administration has accelerated a pointy buildup in protection spending, together with a respite from what the U.S. navy regarded as to be crippling spending limits below funds sequestration.

But quite so a lot of most smartly-liked Pentagon weapons programs, equivalent to the F-35 fighter jet, indulge in been started years ahead of the Trump administration. And this may perhaps fair make a selection years for freshly ordered tanks, planes and other weapons to be constructed, delivered and put to utilize.

The Air Pressure’s Minuteman 3 missiles, a key allotment of the U.S. nuclear force, as an illustration, indulge in been working for the reason that early 1970s and the modernization became begun below the Obama administration. They are attributable to procure replaced with a unusual version, nevertheless not unless later this decade.

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Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber, Ellen Knickmeyer, Matthew Lee, Michael Biesecker, Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Daly and Robert Burns contributed to this say.

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EDITOR’S NOTE – A perceive at the veracity of claims by political figures.

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To find AP Truth Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

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