FACT CHECK: Trump Lies To Voters About His Own Accomplishments
October 26, 2018
At his North Carolina rally tonight, Trump continued to lie directly to voters about his accomplishments. Here’s the truth:
LIE: Trump said he “passed a massive tax cut for working families.”
FACT: Most Americans said they had not seen any increase in their paycheck from the Trump tax law.
Politico: “Only 25 percent of voters said they had noticed an increase in their paychecks as a result of the law, while 52 percent said they hadn’t. In the April poll, 22 percent said they had seen an increase and 55 percent said they hadn’t.”
FACT: The Trump tax law fueled massive windfalls for CEOs and their wealthy investors, not workers.
NBC News: “The Republican tax reform package that was supposed to raise wages and spur hiring has instead funded a record stock buyback and dividend spree, benefiting investors and company executives over workers.”
CNN Money: “Executives Are Cashing In On The Explosion In Stock Buybacks”
LIE: Trump said he would “soon” give a “10% tax cut for the middle class.”
FACT: Trump is not going to give the middle class a tax cut.
New York Times: “Trump Is Not Going To Cut Middle-Class Taxes This Year, Despite What He Says”
Roll Call: “Rep. Kevin Brady made clear Friday that the additional 10 percent middle class tax cut, which raised eyebrows when the president first mentioned it last week, would be a priority if the GOP maintains control of both chambers of Congress in 2019. ‘We expect to advance this in the new session of Congress if Republicans maintain control of the House and the Senate,’ Brady said on CNBC.”
LIE: Trump said he was making health care “stronger and stronger every single day.”
FACT: Trump’s health care sabotage threatens protections for pre-existing conditions and coverage of essential health benefits.
Politico: “The Trump administration said Monday it will give states significant new ability to opt out of Obamacare requirements, a move that could boost cheaper health plans with fewer protections for pre-existing conditions.”
Washington Post: “Under guidance issued Monday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), states seeking federal waivers to run their insurance marketplaces will be given much more leeway. That includes the ability to apply ACA subsidies to short-term and association health plans — two types of coverage the administration has expanded as a way of making cheaper plans available to those who want them. These plans don’t include coverage of certain ‘essential’ benefits like mental-health services and prenatal care and they can refuse to cover people with preexisting conditions.”
LIE: Trump said “Republicans will always protect Americans with pre-existing conditions.”
FACT: Republicans have repeatedly tried to weaken and even eliminate pre-existing condition protections.
NBC News Fact Check: “Trump Claims GOP Is Protecting People With Pre-Existing Conditions. Evidence Says Otherwise.”
CNN: “Trump: ‘All Republicans’ Support Pre-Existing Conditions, But White House Policy Says Otherwise”
LIE: Trump said Democrats would “destroy Medicare.”
FACT: Medicare weakened under Trump.
PolitiFact: “In their 2018 report, the Medicare Trustees forecast that fund would run out of money in 2026. A year earlier, they said it would last until 2029. On Trump’s watch, it lost three years of solvency.”
FACT: Trump sought a $554 billion cut to Medicare.
Washington Post: “As a candidate, Trump repeatedly said he would never cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. Now he proposes cutting Medicare by $554 billion and Medicaid by around $250 billion over the next decade.”