PolitiFact

Kayleigh McEnany stated on July 06, 2021 in a TV segment:

“We know most of our forefathers, all of our main Founding Fathers were against slavery, recognized the evils of it.”

By Bill McCarthy• July 9, 2021

Rick Santorum stated on February 29, 2012 in a speech near Knoxville, Tenn.:

"If you look up the dictionary definition of happiness at the time of our founders … happiness was not doing what you want to do but doing what you ought to do."

By Becky Bowers• March 7, 2012

Arlen Parsa stated on September 01, 2019 in a tweet:

Thirty-four of the 47 men depicted in the famous "Declaration of Independence" painting were slaveholders.

By Tom Kertscher• September 10, 2019

Rick Scott stated on November 18, 2010 in a speech to the Council of 100:

Regulations are an "endemic weakness in government -- so old that Thomas Jefferson listed this problem among his charges against the King of England in the Declaration of Independence."

By Lee Logan• November 22, 2010

Larry Pressler stated on October 16, 2014 in a campaign forum:

"All four on Mount Rushmore, they were all independents at one critical point in their career."

By Steve Contorno• October 16, 2014

Facebook posts stated on March 11, 2019 in a Facebook post:

Says Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper, grew and smoked marijuana, and said "hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country."

By Samantha Putterman• March 13, 2019

Government is Not God PAC stated on September 23, 2012 in a newspaper ad:

Says Obama is only president in history who has deliberately removed the words "endowed by their Creator" when referring to the Declaration of Independence.

By Molly Moorhead• September 27, 2012

Kai Degner stated on October 17, 2016 in a debate.:

"The Declaration of Independence was written on paper made out of hemp."

By Sean Gorman• November 7, 2016

Ben Carson stated on November 22, 2015 in a TV interview.:

Says Thomas Jefferson helped "craft" the Constitution.

By Warren Fiske• November 27, 2015

Mike Pence stated on September 21, 2017 in comments on 'Fox & Friends':

"Thomas Jefferson said, ‘Government that governs least governs best.’ "

By Joshua Gillin• September 21, 2017

Chain email stated on February 09, 2015 in a chain email:

"Over 200 years ago, the United States had declared war on Islam, and Thomas Jefferson led the charge!"

By Louis Jacobson• February 11, 2015

Bob Goodlatte stated on September 03, 2011 in a speech.:

Thomas Jefferson expressed "strong support" for a balanced budget amendment in 1798.

By Sean Gorman• September 9, 2011

Brian Kemp stated on August 23, 2017 in a campaign email:

"Our conservative Georgia values are under attack" ... (People) are "calling for the removal of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson statues."

By Jon Greenberg• August 30, 2017

Donald Trump stated on August 19, 2025 in a Truth Social post:

The Smithsonian Institution includes “nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future.”

By Grace Abels, Louis Jacobson• August 20, 2025

Ben Carson stated on November 04, 2015 in an edited Facebook post:

"Every signer of the Declaration of Independence had no federal elected office experience."

By Louis Jacobson• November 8, 2015

Bill White stated on March 17, 2010 in an e-mail:

"Last week the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), led by Rick Perry's appointee, voted to remove Thomas Jefferson from social studies textbook standards. That's right. Thomas Jefferson... was deleted from a list of historical figures who inspired political change."

By Ciara O'Rourke• March 24, 2010

Jody Hice stated on January 24, 2014 in a Facebook post:

Thomas Jefferson said, "That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."

By April Hunt• September 3, 2014

Mark Pocan stated on April 09, 2015 in a news conference:

"When the Constitution was written, (only) 20 to 25 percent of the people in the country could vote."

By Dave Umhoefer• April 16, 2015

Matt Bevin stated on April 03, 2014 in a radio interview:

"Many" of the founding fathers were "very actively involved" in cockfighting.

By Tim Ryan• May 1, 2014

Jimmy Carter stated on June 28, 2013 in women's conference session:

Women in the United States are paid about 70 percent of what men earn for the same work.

By Janel Davis• July 9, 2013

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