PolitiFact | Trade

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Mostly True

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All Fact-checks for Trade

stated on December 12, 2022 in an interview

The U.S. "trade deficit with China has gone from about $80 billion a year in the 1990s to $400 billion a year.”

true

mostly-true

stated on September 27, 2022 in a campaign ad

“I voted with Trump on trade.”

true

mostly-true

stated on May 14, 2022 in posts on social media

The United States can’t import baby formula because of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

true

barely-true

stated on March 7, 2022 in an ad from Advancing American Freedom

Joe Biden's cancellation of the Keystone pipeline "dramatically increased Americans' dependence on Russian oil."

true

false

stated on February 3, 2022 in Twitter

Says President Joe Biden "is trying to send taxpayer dollars to manufacturers overseas that do not abide by the same (carbon emission) standards we do at home."

true

half-true

stated on March 1, 2022 in an ad

Joe Biden's sanctions on Russia “are riddled with loopholes and don't even start for 30 days. They have carve outs for the energy and financial sectors.”

true

half-true

stated on February 25, 2022 in an ad

The Keystone XL pipeline "would have produced 830,000 barrels of oil per day, more than enough to offset what we import from Russia."

true

half-true

Stand Up To China

stated on January 20, 2022 in an ad

Build Back Better “would be a huge payday for Chinese manufacturing” and “would fill our streets with cars made with Chinese parts.”

true

false

stated on February 7, 2022 in an ad

Eric Schmitt “sponsored a bill to spend $480 million of your tax dollars” on cargo hub for airlines "owned by China's Communist Party” and "voted to let China buy up Missouri farmland."

true

half-true

stated on December 1, 2021 in a TV segment

"If you look pre-COVID" under President Donald Trump, "we didn't import a single barrel of oil from Saudi Arabia.”

true

false

Instagram posts

stated on October 27, 2021 in an Instagram post

A video shows “your packages were rerouted and have arrived in the port of Miami” as a result of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

true

barely-true

stated on October 24, 2021 in in a TikTok video

Product shortages are manufactured; goods are stuck in warehouses.

true

pants-fire

Instagram posts

stated on October 21, 2021 in an Instagram post

Cargo ships “can’t get into port” because of Donald Trump’s executive order 13959.

true

false

stated on October 13, 2021 in a Facebook post

California’s shipping backlog is, in part, caused by a “California Truck Ban which says all trucks must be 2011 or newer and a law called AB 5 which prohibits Owner Operators.”

true

barely-true

stated on October 6, 2021 in a Facebook post

Photo shows hundreds of “sitting ships” waiting to dock at U.S. ports.

true

false

stated on July 28, 2021 in an article in RealClearEnergy

“We became a net exporter of natural gas in 2017, and until recently, our exports have exceeded our imports.”

true

half-true

stated on October 1, 2021 in a Facebook post

“There are now 56 cargo freighters anchored off the coast of California from Oakland to Long Beach in what can only be considered a manufactured supply-chain halt.”

true

barely-true

The Gateway Pundit

stated on June 1, 2021 in a blog post

Says Joe Biden “imports oil from Iran.”

true

barely-true

stated on April 3, 2021 in a blog post

Navy SEALs found over 1,000 trafficked children and dead bodies on the Evergreen ship that blocked the Suez Canal.

true

pants-fire

stated on March 29, 2021 in a Facebook post

A map shows “all the cargo ships backed up by the Suez Canal. Get ready for shortages and prices to skyrocket.”

true

false

Fact-checking J.D. Vance and Tim Ryan in Ohio Senate race

Fact-checking J.D. Vance and Tim Ryan in Ohio Senate race

By Amy Sherman • November 4, 2022

Newsmax, Fox News air outdated, out-of-context photos of empty shelves in segments bashing Biden

Newsmax, Fox News air outdated, out-of-context photos of empty shelves in segments bashing Biden

By Bill McCarthy • October 22, 2021

High prices and depleted shelves: Here’s why the supply chain is a mess — and will be for a while

High prices and depleted shelves: Here’s why the supply chain is a mess — and will be for a while

By Bill McCarthy • October 15, 2021

Ask PolitiFact: What is China's Belt and Road Initiative, and why is Joe Biden concerned?

Ask PolitiFact: What is China's Belt and Road Initiative, and why is Joe Biden concerned?

By Louis Jacobson • June 16, 2021

How Donald Trump performed on 11 key promises

How Donald Trump performed on 11 key promises

By Louis Jacobson • January 19, 2021

The art of the oversell: 10 times Trump’s bombastic rhetoric didn’t match reality

The art of the oversell: 10 times Trump’s bombastic rhetoric didn’t match reality

By Ciara O'Rourke • September 29, 2020

Explained: How Trump and Biden would confront China

Explained: How Trump and Biden would confront China

By Noah Y. Kim • September 14, 2020

Latest promises about Trade

Establish an offshoring tax penalty

Tighten 'Made In America' rules

Change tax code so pharmaceutical production stays in the US

Use the Defense Production Act to produce personal protective equipment

Allow import of prescription drugs from other countries

Award federal contracts to companies that make all products in US

Raise tariffs on goods imported into the U.S.

Use U.S. steel for infrastructure projects

Reverse China's entry into the World Trade Organization

Renegotiate NAFTA

Create a new trade enforcement unit that will address China's trade practices

Load more promises about Trade