PolitiFact | Trade

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Mostly True

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Half True

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Mostly False

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Pants on Fire

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All Fact-checks for Trade

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

stated on February 19, 2021 in a Facebook post

“Oil is now $61.30 a barrel and rising drastically! On Jan. 5, it was about $25 a barrel.”

true

false

stated on September 29, 2020 in the first presidential debate

“We have a higher deficit with China now than we did before.”

true

barely-true

stated on September 9, 2020 in a speech in Warren, Mich.

The “U.S. trade deficit is at an all-time high under Trump in the last three years.”

true

half-true

stated on July 7, 2020 in a TV segment

"Higher education is one of America's strongest export sectors. Over 1 million international students studied at American universities, (in the) 2018-19 school year. They contributed over $40 billion to the economy.”

true

true

stated on June 24, 2020 in an ad

“Trump lost a trade war that he started.”

true

mostly-true

stated on June 17, 2020 in an ad

“As a lawyer working in Korea, Nate McMurray helped send American jobs to Asia”

true

false

stated on March 8, 2020 in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press"

“Trade agreements like NAFTA and permanent normal trade relations with China, which forced American workers to compete against people making pennies an hour, has resulted in the loss of 160,000 jobs here in Michigan."

true

mostly-true

stated on January 16, 2020 in a tweet

"In #WI, over 44,000 jobs depend on trade with Mexico and Canada."

true

half-true

stated on January 30, 2020 in a tweet

Says the USMCA is the “biggest trade deal ever made.”

true

false

stated on January 14, 2020 in comments at a presidential debate

"The Machinists Union does not (support the USMCA trade deal). And every environmental organization in this country (also) opposes it."

true

mostly-true

stated on December 2, 2019 in a tweet

Says President Donald Trump is "waging a trade war against WI farmers -- forcing > 1600 dairy farms to close."

true

barely-true

stated on September 12, 2019 in a Facebook post

Ivanka Trump’s shoe line is made in China but is exempt from tariffs.

true

pants-fire

stated on August 13, 2019 in a Facebook post

"U.S. agricultural & food exports are expected to increase more than $2 billion annually under #USMCA"

true

true

stated on August 27, 2019 in an interview

The Amazon rainforest fires are "directly related to trade" tensions between the United States and China.

true

false

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

Allow import of prescription drugs from other countries

Award federal contracts to companies that make all products in US

Establish an offshoring tax penalty

Tighten 'Made In America' rules

Use the Defense Production Act to produce personal protective equipment

Change tax code so pharmaceutical production stays in the 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