Former President Donald Trump held a news conference at his New Jersey golf club, making false claims about the economy and launching personal attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump exaggerated the impact of inflation under the Biden-Harris administration, claiming it cost the typical household $28,000, a figure much higher than independent estimates. He also misleadingly stated that he left Biden and Harris a surging economy with no inflation, when in reality, growth surged under Biden, reaching 5.8% in 2021, faster than any year of Trump’s term.
Trump also misinterpreted government jobs data, claiming that virtually all job creation in the past year went to migrants. However, the data includes foreign-born individuals who may not be recent migrants, and many economists argue that the data undercounts both foreign-born and native-born workers. Additionally, Trump falsely claimed that theft under $950 is legal in California, referencing Proposition 47, which raised the minimum dollar amount for theft to be considered a felony.
Trump falsely accused Vice President Kamala Harris of advocating for defunding the police, despite the fact that Harris has not made such statements during her current campaign. While the Biden administration has tried to overhaul policing, the legislation stalled in Congress, and Biden ultimately issued an executive order while increasing funding for local departments. Trump also falsely claimed to have won Pennsylvania in 2020, when in fact, he lost the state to President Joe Biden by a small margin of about 80,000 votes.
Contrary to Trump’s claims, oil production in the U.S. hit a record high under the Biden administration, with the Department of Energy reporting production of 13.2 million barrels per day in 2024. The economy has shown recent signs of strength, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average increasing, and recent economic reports showing positive trends in retail spending and jobless numbers. Trump also inaccurately accused Vice President Kamala Harris of being the border “czar” and failing to address border challenges, when in reality, she was assigned to work with Central American countries on migration issues.
While Trump touted his record on Black and Hispanic unemployment, claiming record lows during his term, the numbers were upended by the impact of COVID. Under Biden, Black unemployment reached a new record low of 4.8%, and Hispanic unemployment matched the previous record low of 3.9% set during Trump’s term. Overall, Trump’s claims during the news conference were widely exaggerated, misleading, or false, highlighting the importance of fact-checking in political discourse.
