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Donald Trump is a former President of the United States and is running for President again in 2024. He is a member of the populist conservative wing of the Republican Party. We assign Donald Trump a Right Biased and Very-Low factual rating due to an extraordinary number of failed fact checks and false claims.
State: Florida
Title: Former President of the United States (2017-2021)
Political Party: Republican
Political Alignment: Populist Conservative
Factual Rating: Very Low
Career:
- President of the United States (2017-2021)
- Businessman and Television Personality
Stance on Key Policies:
- Abortion Rights: Unfavorable – Donald Trump took credit for overturning Roe v. Wade, stating, “After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade, much to the ‘shock’ of everyone.” At this time, Trump will not state whether or not he supports a federal abortion ban. However, he recently stated, “There of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life.”
- Economy: Regulated Capitalism – Donald Trump supports deregulations to help businesses; however, he has announced as part of his 2024 platform that he will impose new tariffs that will “end our gaping trade deficits,” “bring back millions of American jobs,” and “bring trillions and trillions of dollars pouring into the United States Treasury from foreign countries.”
- Climate Change: Supports Limited Government Action – Trump has rolled back hundreds of environmental protections, including limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and vehicles and protections for federal waterways across the country. He also withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. As recently as 2022, Trump has declared that Climate Change is a hoax.
- Education: Choice-Charter-Private Schools – Trump’s 2024 education policy plan calls for cutting federal funding for any school or program that includes “critical race theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content onto our children.” It also calls for opening “civil rights investigations into any school district that has engaged in race-based discrimination,” particularly against Asian American students, and promises to “keep men out of women’s sports.”
- Foreign Policy: Mixed – Trump has promised to put “America First” in U.S. foreign policy, including stepping away from multilateral agreements like the Paris climate accord and pulling back from multilateral organizations like the World Health Organization. He does not support aid for Ukraine, and Trump’s campaign said he plans to try and paint himself as an anti-war dove amongst the hawks. However, during his Presidency, he increased troop levels, deepening reliance on private contractors and dramatically scaling up aerial warfare.
- LGBTQ Rights: Limited Rights – During his presidency, Donald Trump took several actions that significantly impacted the LGBTQ+ community. These included opposition to the Equality Act, the appointment of judges with records of opposing LGBTQ+ rights, support for the ability of employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and changes to healthcare and military policies affecting transgender individuals. The Human Rights Campaign states, “Trump is largely regarded as one of the most viciously anti-LGBTQ+, anti-woman, anti-Black and Latinx, and anti-democratic politicians of all time.”
- Gun Ownership: Limited Gun Control Measures – After the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio in 2019, Trump expressed support for reforms, like tighter background checks for gun buyers and “red flag laws,” which block access to firearms for those deemed a risk to society. But after this initial flurry of interest, Trump has done little to move these ideas forward. Trump recently stated at an NRA convention, “I was proud to be the most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president you’ve ever had in the White House.”
- Immigration: Limited Immigration – Trump has promised to continue the construction of a border wall on the US-Mexico border and vows to eliminate the visa lottery and chain migration, shifting to a “merit-based” entry system and recently vowed to end birthright citizenship.
- Health Care: Market-Based Health Care – In 2016, Trump campaigned on repealing the Affordable Care Act, brought in by former President Barack Obama. As of this date, Trump has not stated his healthcare policies for 2024.
- Overall: Populist Conservative – Donald Trump can be described as a populist conservative. His political approach emphasizes nationalist and populist themes. Some of his key positions, such as “America First” foreign policy, limiting immigration, and focusing on economic protectionism through tariffs, align with populist conservative ideology. Additionally, he has shown a willingness to challenge and disrupt traditional Republican establishment positions, appealing to a broader base of voters who may feel disconnected from mainstream politics.
View Donald Trump’s voting record
Recent Failed Fact Checks (Shortlist of Thousands)
- The Department of Justice indictment of former President Trump is “one of the most outrageous and vicious legal theories ever put forward in an American court of law.” – False.
- In 2020 the ballots that were counted “were fake ballots.” – Pants on Fire
- Trump posts photo claiming Biden & Monaco are plotting against Republicans. – False
- Trump claims patients from “insane asylums” emptied into U.S. – False
- “The subpoena was there, and [Hillary Clinton] decided to delete, acid wash and then smash and destroy her cell phones with a hammer.” – False
- Donald Trump has failed thousands of fact-checks. As of this date, Politifact lists 733 false claims, while the Washington Post claims he made over 30K false or misleading claims while President of the United States.
(M. Huitsing 07/30/2023)
Last Updated on July 30, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check