The day after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump delivered a speech many are calling his most repugnant yet.
In it, Trump doubled down on his proposal to ban entry of Muslims into the United States. In addition to being wildly offensive, it was also willfully inaccurate. Here’s a sampling of his playing loose with the facts:
1. “Even our FBI director admitted that we cannot effectively check the backgrounds of the people we are letting into America.”
He’s referring to congressional testimony given by James Comey in October 2015, in which the FBI director admitted that “a number of people who were of serious concern” were able to enter the United States by way of resettlement programs for refugees of the Iraq War, a project initiated by the Bush administration. “I can’t sit here and offer anybody an absolute assurance that there’s no risk associated with this,” he said, which is reasonable enough—but he also also clarified that screening procedures have “vastly improved” since those years.
2. “America has already admitted four times more immigrants than any country on Earth, and we continue to admit millions more with no real checks or scrutiny.”
In fact, the US has stringent immigrant and refugee screening procedures in place. It can take upwards of two years, requires rigorous background checks and comprehensive documentation by both the US government and the United Nations, and even then, only a fraction of the most vulnerable cases are admitted. They are then monitored by government officials for years after the fact.
3. “Large numbers of Somali refugees in Minnesota have tried to join [the Islamic State].”
A grand total of 12 Minnesotan Somalis have been charged with aiding ISIL, and many of them were born in the United States.
4. “[Hillary Clinton’s] plan is to disarm law-abiding Americans, abolishing the Second Amendment, and leaving only the bad guys and terrorists with guns. She wants to take away Americans’ guns.”
Uh, no. From secretary Clinton’s campaign website:
While gun ownership is part of the fabric of many law-abiding communities, too many families in America have suffered from gun violence. About 33,000 Americans are killed by guns each year. That is unacceptable. It is a rebuke to this nation we love.
That’s why Hillary supports sensible action to address gun violence, including comprehensive background checks, cracking down on illegal gun traffickers, holding dealers and manufacturers accountable when they endanger Americans, and keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and stalkers.
Not once has Clinton expressed an interest in disarming Americans wholesale or abolishing the Second Amendment.
5. “Hillary Clinton can never claim to be a friend of the gay community as long as she continues to support immigration policies that bring Islamic extremists to our country who suppress women, gays, and anyone who doesn’t share their views. She can’t have it both ways. She can’t claim to be supportive of these communities while trying to increase the number of people coming in who want to oppress them.”
Just last week, Trump addressed conservative evangelical Christians assembled at the Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in Washington, where he reiterated his anti-abortion politics and promised to defend “traditional marriage.”
Who can’t have it both ways?
6. “Clinton wants to allow radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country.”
No, she definitely doesn’t. You might be able to argue that Clinton promotes a foreign policy that cultivates radical Islamism and animosity toward the United States, but you can’t genuinely believe she wants to roll out the red carpet for terrorists.
7. “Wages for our workers haven’t budged in many years.”
They’re increasing nearly 3% a year.
8. “Hillary Clinton wants to empty out the Treasury to bring people into the country that include individuals who preach hate against our own citizens.”
We’re pretty sure that bankrupting the country isn’t part of her plan for immigration policy.
9. “When I am president … America will be a tolerant and open society.”
Perhaps the biggest lie of them all.