Latest Fact-Checks In Trade

Clear
stated on May 5, 2025 a CNN NewsNight episode
“China makes 80% of all toys” and “90% of all Christmas goods” sold in the U.S.
True
By Loreben Tuquero • May 9, 2025
Chris Hayes
Chris Hayes
stated on July 7, 2020 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
By Bill McCarthy • July 10, 2020
Roy Blunt
Roy Blunt
stated on August 13, 2019 a Facebook post
"U.S. agricultural & food exports are expected to increase more than $2 billion annually under #USMCA"
True
By Greta Serrin • September 17, 2019
West Virginia Republican Party
West Virginia Republican Party
stated on April 2, 2019 a tweet
"West Virginia’s exports increased for the second year in a row in 2018, reaching $8.1 billion. Additionally, West Virginia’s export growth rate was 14.2%, nearly double the national average of 7.6%."
True
By Jensen Mills, Stephanie Alvaro • April 24, 2019
Democratic Party of Wisconsin
Democratic Party of Wisconsin
stated on September 10, 2018 a mailer
"Leah Vukmir OPPOSES Buy American legislation."
True
By D.L. Davis • October 17, 2018
Ben Sasse
Ben Sasse
stated on May 31, 2018 a statement
"We’ve been down this road before—blanket protectionism is a big part of why America had a Great Depression."
True
By Louis Jacobson • May 31, 2018
Rex Tillerson
Rex Tillerson
stated on April 28, 2017 comments to the UN Security Council
"China account(s) for 90 percent of North Korean trade."
True
By John Kruzel • May 1, 2017
John Plumb
John Plumb
stated on August 29, 2016 an interview on Capital Tonight.
Tom Reed "has actually voted for every single trade deal that has ever come before him in any form."
True
By Dan Clark • September 2, 2016
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on July 21, 2016 a speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland
"Our trade deficit in goods reached nearly … $800 billion last year alone."
True
By Lauren Carroll • July 22, 2016
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton
stated on June 2, 2016 a foreign policy speech
"A trade war is something very different (than curbing new trade agreements). We went down that road in the 1930s. It made the Great Depression longer and more painful."
True
By Louis Jacobson • June 6, 2016
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on April 4, 2016 an interview with the New York Daily News
"In Malaysia … many of the workers are indentured servants because their passports are taken away when they come into this country and are working in slave-like conditions."
True
By Linda Qiu • April 12, 2016
Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe
stated on March 21, 2016 an interview
"Virginia now is the number one exporter of (agricultural) products to Cuba. We have now jumped to number one."
True
By Sean Gorman • March 24, 2016
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on February 23, 2016 a campaign speech
The U.S. "doesn’t make television sets anymore."  
True
By Linda Qiu, Warren Fiske • March 14, 2016
Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on June 29, 2015 social media posts.
"The House of Representatives just voted 300-131 to remove ‘country-of-origin labeling’ on chicken, pork, and beef sold in the U.S."
True
By Linda Qiu • July 2, 2015
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
stated on January 28, 2014 the State of the Union address
There is "more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world – the first time that’s happened in nearly 20 years."
True
By Julie Kliegman • January 29, 2014
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
stated on January 16, 2014 a speech at North Carolina State University
"For the first time in nearly two decades, we produce more oil here in the United States than we buy from the rest of the world."
True
By Julie Kliegman • January 17, 2014
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
stated on August 6, 2013 a speech on homeownership
"We now sell more products made in America to the rest of the world than ever before."
True
By Jon Greenberg • August 20, 2013
Lisa Tomasso
Lisa Tomasso
stated on April 5, 2012 a news release.
"Rhode Island’s exports have increased by 53 percent in the last two years."
True
By Alex Kuffner • April 17, 2012
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
stated on January 24, 2012 the State of the Union speech
"Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity."
True
By James B. Nelson • February 1, 2012
Rick Scott
Rick Scott
stated on June 16, 2011 a Tallahassee press conference
"Almost 10 percent of Canadians came to visit Florida last year ... (Canadians) buy 7.4 percent of our homes in the state."
True
By Katie Sanders • June 21, 2011
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