AP FACT CHECK: Trump falsehoods on Ohio economy, health care
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ahead of their first debate, President Donald Trump made exaggerated claims about economic gains in northeastern Ohio and falsely accused Democratic rival Joe Biden of wanting to provide free health care to immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally in a spate of events aimed at promoting his administration's record.
Speaking Monday as he showed off an electric pickup truck to be produced in Lordstown, Ohio, by a new company, Lordstown Motors, Trump said the area 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Cleveland was devastated when General Motors closed a small-car assembly plant in 2019, but now it’s booming.
The area isn’t booming.
Separately, Trump asserted that Biden wanted to foment uncontrolled immigration by offering free health care to people here illegally. Biden has proposed no such thing.
Trump repeated that claim in recent days at events in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, where he was trying to blunt criticism of his own record on health care, including his administration’s latest attempt to bring down the Obama-era Affordable Care Act.
A look at his statements and the facts:
TRUMP, on Lordstown: “Well, the area was devastated when General Motors moved out, and then we worked together, and we made the deal on the plant. But beyond the plant — I mean, it’s incredible what’s happened to the area. It’s booming now. It’s absolutely booming and really great.” — remarks Monday.
THE FACTS: Lordstown’s economy can hardly be described as booming.
Trump appeared on the South Lawn driveway with a Lordstown Motors Endurance pickup, touting its technology and boasting about the area’s comeback, which lost hundreds of jobs when GM closed the plant that made the Chevrolet Cruze compact car. Lordstown Motors bought the plant with...
