Donald Trump: Says Ted Cruz distributed the ad showing a nude Melania Trump on a rug.

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump has no evidence that Ted Cruz was responsible for naked Melania ad Call it the war over the wives. An ad suggesting that Donald Trump's wife, Melania, might not be modest enough to be first lady started a series of nasty exchanges between Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz that have been the talk of the campaign for more than a week. CNN's Anderson Cooper grilled Trump about the ad during a March 29 interview in Wisconsin, questioning Trump about his accusation, made in a March 22 tweet, that Cruz was responsible for the picture. "I did not start this," Trump told Cooper seven days after the tweet. "He ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says that when Michelle Fields "found out that there was a security camera, and that they had her on tape, all of a sudden that story changed."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | Donald Trump: Michelle Fields changed her story since first claiming campaign manager grabbed her Donald Trump is maintaining the innocence of his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was arrested March 29 and charged with simple battery for forcefully grabbing a reporter. Following a March 8 press conference in Jupiter, Fla., Michelle Fields, at the time a writer for the conservative website Breitbart, tried to ask Trump a question as he was leaving. Lewandowski allegedly grabbed Fields' arm and pulled her away, leaving bruises. When news of the incident started to spread, Lewandowski tweeted at Fields, saying, "you are totally delusional. I never touched you." But security footage of the event released ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "There's a tremendous tax that we pay when we (American businesses) go into China, whereas when China sells to us there's no tax."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Trump miscasts impact on trade of Chinese taxes Donald Trump loves to tell voters he's all about getting a better deal for America. It's a theme he invokes repeatedly when it comes to trade. In a recent interview with two New York Times reporters, Trump called for a different mind set. "I do know my subject, and I do know that our country cannot continue to do what it's doing," Trump said. "It's very hard for us to do business in China, it's very easy for China to do business with us. Plus with us, there's a tremendous tax that we pay when we go into China, ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Wisconsin's "effective" unemployment rate is 20 percent.

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump wrong about Wisconsin's 'effective' unemployment rate being 20 percent At a campaign rally in Wisconsin on March 29, 2016, Donald Trump took aim at Gov. Scott Walker and -- reading from notes that he said came from "books" -- made a number of statistical claims that reflect negatively on the state. The Republican frontrunner for president cast blame on the Republican governor and onetime presidential candidate, citing figures on state government debt and the number of people on food stamps. But one of Trump's most striking claims was about unemployment -- something Walker frequently takes credit for having brought down. "Unemployment rate -- well, they say -- that ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "Out of 67 counties (in Florida), I won 66, which is unprecedented. It's never happened before."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | No, Donald Trump, winning 66 of 67 Florida counties is not 'unprecedented' Billionaire Donald Trump won an easy victory in Florida's 2016 Republican presidential primary — so easy, he said, that he garnered an unparalleled amount of support in the process. "Out of 67 counties (in Florida), I won 66, which is unprecedented. It's never happened before," Trump said March 21. It is true that he won 66 counties (Sen. Marco Rubio won his birthplace of Miami-Dade before dropping out of the race), but Trump's nearly unanimous win is hardly unprecedented. We looked at county-by-county election results from the state's Division of Elections website. Big wins aren't altogether ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "When those restrictions expire (in the Iran nuclear deal), Iran will have an industrial-size military nuclear capability ready to go."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump says Iran military will have nuclear weapons as soon as enrichment limits expire Donald Trump tried to demonstrate his proficiency in foreign policy March 21 during a speech at the 2016 American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington. One focus of his talk involved condemning the Iran nuclear deal, saying it was a pact that gives "the world's leading state sponsor of terror" $150 billion while the United States gets "absolutely nothing in return." "I've studied this issue in great detail — I would say actually greater by far than anybody else," Trump said. When the audience voiced skepticism he said, "Believe me. Oh, believe me." "The deal ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "During the last five years, Iran has perpetrated terror attacks in 25 different countries on five continents."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Donald Trump says Iran is responsible for terrorist attacks in 25 countries, five continents During a prepared speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, Donald Trump took a hard line on Iran. "Iran has seeded terror groups all over the world," Trump said. "During the last five years, Iran has perpetuated terror attacks in 25 different countries on five continents. They've got terror cells everywhere, including in the Western Hemisphere, very close to home. Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism around the world. And we will work to dismantle that reach." We wondered whether Trump was correct that "during the last five years, Iran has perpetrated terror attacks in ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: The Trump Winery near Charlottesville, Va. is the "largest winery on the East Coast."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump says Virginia winery is the largest on East Coast Donald Trump is no stranger to superlatives. During a news conference after his victories in the Michigan and Mississippi primaries in early March, the billionaire presidential candidate burnished his business credentials by pointing to an array of products that bear his name, including bottles of Virginia-made wine from Trump Winery, just south of Charlottesville. "It's the largest winery on the East Coast," Trump said. The Republican frontrunner added that he owns the winery "100 percent." Trump did purchase the 1,300-acre vineyard in 2011 where the winery is based and turned over the management to his son, Eric. A legal > More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Under the Iran nuclear deal, "we give them $150 billion, we get nothing."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | No, Donald Trump, we are not giving Iran $150 billion for 'nothing' Donald Trump, fresh off winning four states in the March 15 primaries, rattled off a series of domestic and foreign policy "disasters" that he'll fix, from businesses leaving the United States to terrorist threats to poorly negotiated deals. "One of the broadcasters was saying, 'Is there anger?' " Trump said. "I'm supposed to say, 'No there's not, we love the way things are working. We love the deal you made with Iran. We give them $150 billion, we get nothing. We love all the deals. The trade deals are wonderful.' "   Okay, $150 billion in exchange for nada ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says a YouTube video shows Thomas DiMassimo, the man who rushed Trump at an Ohio rally, "dragging the American flag on the ground like it was a piece of garbage."

The Truth-o-Meter says: True | Trump correct about video showing flag desecration by man who rushed him The American flag has always been an important backdrop to U.S. politics. And now it has been raised as an issue in the Donald Trump campaign, after 22-year-old Thomas DiMassimo jumped a barrier and rushed the stage March 12 at a Trump event in Dayton, Ohio. DiMassimo was promptly arrested. The DiMassimo incident and its aftermath captured much of the weekend news cycle amid concerns over repeated confrontations between pro- and anti-Trump factions. On NBC's Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd noted that after the Dayton rally, Trump tweeted a video that purportedly showed DiMassimo posing with a gun against ... >> More

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Donald Trump: The U.S. "doesn't make television sets anymore."

The Truth-o-Meter says: True | Donald Trump says U.S. doesn't make TVs anymore Editor's note: We looked at a similar claim from Trump in October 2015 and rated it Half True. (View an archive of the original report.) PolitiFact Virginia recently looked at this claim again and found convincing evidence that while companies in the United States assemble televisions from foreign parts, they don't make them. We have re-rated the statement as True and removed the older report from Trump's Truth-O-Meter record. Donald Trump, a no stranger to the small screen, says the U.S. doesn't make television sets anymore. He made the statement during a Feb. 23 appearance at Regent ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says the man who rushed the stage at him in Dayton, Ohio, "had chatter about ISIS, or with ISIS" in his social media posts.

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump wrongly links Ohio campaign event protester to ISIS Despite evidence to the contrary, Donald Trump on Sunday morning repeated his charge that a man who rushed at him in Dayton, Ohio, had ISIS affiliations. The March 12 incident at a Trump rally at the Dayton airport involved Thomas DiMassimo, 22. According to police, DiMassimo jumped a barrier and rushed the stage where Trump was speaking. Secret Service agents tackled him and took him into custody. DiMassimo was charged with inducing panic and disorderly conduct and was released from Montgomery County Jail later the same day. On NBC's Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd noted that after the Dayton rally, ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "GDP was zero essentially for the last two quarters."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | No, GDP growth was not zero, as Donald Trump said in Miami GOP debate Donald Trump held up lifeless economic growth as evidence that America isn't great anymore during the Republican primary debate in Miami. "GDP (gross domestic product) was zero essentially for the last two quarters," he said. "If that ever happened in China, you would have had a depression like nobody's ever seen before. They go down to 7 percent, 8 percent, and it's a national tragedy. We're at zero, we're not doing anything." Assuming that Trump was talking about growth in GDP and not the real gross domestic product (which was more than $18 trillion in the last quarter of ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Common Core is "education through Washington D.C."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Common Core is 'education through Washington, D.C.,' Trump says Billionaire Donald Trump repeated an often-used conservative attack that Common Core is a federal program, but it looks like he needs a refresher course on the origins of the education standards. The subject came up during a March 10, 2016, primary debate in Miami when CNN moderator Jake Tapper noted Trump had called the standards a disaster. "What are your specific objections to Common Core?" Tapper asked. "Education through Washington, D.C., I don't want that," Trump replied. "I want local education, I want the parents and I want all of the teachers, and I want everybody to get together around ... >> More

Via: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "As a legislator, (Marco Rubio) flipped on a key vote after making a quick $200,000 from selling the house to the mother of the bill's lobbyist."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Trump attack inaccurately implies Rubio traded auto insurance vote for house sale Billionaire Donald Trump likes to talk about his money-making prowess, but lately he's taken to the airwaves to imply GOP presidential primary rival Marco Rubio has cut deals of his own as a Florida lawmaker. In an ad we first saw on March 7, 2016, Trump's campaign said Rubio had a history of shady shenanigans as Florida's speaker of the House. The commercial included a dig about Rubio suspiciously changing his stance on an issue after money changed hands. HELP US RAISE $15,000 TO HIRE AN EXTRA FACT-CHECKER "As a legislator he flipped on a key vote after making ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

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Donald Trump: "NASCAR endorsed Trump"

The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Donald Trump claims NASCAR's endorsement, and he's not totally wrong Donald Trump has lapped the field in some recent state primaries, but he caused a caution flag Monday when he claimed that he had NASCAR's endorsement in a speech in Concord, N.C., just miles from the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Charlotte Motor Speedway. "NASCAR endorsed Trump," Trump said. "Can you believe that?" At first glance, one might be tempted to believe it. Trump did, after all, win the endorsement of NASCAR's CEO, Brian France, and several current or retired drivers, including Chase Elliott and Mark Martin. Martin introduced Trump at Monday's rally. But France has made it clear, ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "The Great Wall of China, built 2,000 years ago, is 13,000 miles (long)."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Is Donald Trump right that the Great Wall of China is 2,000 years old and 13,000 miles long? One of Donald Trump's signature policy proposals during the 2016 presidential campaign has been to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. In remarks after the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses, Trump drew an explicit comparison between his proposed wall and the Great Wall of China. "They say you'll never be able to build a wall," Trump said on March 2, 2016. "Well, it's 2,000 miles but we really need 1,000 miles. The Great Wall of China, built 2,000 years ago, is 13,000 miles, folks, and they didn't have Caterpillar tractors, because I only want to use Caterpillar, if ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: The wives of the 9/11 hijackers "knew exactly what was happening" and went back to Saudi Arabia two days before the attacks to watch their husbands on television flying the planes.

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump resurrects debunked claim that wives of 9/11 hijackers fled the U.S. days before attack When the subject turned to terrorism during the March 3 Republican presidential debate in Detroit, Donald Trump called for being tough on the families of terrorists, not just the terrorists themselves. As an example, he resurrected a claim he has made before — that the wives of the 9/11 terrorists knew what was going to happen and fled the United States to Saudi Arabia just before the attacks. "A man flies in the World Trade Center and his family gets sent back to where they were going —  and I think most of you know where they went ... >> More

Via: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Marco Rubio "has the the No. 1 absentee record in the United States" Senate.

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Donald Trump is right: Marco Rubio has worst Senate voting record In a heated exchange, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized rival Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida for his Senate voting record. "This guy has the No. 1 absentee record in the United States (Senate), he doesn't show up to vote," Trump said at the March 3 Fox News debate in Detroit. Trump has trotted out this claim about Rubio multiple times, and we've found it to be Mostly True. Let's revisit the facts. The "most truant" award goes to Rubio if we're looking at the past year. If we examine career records among the remaining presidential candidates who have ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says Mahatma Gandhi once said, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump falls for phony Gandhi quote: 'First they ignore you, then they laugh at you ... ' It's a message designed to inspire perseverance in the face of long odds, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump invoked it on Instagram, accompanied by a photograph of a Feb. 28 rally in Alabama in advance of Super Tuesday. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win," says the quote, which Trump attributes to Mahatma Gandhi, India's legendary activist who eschewed all violence. The quote is certainly legendary. A quick Google image search of the phrase "then they laugh at you" produced a flood of memes crediting Gandhi. ... >> More

Origin: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "I don't know anything about David Duke."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | Donald Trump's absurd claim that he knows nothing about former KKK leader David Duke A few days before Donald Trump dominated Super Tuesday, the Republican frontrunner was being rebuked left and right for declining to denounce former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. The controversy began Feb. 24, when Duke said that he supports Trump's candidacy and told listeners of his radio program to "get active" for Trump. Two days later, Trump disavowed Duke in a news conference. But Trump, who claims to have the "world's greatest memory," seemed to have forgotten this by Feb. 28. When CNN's Jake Tapper asked him about Duke, Trump claimed ignorance four times: > More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says "the New York Times can write a story that they know is false" yet "they can't basically be sued."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump wrong that New York Times can't be sued for a 'story that they know is false' Donald Trump has made little effort to hide his distaste for the media. In a typical comment, he said at one of his rallies in South Carolina that the media are "absolutely dishonest. Absolute scum. Remember that. Scum. Scum. Totally dishonest people." Now Trump is proposing changes to libel laws. On the Feb. 28, 2016, edition of Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked the Republican presidential candidate to expand upon comments he'd made a few days earlier in Fort Worth, Texas -- that "one of the things I'm going to do if I win ... I'm ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump