Trump gives himself top marks in his speech. A comparison of his claims with the facts.
US President Donald Trump has defended the successes of his tenure with many superlatives and violently attacked his democratic challenger. At the end of the party conference of his Republicans, he spoke on Thursday evening (local time) in the garden of the White House about, among other things, the corona pandemic, the situation in the US economy, the NATO partners' obligation to pay and Biden's allegedly disastrous plans. Here is an evaluation of some statements:
Trump's claim: "We will produce a vaccine before the end of the year - or maybe even sooner... We will have a safe and effective vaccine this year."
Facts: The search for a corona vaccine is in full swing, also thanks to a financial boost from the US government. There are several vaccines in clinical tests worldwide with around 30,000 test persons, which are intended to prove their effectiveness. The final results of these studies are not expected before late autumn. The results are then usually independently checked and published before the authorities consider regular approval. Because of the pandemic, everyone involved wants to act quickly, but not compromise on safety. According to renowned immunologist Anthony Fauci, who also advises the White House, there could be a vaccine by the end of the year or early 2021.
Trump's claim: "We have developed a whole host of effective treatments, including a powerful antibody treatment...that will save thousands upon thousands of lives."
Facts: Trump's claim concerns the recent granting of an emergency use authorization to treat Covid-19 patients with recoveries' blood plasma, which contains antibodies to the coronavirus. In the USA, over 70,000 Covid patients have already been treated experimentally with plasma. Contrary to Trump's statements, however, it is still largely unclear how effective plasma actually is in reducing the Covid mortality rate. Studies published to date are of limited value, but according to many experts, only indicate a limited benefit of the treatment.
Trump's claim: "Instead of following the science, Joe Biden wants to impose painful lockdowns on the whole country."
Facts: Biden promises to contain the pandemic with the help of a national strategy. In a recent interview, he said he would follow the advice of scientists and health experts. If they were to recommend new exit restrictions to contain the pandemic, he would follow them, said Biden. "I would be willing to do whatever it takes to save lives," he told ABC. So far there have been almost six million confirmed corona infections and more than 180,000 deaths in the USA - more than anywhere else.
Trump's claim: "We've already built 300 miles (480 kilometers) of the border wall, and we're adding 10 miles every week. The wall will soon be complete."
Facts: Building a wall on the border with Mexico was one of Trump's key promises before he was elected president. According to the Department of Homeland Security, around 480 kilometers have been completed so far - this corresponds to around 15 percent of the approximately 3,200-kilometer border. In most cases, however, Trump's border wall only replaced existing and outdated border facilities. The slow progress in building the wall is partly due to opposition from the Democrats in Congress. With a declaration of emergency and funds from the Department of Defense, Trump wants to complete up to 800 kilometers of wall by 2021. That seems very optimistic.
Trump's claim: "I say with great humility that I have done more for the African American community than any President since Abraham Lincoln."
Facts: Under President Lincoln, Congress passed the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States. Historians largely agree that President Lyndon B. Johnson has done the most for blacks in recent history: During his tenure, a major anti-discrimination law was passed in 1964 and a year later a hard-fought electoral reform that gave blacks and their families the right to vote other minorities secured.
Trump's claim: "Our NATO partners, for example, have been very far behind on their defense spending. But at my strong urging, they have agreed to pay an additional 130 billion a year... And that 130 billion will eventually grow to 400 billion a year ."
Facts: Trump has been calling on other NATO countries to increase their defense spending since the beginning of his term in office. He wants them to meet the alliance's goal of spending at least two percent of their economic output on the military. The member states had already committed to this in 2014, i.e. before Trump’s term in office. In addition, the impression created by Trump that the payments are annual is wrong. At the end of last year, NATO presented figures according to which the sum of additional spending by the European NATO countries and Canada from the beginning of 2016 to the end of 2020 should amount to 130 billion US dollars. By the end of 2024 it should be around 400 billion dollars.
Trump's claim: "If Joe Biden comes to power, the far left will cut funding for police departments across America. They will pass legislation to reduce security forces across the country."
Rating: This is very misleading.
Facts: Despite calls from some left-wing Democrats, Biden has spoken out against blanket cuts to police budgets. Biden even wants to give the police more funds under certain conditions. In an interview, however, he also said that some funds could be reallocated if certain tasks could be better handled by other bodies. After the killing of African American George Floyd in a brutal police operation at the end of May, Biden spoke out emphatically in favor of police reforms. Campaigner Trump goes to great lengths to describe Biden's America as a land of anarchy, violence and chaos.
Trump's claim: "In the last three months we have added nine million jobs - and that is a record in the history of the country."
Rating: That's true, but hides important information.
Facts: As a result of the corona pandemic, around 22 million jobs were lost in the USA from February to the end of April. From May to the end of July, a good nine million people then found a job again, which corresponds to a historically rapid upswing. However, this means that only around 40 percent of the jobs that were originally lost have been replaced. In July, the unemployment rate in the US was still 10.2 percent, an extremely high figure for the US. Before the Corona crisis, the rate was 3.5 percent. As of early August, 27 million Americans were receiving some form of unemployment assistance.
