President Donald Trump used a Labor Day press briefing at the White House to give a campaign-style address, attacking his political opponents, touting the alleged success the US has had against the coronavirus and repeating many false and misleading claims along the way. In all, CNN counted at least 11 outright falsehoods and a few more that were misleading or lacked context. Here’s a look at the President’s claims and the facts behind them. CNN holds elected officials and candidates accountable by pointing out what’s true and what’s not. Here’s a look at our recent fact checks. Federal cases. When asked about the Black Lives Matter protests happening across the US, Trump talked about the federal crackdown on protesters who have destroyed monuments, claiming, “We have now over 1,000 people, federal, in jail. We’re prosecuting many people.”
Facts First: This is not accurate based on data from Trump’s own Department of Justice. While it is not clear where the 1,000 number came from, the department reported that as of September 2, a total of 227 people have been federally charged in cities, including Minneapolis, Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle. The charges vary from arson to assaulting a federal officer. Cancel culture. After a reporter asked about the President’s calls to investigate the use of the New York Times’ 1619 project to teach students about the country’s history with racism, Trump said he wants “everyone to know everything they can in history,” adding that he is “not a believer in cancel culture.” Facts First: It’s false for Trump to suggest he doesn’t like “cancel culture,” considering how he has himself explicitly advocated cancellations, boycotts and firings on numerous occasions for what he considers objectionable words and acts. CNN’s Daniel Dale compiled a list of such instances, countering the President’s assertion.
via cnn: Fact check: Trump repeats numerous false claims in campaign-style press briefing from White House