Photo: file
At a Sunday evening rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, former US president Donald Trump made several inaccurate claims on topics including immigration, disaster response, and the economy, many of which have been previously debunked.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the key falsehoods from his speech.
FEMA and North Carolina: Trump incorrectly claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had failed to respond to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. In reality, FEMA acted promptly and reported having over 1,700 personnel on the ground, approving over $100 million in aid by mid-October. North Carolina officials, including Governor Roy Cooper, expressed appreciation for the agency’s quick response and support.
FEMA Funding and Migrants: Trump alleged that FEMA's disaster relief funding was diverted to support undocumented migrants, which supposedly left insufficient resources for states like North Carolina and Georgia. This is inaccurate; FEMA’s disaster relief funds, over $35 billion for fiscal 2024, are separate from the $650 million designated to assist communities with sheltering migrants.
Immigration statistics: Trump repeated a misleading claim that illegal immigration was at an all-time low when he left office, marked by a specific chart. However, the chart referenced April 2020, when migration was temporarily reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not because of immigration policies alone. Migration numbers then steadily increased...
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