Trump’s State of the Union and Integrity

The New York Times on February 5, 2019 fact checked Trump’s remarks at the joint session of Congress and here is how some of his remarks stacked up against the facts (reproduced selectively).

1. The economy

“The U.S. economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world.”

This is false. The American economy had grown at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018. Growth in Latvia and Poland was almost double the rate. Same for China and India. In fact, the turbulent Greek economy recorded stronger growth. A wide range of economic analysts estimate that the growth of the American economy slowed in the fourth quarter, and further decelerated in the first month of 2019.

“We recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods — and now our Treasury is receiving billions and billions of dollars.”

This is true. Since tariffs were imposed by Mr. Trump on certain imports from China along with, imported steel and aluminium from around the world, the federal tariff revenues have increased. Custom duty revenues, which include tariffs, increased by $13 billion in the third quarter of 2018 compared with a year earlier, as reported by the Commerce Department. Technically, that money is paid by Americans who bring the goods across the border, and it is often passed in the form of greater prices to American Consumers.

“My administration has cut more regulations in a short period of time than any other administration during its entire tenure.”

This is false. The Trump administration has reduced the speed of adopting new rules, and it has moved to nullify some existing or proposed federal regulations. This is particularly in the area of environmental protection. The White House claimed that as of October, a total of $33 billion worth of future regulator costs had been removed. But experts say the scale of the nullification in the Trump era still does not surpass the extensive cuts in federal rules during the Carter and Reagan administrations, when rules governing airline, truck and rail transportation were wiped off the books, among other changes.

“We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs — something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started.”

This is false. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that since January 2017, when President Trump took office, the economy has added 4.9 million jobs, including 454,000 jobs in manufacturing. Far from being “impossible,” that is closely comparable to the pace of job creation during some two-year periods during the Obama administration, and significantly sluggish compared to the rate of job creation in manufacturing in the 1990s.

Wages were “growing for blue-collar workers, who I promised to fight for. They are growing faster than anyone thought possible.”

This is true. Wages are increasing faster for workers in construction and manufacturing industries compared to those working in service occupations, according to the Labor Department.

“More people are working now than at any time in our history.”

This is misleading or false. While the total number of people working in the United States is unprecedented, it is not because of the president’s policies. It is because more people than ever live in the United States.

2. Immigration

“The border city of El Paso, Tex., used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the entire country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.”

This is false. El Paso was never one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and crime has been declining in cities across the country, not just in El Paso alone. This is for reasons that have nothing to do with border fencing.

“San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in our country. In response, a strong security wall was put in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings.”

This is misleading. Border apprehensions decreased by 91 percent in the San Diego sector between the 1994 fiscal year, right after the original border fencing was completed, to the 2018 fiscal year. But, according to the Congressional Research Service, that fence alone “did not have a discernible impact” on immigrant numbers crossing the border into the United States illegally.

“As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States.”

This is exaggerated. At the end of January, a new caravan of thousands of migrants from Central America was headed north, and some intend to cross into the United States. However, thanks in part to policies introduced by the new Mexican government, many in the caravan have said that they plan to remain in Mexico. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has made it easier for Central Americans to get visas and work in Mexico. President Trump’s warnings of a fast-approaching invasion from new caravans is exaggerated.

“I hope you can pass the U.S.M.C.A. into law, so we can bring back our manufacturing jobs in even greater numbers, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with the four beautiful words: Made in the U.S.A.”

This is exaggerated. The revised trade deal with Canada and Mexico, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, does include provisions that are intended to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. For instance, minimum wage provisions for some auto manufacturing. Yet, some economists have said those provisions could ultimately push more manufacturing and jobs outside North America. The deal does allow American farmers to sell more dairy products to Canada. But the trade pact has yet to be approved by Congress, and both Democrats and Republicans say that is unlikely to happen without serious changes.

3. Foreign policy

"When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Just two years ago. Today, we have liberated virtually all of the territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty monsters.”

This is true. The Defence Department reports that the Islamic State now dominates only around 20 square miles of territory in Syria, down from 34,000 in 2014. But many of the gains against the Sunni extremist caliphate began under President Barack Obama, with the Trump administration continuing the previous administration policy. The top American military commander in the Middle East told a Senate hearing that the Islamic State could return if the United States and its allies abandoned the fight. In December, Mr. Trump announced he was withdrawing American troops from Syria.

“We condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair.”

This is misleading. This has become a popular point of discussion among American conservatives. It is true that under President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela has been brought to economic ruin. Inflation is at colossal rates, and ordinary people are struggling to get basic food and health supplies. Three million citizens have fled. Some of the collapse can be traced to Mr. Maduro’s economic policies, which do fall under the broad label of socialism. But analysts say that corruption, the lack of rule of law and the absence of democracy, all the hallmarks of a dictatorship have played equivalent or larger roles. Then, we have U.S. sanctions imposed for regime change. What has that resulted in Libya, Iraq and Syria? Chaos and anarchy.

“If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea."

There is no evidence and pure propaganda. In 2016, at the end of the Obama administration, there was no sign that the United States and North Korea were about to go to war, despite Pyongyang conducting nuclear tests and the previous administration’s continued economic sanctions. In Mr. Trump’s first year in office, he increased tensions with North Korea by attacking its leader, Kim Jong-un, in a series of Twitter posts, which prompted hostile statements from Pyongyang. Mr. Trump wrote that North Korea’s actions would be met with “fire and fury” and called Mr. Kim “Little Rocket Man.” Analysts said within that period , the chances of war between the two nations had grown because of these exchanges.

Heart of the Matter?

The heart of the matter is integrity, the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Politicians need to have integrity as they serve society not themselves. People also view their statements from a moral, ethical perspective and reflects the character of an individual.

What about in Malaysia?

We have three politicians in power with questionable degrees. No matter what is said and done, this is a reflection of the previous administration and we have had enough of that!

* This article has been adapted from “State of the Union Fact Check : What Trump Got Right and Wrong”, by the New York Times.