Donald Trump’s new running mate, J.D. Vance, will be the highlight of the third day of the Republican National Convention. We will be watching closely to let you know if he and the other speakers of the night stray from the truth.
Among the notable speakers taking the stage with the 39-year-old Ohio senator in Milwaukee tonight are Texas Governor Greg Abbott, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Donald Trump Jr., his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and Vance’s wife, Usha.
Watch as the USA TODAY Fact-Checking team separates fact from fiction and adds context where speakers leave things out.
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more: USA TODAY RNC Live Coverage – Day 3 Updates
Thomas Homan claims deportations hit record high under Trump
“Deportations are at an all-time high” (former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
In 2016, then-candidate Trump promised to launch a massive deportation program, and under his administration, the Department of Homeland Security recorded nearly 2 million deportations, including removals, removals and Title 42 removals, between fiscal years 2017 and 2020, according to PolitiFact.
But this is not above the levels of his predecessor: During President Obama’s first term (FY2009-FY2012), about 3.2 million people were deported, and during Obama’s second term (FY2013-FY2016), about 2.1 million people were deported, also exceeding the total for Trump’s first term.
– Chris Mueller
Peter Navarro: The Biden Administration has opened the border to murderers and rapists
Biden and Harris ‘opened the border to murderers and rapists’
President Trump and his allies have made similar claims in the past, but there is no data to suggest that crime rates have increased as a result of people residing in the U.S. illegally. In fact, contrary to this assertion by the former Director of the Office of U.S. Trade and Manufacturing Policy, there is evidence to suggest the opposite may be true.
NBC News looked at crime data for 2024 and found that cities that have accepted the most immigrants have seen their overall crime levels drop. The outlet found that Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, New York and Los Angeles saw overall crime decline year over year. Crime levels rose in Washington, DC, but local officials said it wasn’t due to a surge in immigrants.
Studies have found that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than those born in the United States.
For example, a 2020 Cato Institute study of crime data for Texas found that people in the US illegally have a 45% lower conviction rate than those born in the US.
-Hannah Hudnall
Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson claims Biden works 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“And China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are not respecting Biden’s 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule.”
Biden’s schedule varies from day to day, but he often works much later than 4 p.m. In the past two weeks, he has worked after 4 p.m. on all but two days, according to his public schedule.
In late June, after the first presidential debate, Axios reported that Biden was “reliably focused” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but that outside of those times he was tired and more likely to make verbal gaffes.
– Chris Mueller
Vance, a former Trump critic, now supports the former president’s false claims about the 2020 election.
Vance, who was first elected to the Senate in 2022, has supported Trump’s efforts to disrupt the 2020 election. He told ABC News in February that there were “a lot of problems” with the 2020 election and supported the Trump campaign’s plan to replace electors.
There is overwhelming evidence, including lawsuits, recounts, legal audits, and even partisan verification, that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election with 306 electoral votes. All lawsuits attempting to prove the opposite have failed.
Vance also has not yet committed to fully accepting the results of the 2024 election.
“I think Donald Trump will be the winner,” Vance told CNN’s Dana Bash in May. “If it’s a free and fair election, Dana, I think every Republican will enthusiastically accept the results. And once again, the results will show that Donald Trump has been elected and re-elected president.”
Vance has criticized Trump in the past – in 2016 he wrote to a friend that Trump might be “the American Hitler,” called him toxic and likened him to opioids – but more recently said he had changed his mind about Trump.
“I make no secret of that. I was certainly skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016, but President Trump has been a great president and he’s changed my mind. I think he’s changed the mind of a lot of Americans,” Vance told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Vance rose to fame after publishing his best-selling autobiography, “Hillbilly Elegy,” in 2016 and making it into a Netflix film in 2020.
– Chris Mueller
Ukraine conflict fuels 2024 election debate
The war in Ukraine remains a key issue for Republicans more than two years after Russia’s initial invasion, and it will be heard again tonight during the foreign policy focus of the third day of the Republican National Convention.
Many Republican lawmakers have criticized the U.S.’s continued support for Ukraine and called for a quick end to the conflict, including former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate, J.D. Vance.
Trump has vowed to end the Ukraine war within a day of returning to office but has not said how, while Vance has opposed a $95 billion national security bill that includes security provisions for Kiev and has suggested European countries should shoulder more of the aid.
USA TODAY denies numerous claims about the Ukraine war.
-Hannah Hudnall
Israel-Hamas conflict drags on, causing division
The war in Gaza remains a hot topic nearly a year after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, making foreign policy a likely topic at tonight’s Republican National Convention.
Republicans have strongly supported the supply of U.S.-made weapons to Israel, and the House of Representatives passed a bill in May calling on President Joe Biden to end a moratorium on sending bombs to the country. One supporter of the arms supply is former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who drew criticism in May for writing “We’re going to kill ’em!” on an Israeli artillery shell.
Pro-Palestinian protests have spread to college campuses and major cities, sparking controversy with many Republicans denouncing them as chaotic and anti-Semitic. Former President Donald Trump took this sentiment a step further in March, saying in an interview that he believed Democrats “hate Israel.”
USA TODAY denies numerous claims about Israel’s war with Gaza.
-Hannah Hudnall
While the convention focuses on border security, the debate over immigration policy continues.
The third day of the conference is expected to focus on foreign policy and border security, with immigration likely to be a key issue on the agenda.
Under the Biden administration, the number of people detained by the U.S. Border Patrol has reached an all-time high, averaging about 2 million per year, according to the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation campaign in US history if re-elected, and has also said he would reinstate the strict immigration policies of his first term, limit the number of asylum seekers accepted at the southern US border and end automatic citizenship for people born in the US to immigrant parents.
Fact-check summary of Trump shootingFalse claims about rally attack spread online
more: The facts about the Trump assassination attempt: What’s true, what’s not true, and why
In February, Republican lawmakers blocked an immigration bill that would have overhauled US immigration and border policy. Biden blamed Trump’s opposition for the bill’s failure. Since then, Biden has issued executive orders implementing new limits on asylum applications and speeding up the green card processing process for certain spouses and children of US citizens.
Below are some of the claims about immigration that we have previously denied.
– Chris Mueller
