Trump on Science and History

11 Articles

This administration did not make it easy for the scientific or emergency management communities.

  • Published 19 January 2021
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Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump once described himself as a “stable genius,” but the 45th president of the United States had a troubling relationship with science. While some of his claims can be brushed off as little more than odd statements, others have had real consequences. For example, Trump repeatedly downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have contributed to the prolonged spread of the disease. He’s also made troubling or confusing statements about wildfires and even approaching hurricanes.

Is America Really ‘Rounding the Turn’ on COVID-19? We fact-checked the claims of those who sought to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic...
  • Fact Check
    • False
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Did Trump Suggest Injecting Disinfectants as COVID-19 Treatment? The U.S. president's comments prompted doctors and the makers of household disinfectants to issue statements...
  • Fact Check
    • True
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Did Trump Display an Altered Hurricane Dorian Map Showing Alabama in Its Path? A National Hurricane Center graphic purporting to show the storm's path and displayed at the...
  • Fact Check
    • True
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Did Trump Really Say This About Wind and Windmills? The president raised eyebrows in December 2019 with a somewhat baffling attack on the use...
  • Fact Check
    • Correct Attribution
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Is the Human Body Like a Battery With a Finite Amount of Energy? Biographers say President Trump gave up exercise in college so as not to expend his...
  • Fact Check
    • False
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Nuclear explosion
Did Trump Ask Advisers About ‘Nuking’ Hurricanes? A report from Axios suggested the question was raised on more than one occasion.
  • Fact Check
    • Unproven
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Did Trump Say Revolutionary War Troops Took Over Airports? The U.S. president blamed a teleprompter for the flub during his Fourth of July address...
  • Fact Check
    • True
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Did Trump Say Wildfires Are Caused by Exploding Trees? Trump made a comment about trees and wildfires during a visit to fire-ravaged California.
  • Fact Check
    • Correct Attribution
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Donald Trump Explains Why Lincoln Succeeded This was indeed Donald Trump's answer to an interview question, for whatever that's worth.
  • Fact Check
    • True
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Andrew Jackson, by Thomas Sully, 1845, American painting, oil on canvas
President Trump: Andrew Jackson Could Have Prevented the Civil War Does Trump's suggestion that Andrew Jackson could have stopped the Civil War have any basis...
  • News
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Donald Trump
Was Trump Against the Iraq War from the Beginning? Donald Trump repeatedly stated that he opposed the invasion of Iraq before it took place...
  • Fact Check
    • False
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