“This country’s working people actually got a raise.”
PolitiFact rated this: Mostly False
PolitiFact says: Wages have gone up 4.7% but in the same time, inflation rose 7%.
Joe Biden
president. 509 claims checked by other fact-checking organisations, from 2019 to 2024. The ratings are theirs, in their own words.
“As a youth, “I got arrested” protesting for civil rights.”
PolitiFact rated this: False
PolitiFact says: Biden may have participated in one of two flare-ups over racial discrimination in housing near his home in Delaware when he was a teenager. However, there is no evidence that Biden was actually arrested.
“I did not walk in the shoes of generations of students who walked these grounds. But I walked other grounds. Because I’m so damn old, I was there as well. You think I’m kidding, man. It seems like yesterday the first time I got arrested.”
Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios
Washington Post says: In Atlanta, the president referenced "the first time I got arrested.” But his story does not add up.
“In the 2020 election, President Trump voted from behind the desk in the White House in Florida.”
PolitiFact rated this: Half True
PolitiFact says: In 2020, Trump voted by mail in Florida in the presidential preference primary and the March primary. For the 2020 general election, he voted in person at an early voting site in October.
“I’ve been against that war in Afghanistan from the very beginning.”
PolitiFact rated this: False
PolitiFact says: Biden opposed aspects of the Afghanistan war as vice president, including a 2009 troop surge ordered by Obama. However, Biden voted to launch the war in the first place, three days after the 9/11 attacks.
“Americans on average have about $100 more in their pockets each month than they did last year, after accounting for inflation.”
FactCheck.org rated this: Spins the Facts
FactCheck.org says: While weekly paychecks have indeed gotten larger since Biden became president, they have not kept pace with the rapid rise in prices of consumer goods and services during that time.
“Even after accounting for rising prices, the typical American family has more money in their pockets than they did last year.”
PolitiFact rated this: Mostly True
PolitiFact says: The standard metric used for this purpose — per capita, inflation-adjusted personal disposable income — has risen steadily since before the pandemic hit.
“The number of small businesses is up 30% compared to before the pandemic.”
PolitiFact rated this: False
PolitiFact says: Biden was citing a real statistic, but he described it incorrectly, in a way that exaggerated the scale of the economic gains.
“The Build Back Better Act ... reduces the deficit over the long-term. It’s fully paid for.”
FactCheck.org rated this: CBO Disagrees
FactCheck.org says: The disagreement between the Congressional Budget Office and the Treasury Department centers on how much revenue could be raised from a provision giving the Internal Revenue Service more enforcement capabilities.
“The infrastructure law "creates better jobs for millions of Americans.”
FactCheck.org rated this: Depends How It's Measured
FactCheck.org says: The White House uses "job-years," meaning one job for one year. Estimates of how many additional jobs the law will create range from not many to about 1 million over 10 years.
“If you take a look at gas prices and you take a look at oil prices, that is a consequence of, thus far, the refusal of Russia or the OPEC nations to pump more oil.”
PolitiFact rated this: OPEC, Russia roles are key
PolitiFact says: Experts say Biden has some justification for his position. The U.S. could increase production on its own, but not as quickly or effectively as OPEC and Russia.
“On Democrat Terry McAuliffe's loss in the Virginia governor's race: "no governor in Virginia has ever won when ... he or she is the same party as the sitting president.”
FactCheck.org rated this: False
FactCheck.org says: While it has been rare, McAuliffe, himself, was elected governor of Virginia in 2013, when Democrat Barack Obama was president (and Biden was vice president).
“You had a total of 14 — I think it was 14 — Nobel laureate economists in economics saying this is going to — what I’m proposing is going to reduce the inflation.”
Washington Post rated this: Needs context
Washington Post says: Circumstances have changed since the economists have issued the letter
“Wages have gone up higher, faster than inflation.”
PolitiFact rated this: Mostly False
PolitiFact says: Wages have risen faster than inflation in August and September, but not for Biden’s presidency as a whole.
“The U.S. has “the most productive workers” in the world.”
FactCheck.org rated this: Not Quite
FactCheck.org says: The Conference Board ranked 40 countries by GDP per hour worked in 2018. The United States ranked fifth.
“Look, when we had community policing initially in the late ’90s, violent crimes dropped significantly, significantly. And the reason it did is because we had significant number of police.”
FactCheck.org rated this: Many Reasons for Drop
FactCheck.org says: Experts have said more police did help, but there were many potential reasons.
“We’ve created more jobs in the first eight months of my administration than any president in American history — total number of jobs created.”
PolitiFact rated this: Half True
PolitiFact says: The raw numbers support Biden’s claim of record job gains on his watch, but the talking point glosses over the reality that the U.S. economy remains about 5 million jobs under its pre-pandemic peak.
“You have 55 corporations, for example, in the United States of America making over $40 billion, don't pay a cent. Not a single little red cent.”
PolitiFact rated this: Mostly True
PolitiFact says: The figures come from a study by a liberal group, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. A nonpartisan group, the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, supports the broad conclusions of the study.
“Here’s the deal: If you spent $3 on your coffee this morning, that’s more than what 55 major corporations paid in taxes in recent years.”
Washington Post rated this: Needs context
Washington Post says: This is probably in the ballpark but the number is not based on an examination of tax returns.
“According to one study, America ranks ... 33rd out of the 44 advanced economies when it comes to the percentage of our young people who have attained a post-high-school degree.”
FactCheck.org rated this: Unsupported
FactCheck.org says: The White House did not identify the study Biden mentioned. According to OECD data, the U.S. places 11th place among the 38 OECD countries in the percentage of residents 25 to 34 years old with a postsecondary degree.