Fox News host Shep Smith wasted no time fact-checking Trump's address
President Trump made many claims during his Oval Office address on Tuesday night, and Fox News anchor Shep Smith was quick to fact-check them all, sharing with the audience that much of what Trump said was misleading.
Trump spoke about murder rates by migrants, but "government statistics show that there is less violent crime by the undocumented immigrant population than by the general population," Smith said. Trump also talked about drugs coming over the border, however "government statistics show much of the heroin actually comes not over the unguarded border but through ports of call."
Smith moved on to discuss border crossings, telling viewers that "the number of undocumented crossings over the southern border has been steadily down over the last 10 years, and the government reports there is more outward traffic than inward traffic." Trump declared during the address that a trade deal made with Mexico will pay for the wall, but "that trade deal is not yet complete," Smith said. Finally, Trump said law enforcement professionals asked for $5.7 billion for a wall along the southern border, but "it was he who requested it, and it's he who said he would own the shutdown. Nevertheless, he's making the case to keep his base together on this matter." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
The Week
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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