2024 Republican National Convention Fact Check, Day 2

2024 Republican National Convention Fact Check, Day 2

CBS News is verifying some of the claims made by speakers during the 2024 Republican National Convention, which runs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through Thursday, July 18. The theme on Tuesday is security, and the evening’s speakers include Kari Lake, who is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, also a Senate candidate, and senior members of congressional leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, former primary opponent Nikki Haley and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Monday Theme The economy was a major focus, and many of the fact-checked statements therefore relate to U.S. economic concerns. Former President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at the convention Monday night.

CBS News is RNC Live Coverage.


Fact Check on Senate Candidate Eric Hovde’s Claim That Biden and Harris Opened the Border, Allowing Criminals to Enter the US: False

Eric Hovde, Republican candidate for the US Senate:Biden, along with his “border czar,” Vice President Harris, has opened our southern border, allowing criminals and terrorists to enter our country.

Details:

On immigration policies: President Biden has never endorsed or implemented an “open borders” policy. Mr. Biden has reversed a number of Trump-era policies immigration policiesincluding a program that requires migrants to wait for their asylum hearings in Mexico, but the president has also adopted some restrictive border policies that mirror rules enacted by Trump. In June, Mr. Biden issued a proclamation that partially halted asylum processing along the border. His administration has also carried out more than 4 million deportations, expulsions and returns of migrants since 2021, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

On immigration and crime: Some migrants who entered the United States illegally through the southern border in recent years have been charged with serious crimes, including the suspect in the high-profile case murder Laken Riley, a nursing student in Georgia. But available studies show that undocumented migrants in the United States do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born Americans. Government statistics indicate that a small fraction of migrants stopped by Border Patrol have criminal records in the United States or in other countries that share information with U.S. authorities.

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez


Fact-checking House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s claim that Biden and Harris want a $5 trillion tax hike: It’s true, but it needs context

Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader, Republican of Louisiana“Biden and Harris want a $5 trillion tax increase.”

Details:That figure comes from a Treasury analysis of the White House’s 2025 budget, which would increase tax revenue by about $4.9 trillion more than a decade if the plan is passed by Congress.

But the White House budget shows that Mr. Biden plans to boost tax revenue through policies that include raising the corporate tax rate and increasing taxes on high incomes. The Biden administration has said that no one earning less than $400,000 would face higher taxes.

By Laura Doan


Fact-checking Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s claim that 11.5 million people crossed the southern border illegally under Biden: Misleading

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz“There is an invasion on our southern border, a literal invasion: 11.5 million people have crossed our border illegally under Joe Biden.”

Details:U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported about 8.1 million migrant encounters at the southern border since President Biden took office. Nationally, CBP has reported about 10 million migrant encounters. The number of encounters does not represent individual people, as some migrants cross the border multiple times.

Not all migrants whose cases are processed are allowed to remain in the United States. Under Biden, the United States has carried out more than 4 million deportations, expulsions and returns of migrants since the start of fiscal year 2021, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

By Laura Doan


Fact Check on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Claim That Democrats Want to Ban Gasoline Vehicles: False

Governor Ron DeSantis: “They [Democrats] “We want to ban gasoline-powered cars.”

Details:President Biden has not proposed banning gasoline-powered cars. In March, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new exhaust The new standards for passenger cars will be in effect starting with the 2027 model year and are aimed at reducing carbon emissions. The EPA estimates that the industry could meet the standards if 56% of new vehicle sales were electric by 2032. But the Biden administration has said the rule is not a requirement for electric vehicles, nor a ban on gasoline vehicles, and that new gasoline vehicles could still be sold after 2032.

By Mikayla Denault and Laura Doan


Fact check on RNC co-chair Lara Trump’s claim that during Trump’s term the United States saw the largest tax cuts in American history: False

Lara Trump“Remember what life was like under President Trump… The biggest tax cuts in American history.”

Details:The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act does not rank among the largest tax cuts in U.S. history by two commonly used measures. As a share of GDP, the 2017 tax cuts were the eighth largest since 1918, according to a 2017 report by the independent Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the cuts were the fourth largest since 1940, according to the same report.

By Laura Doan