BREAKING DOWN THE MUELLER REPORT...EXONERATES NO ONE, ANSWERS NOTHING.

 

The introduction addresses the nature of the RUSSIAN INVOLVEMENT, AND POSSIBLE "COLLUSION" WITH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.

TEXT FROM THE REPORT:
"As set forth in detail in this report, the Special Counsel's investigation established that Russia interfere~ in the 2016 presidential election principally through two operations. First, a Russian entity carried out a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Second, a Russian intelligence service conducted computer-intrusion operations against entities, employees, and volunteers working on the Clinton Campaign and then released stolen documents. The investigation also identified numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump Campaign. Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."
END TEXT.

How can we make sense of this? At one point, the report comments about the contacts between the TRUMP CAMPAIGN, AND THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT: "The investigation also identified numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump Campaign."
Yet, at another point, it seems to exonerate the TRUMP CAMPAIGN with the following: "...the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

Further Down, we see the reasoning used in evaluating any CRIMINAL LIABILITY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN MAY HAVE, INVOLVING THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENTS ACTIVITIES TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. IT IS HERE THAT WE FIND OUT HOW MUCH OF A "WITCH HUNT" THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN. THE TRUTH MAY SURPRISE YOU. 

TEXT FROM THE REPORT.
1) "In evaluating whether evidence about collective action of multiple individuals constituted a crime, we applied the framework of conspiracy law, not the concept of "collusion." In so doing, the Office recognized that the word "collud[ e ]" was used in communications with the Acting Attorney General confirming certain aspects of the investigation's scope and that the term has frequently been invoked in public reporting about the investigation. 2) But collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. For those reasons, the Office's focus in analyzing questions of joint criminal liability was on conspiracy as defined in federal law. In connection with that analysis, 3) we addressed the factual question whether members of the Trump Campaign "coordinat[ ed]"-a term that appears in the appointment order-with Russian election interference activities. Like collusion,4) "coordination" does not have a settled definition in federal criminal law. We understood "coordination" to require an agreement-tacit or express- between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government on election interference. 
5) That requires more than the two parties taking actions that were informed by or responsive to the other's actions or interests. We applied the term coordination in that sense when stating in the report that the investigation did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." 

END TEXT.

THE NUMBERS 1-5 ABOVE CORRESPOND WITH THOSE BELOW, IN GIVING A BASIC INTERPRETATION OF THE MEANING OF THE ABOVE TEXT.

1) THE POPULAR TERM "COLLUSION" HAS NO BASIS IN LAW, THE LAW REGARDING "CONSPIRACY" WAS USED.

 2) JOINT CRIMINAL LIABILITY WAS DETERMINED BY THE FEDERAL LAW REGARDING "CONSPIRACY."

3) DETERMINED WHETHER OR NOT MEMBERS OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN "COORDINATED" WITH THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENTS INTERFERENCE ACTIVITIES.

4) THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL DECIDED THAT TO ACCUSE THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN OF "COORDINATING" WITH THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN BOTH BODIES, "TACIT OR EXPRESS." 

5)"That requires more than the two parties taking actions that were informed by or responsive to the other's actions or interests."

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? A MEMBER OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN COULD HAVE ENGAGED IN "CONSPIRITORIAL CONDUCT" WITH THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND/OR AFFILIATED INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS, BUT IF IT WAS NOT DONE AT THE EXPRESS ORDER OF THE CAMPAIGN ITSELF, with the approval of the Russian Government, NO CRIME WAS COMMITTED.

CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE, HERE IS WHAT IT MEANS: THAT NO ONE IN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS EXONERATED. BY THIS VERY NARROW DEFINITION, ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP IN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN COULD HAVE "CONSPIRED" WITH THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, OR ANYONE WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, AND AS LONG AS THERE WAS NO EXPRESS AGREEMENT AMONG BOTH THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, THE FINDING WOULD BE THAT OF NO "COLLUSION" OR NO "CONSPIRACY."

THIS IS A TRAVESTY. IT LITERALLY GIVES INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS A FREE PASS TO HAVE COMMITTED ELECTION FRAUD, AS LONG AS THE "LEADERSHIP" DID NOT FORMALLY APPROVE IT.

CRITICAL THINKING: FAULTY LOGIC, AND GETTING ELECTED.

 

This post could just as easily have been published on A PAGE DEALING WITH ELECTION ISSUES. However, it does deal with Invalid and Faulty Arguments that violate the rules of Logic and Critical Thinking. So I have placed it here.

How many of us have run into the line of reasoning, that the following are examples of;

-  "IF WE PASS GUN CONTROL LAWS, THEN ONLY THE CROOKS WILL HAVE GUNS."

-  " ALLOWING IMMIGRANTS INTO THE U.S. WILL RESULT IN DISEASES LIKE EBOLA SPREADING ACROSS THE COUNTRY."

"GAY MARRIAGE BEING MADE LEGAL WILL RESULT IN AN INCREASE OF CHILD MOLESTATION AND BESTIALITY BECAUSE NO SEXUAL ACTS ARE AGAINST THE LAW ANYMORE."

These are all examples of:

THE FALLACY OF ASSUMING THE CONSEQUENCE-  WHEN YOU ASSERT THAT A GIVEN ACTION WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN A SPECIFIC CONSEQUENCE.  THIS IS DONE WITHOUT ANY REASONABLE EXPECTATION THAT ONE NECESSARILY FOLLOWS THE OTHER.

Problem #1-  It Assumes Facts, not in Evidence-  There is no foundation for one to conclude that creating guidelines for Gun Ownership, Entry into the U.S. for Foreign Nationals, or Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage, would result in the predictions claimed in the above examples coming true.

-  Gun Control does NOT MEAN GUN ELIMINATION.  Legal ownership is not prevented by law.

-  Medical Evaluations are part of gaining Legal Refugee Status. Further,  There is no evidence that foreign nationals are any more or less likely to be infected with any contagious diseases that are found inside the U.S.

-  The Legalization of Gender Identical Marriage does not create blanket amnesty for anyone engaging in sexual acts already prohibited by law. 

Problem #2-  Claiming a Causal Relationship, where one doesn't exist.

-  Many Laws on the Books inside the U.S. allow all Americans to earn or receive licenses required to legally own and/or operate certain Mechanical Devices such as Vehicles, Construction Equipment , Medical Diagnostic Tools etc. Requiring someone to have the Knowledge, Ability, and Mental Capacity to operate such things are not considered intrusions into Individual Rights and Freedoms.  There is no precedent that Firearms would be treated any differently.

-  The Idea that Citizens of other Countries are not properly Immunized compared to American Citizens is not always true, especially if we are speaking about those who are from Nations in North, South or Central America.  It is an amazing comparison, considering the number of irrational exemptions inside the U.S., that allow a parent not to have a child immunized.

-  That the idea of Same-Sex Married couples being so different from Hetero-Sexual ones, that legalization of such unions will cause a complete breakdown of Sexual Mores within the U.S. is without any rational foundation. There is not one shred of credible evidence that such a result is even possible. Same-Sex Couples are bound by the Criminal and Civil parts of the U.S. Legal System that also cover Hetero-Sexual Marriages. Neither is given any special consideration when it comes to Rights and Responsibilities.

I guess it leaves us with Two basic types of Candidates for elected office:

The Candidate who wants you to fear the opposition before you vote, or

The Candidate who wants you to understand the opposition before you vote.

ROBERT F KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS: JUSTICE ROUNDUP FOR JULY 2024.

 

U.S. JUSTICE PURSUING ONE LAST AVENUE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER MICHAEL BROWN’S MURDER BY FERGUSON POLICE On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson. Michael’s murder has been stymied by impunity in the decade since, but on July 10, his family had one last avenue for justice before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. By using international human rights standards to critique U.S. law and the Justice Department, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University have pursued an innovative, potentially extremely powerful route to justice for Michael’s killing. Learn more about the case →   OUR VOICES KERRY KENNEDY IN THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: ‘YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER ARREST NEED LEGAL PROTECTION’ 35 years ago, five Black and Latino teenagers, later dubbed the “Central Park Five,” were falsely accused and wrongly convicted of assault, attempted murder, and rape of a woman jogging in Central Park. Their convictions were overturned in 2002 when the real culprit was identified, but their case remains emblematic of the vulnerability minors face to being abused in the U.S. justice system or coerced into a false confession. Writing in the NY Daily News, RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy argues that additional legislation, like New York’s proposed Youth Interrogation Bill (S1099/A1963), is crucial in protecting future generations from the irreversible impacts of wrongful convictions. Read the full op-ed →   BOOK CLUB HISTORIAN BLAIR LM KELLEY ILLUMINATES THE LIVES OF THE BLACK WORKING CLASS IN LATEST RFKHR BOOK CLUB CONVERSATION On July 23, author and 2024 RFK Book Award winner Blair LM Kelley joined our first book club conversation of the summer to discuss her latest book, Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class. In this conversation with fellow author and historian Ted Widmer, Kelley discusses her research on the lives of the laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers who established the Black working class as a force in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  Read more and listen to the conversation →   RFK HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE NEWS Kerry Kennedy in Bloomberg Originals—The Controversial Case Against the 'Banker to the Poor': For more than a decade, baseless stories have circulated about Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, for his work on fighting poverty through microfinance. RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy appears in Bloomberg Originals’ July 17 video to highlight how Prof. Yunus' treatment is indicative of the Bangladeshi government's broader move to silence critics.  Karen Robinson in Human Rights Education NOW! podcast: Our program director of Human Rights Education, Karen Robinson, appeared on episodes 33–35 of the Human Rights Education NOW! podcast to discuss her journey into human rights education, her current work at RFK Human Rights, the potential for human rights to be incorporated into any area of education, and how she maintains hope and solidarity in the face of persistent violence and injustice.  Sarah Gillman in Documented—Federal Civil Rights Complaint Demands Investigation into Abuse Against Hunger Strikers at New York ICE Jail: Director of Strategic U.S Litigation Sarah Gillman discussed the civil rights complaint RFK Human Rights filed in collaboration with partner institutions against New York State’s largest immigration detention facility, Buffalo Federal Detention Facility (BFDF), after staff unfairly retaliated against detained individuals who engaged in a peaceful hunger strike to protest the facility’s excessive use of solitary confinement.  Sofia Jaramillo in LatAm Journalism Review—Latin American Governments Use Hostile Speech, Judicial Harassment and Spying to Censor Journalists: A new protocol discussed during a July 8 hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) could better protect freedom of expression in Latin America by reducing the spread of misinformation and setting clearer obligations for public officials. “This initiative can have a preventive effect in a context in which a parallel is already evident between the increase in physical violence against journalists and the hostile environment promoted by official stigmatization,” said Sofía Jaramillo, senior staff attorney for civic space. UPCOMING EVENTS July 31—Bid on our CharityBuzz Auction! Now’s your chance to enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to have dinner for 20 at the Food Network Kitchen in New York City, which is known as the hardest dinner reservation to get in the country. Learn more and place your bid by July 31! December 11—2024 Ripple of Hope Award Gala, New York, NY: This year's laureates include Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter, actor, director, and producer; Antonio Neri, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise; John W. Rogers, Jr., chairman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments; and Tom Wilson, chair, president, and CEO of The Allstate Corporation. The laureates will be honored on Wednesday, December 11, at a ceremony in New York City emceed by Alec Baldwin. Learn more about this year’s laureates and register for the ceremony. Header photo of Sen. Robert Kennedy © Lawrence Schiller.

THE SOCIOPATH- "YOU DON'T HAVE A FRIEND IN ME."

 

The Fact that the SOCIOPATH can Discard Friends and Allies with little Thought or Emotion, shows us something about how They view the World:

-   FRIENDS AND ALLIES ARE NOT TERMS THE SOCIOPATH IDENTIFIES WITH.  IN FACT, THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL.  A FRIEND OR AN ALLY, TO THEM, IS JUST A MEANS TO AN END.  WHILE OTHERS MAY APPLY THOSE TERMS TO THE SOCIOPATH, WHICH IMPLIES THAT THEY FEEL THE SOCIOPATH CAN BE TRUSTED, CARES ABOUT THEIR WELL BEING, AND WILL STAND WITH THEM IN CASE OF DIFFICULTIES, NOTHING CAN BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

The SOCIOPATH may actually exhibit some of these characteristics, but it is not from a Sense of Honor or a Moral Duty.  The Sociopath may feel that giving the Impression to others that They Follow a Certain of Conduct, will Allow them to EXPLOIT Those who do not realize that the Behavior the Sociopath is Exhibiting is just a Smokescreen to Hide Their Real Intentions and Motivations.  Once The Reasons for the Pretense are gone, and the Sociopath realizes that no more can be Obtained by Acting Like a Caring and Supportive Individual, the VICTIM(S) find Themselves Short a "FRIEND" or "SUPPORTER," AND ARE LEFT WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED.

What is Really Unfortunate is that many Times the VICTIM(S), (and I have seen this Time and Time Again), will BLAME SOMETHING THEY MAY HAVE, OR MAY NOT HAVE DONE, AS THE REASON THE SOCIOPATH HAS TURNED AWAY FROM THEM.  THEY WILL SEEK AN EXPLANATION FOR SUCH A BETRAYAL IN THEIR OWN ACTIONS, DECISIONS, AND MOTIVATIONS, NEVER REALIZING THAT THE SOCIOPATH NEVER CARED ABOUT THEM, AND NOW THAT THEY NO LONGER SERVE ANY PURPOSE, ARE FORGOTTEN AND IGNORED.  SOMETIMES, THEY MAY EVEN ATTACH BLAME TO ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL, AS THE CAUSE FOR THE ABANDONMENT BY THE SOCIOPATH.

It is often a Misguided Refusal to see Things as they are, for it would be an admission that this person who has Left Them, was not what they pretended to be.

BREAKING DOWN THE MUELLER REPORT...ONE STEP AT A TIME. PT 1.

 THE FOLLOWING IS MY PERSONAL REVIEW OF THE FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS CONTAINED WITHIN THE MUELLER REPORT. GIVEN ITS EXTENSIVE LENGTH, I WILL ATTEMPT TO BREAK IT DOWN SECTION BY SECTION. (IT'S OVER 400 PAGES.) THE ANALYSIS WILL ATTEMPT TO STICK TO THE MOST PERTINENT POINTS, ADDRESSING WHAT I FEEL TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES IN TERMS OF A LASTING IMPACT ON OUR LEGAL SYSTEM, AND THE DANGEROUS PRECEDENTS BEING SET BY IGNORING OR DENYING CONCLUSIONS THAT CAN BE REASONABLY DEDUCED OR INFERRED FROM THE DATA.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME 1.

In a very telling and dramatic way, this section begins with the following Statement:

"The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion..."

This is an unqualified conclusion that tells us that the RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT had an active role in attempting to influence and determine the outcome of the 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. It does not say "...could have interferred..." or "...may have interferred...", it's a direct accusation that the MUELLER REPORT MAKES, arrived at by the evidence that was uncovered.

Further on, the following is stated in the report.

"As set forth in detail in this report, the Special Counsel's investigation established that Russia interfere~ in the 2016 presidential election principally through two operations. First, a Russian entity carried out a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Second, a Russian intelligence service conducted computer-intrusion operations against entities, employees, and volunteers working on the Clinton Campaign and then released stolen documents." 

Part of what was uncovered, and prompted the FBI to begin an investigation into possible TRUMP CAMPAIGN coordination with the RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT in its activities, is the following taken from the REPORT:

"...a foreign government contacted the FBI about a May 2016 encounter with Trump Campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos had suggested to a representative of that foreign government that the Trump Campaign had received indications from the Russian government that it could assist the Campaign through the anonymous release of information damaging to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton."

What is interesting about this revelation, because it was a major reason that the FBI began its initial 
investigation into possible ties between the RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT and the TRUMP CAMPAIGN, was the fact that it became known to the FBI from an outside source, and not from any member of the TRUMP CAMPAIGN. 

TO BE CONTINUED...

THANKS FOR THE BETRAYAL BIDEN. (UPDATE)

BIDEN RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN SLOGAN, USED TO SOLICIT DONATIONS

BY MAIL AND THE INTERNET: "LET'S FINISH THE JOB."

BIDEN RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN SLOGAN, USED TO SOLICIT DONATIONS

ON THE INTERNET ON 7/20/2024: "LET'S FINISH THE JOB."

7/21/2024- BIDEN QUITS.

BIDEN,

- THANKS FOR CAVING INTO THE TRUMPIANS IN YOUR PARTY.

- THANKS FOR TURNING YOUR BACK ON THOSE WHO DEFENDED YOU,

AND THOSE WHO WORKED ON YOUR CAMPAIGN.

- THANKS FOR SHOWING US THAT TRAITORS AND FASCISTS TELL THE 

DEMOCRATIC PARTY WHO THEY SHOULD NOMINATE.

- THANKS FOR SHOWING US WHAT COURAGE IS NOT.

DISGRACEFUL,

DAVID MCDONALD.

BEWARE THE TRUMPOCRATS AND THE NEWS MEDIAS SECRET ADMIRATION FOR WANNABE DICTATOR TRUMP. PART 2.

 

As you can read from the attached Article about Donald Trumps speech given at the RNC, LIES AND HALF-TRUTHS are all he has to offer. However, when HATE AND TREASON IS YOUR GOAL FACTS JUST STAND IN THE WAY. (See MEIN KAMPF by A. HITLER for the Trumpian source of inspiration)

Fact-checking Donald Trump's RNC speech on immigration, the economy and more

The ABC News politics team, 538 and the PolitiFact team analyzed his comments to separate fact from fiction.

IMMIGRATION

Border crossings

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump argued there was "a massive invasion at our southern border that has spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land."

FACT CHECK: This is false. There is no evidence of a major surge in crime caused by recent arrivals and Trump's claims ignore the fact that crime is down across the country overall.

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Violent crimes were down 6% in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the same time frame last year, according to the latest FBI statistics. There was a 13% decline in murders and a 4% drop in property crimes across the country, the data showed.

That declining trend followed unprecedented spikes in 2019 and 2020, Trump’s last two years in office, stats showed.

U.S. citizens also commit crimes at higher rates than undocumented immigrants.

A 2020 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that U.S.-born citizens "are over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and over 4 times more likely to be arrested for property crimes" than undocumented immigrants.

The border wall

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump said he would end the immigration crisis "by closing our border and finishing the wall, most of which I have already built.

FACT CHECK: False. Contrary to Trump’s claim that he built more than 500 miles of border wall, by the end of his term, and after various funding fights in Washington, he had actually implemented roughly 450 miles of barriers – much of which was just upgrading existing barriers that already existed, according to the Government Accountability Office.

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Of that, roughly 50 miles were new walls constructed where no barriers previously existed, roughly 30 miles were "secondary walls" built along existing walls and roughly 370 miles were upgrading previous barriers.

-ABC News' Armando Garcia

Undocumented immigration and crime

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump argued dangerous criminals "are coming from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums, and terrorists at levels never seen before."

FACT CHECK: Needs context. Trump was likely referring to the latest statistics released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

-ABC News' Armando Garcia

MORE: Trump shooter signed up online to attend rally a week before shooting: Source

'Catch and release'

TRUMP CLAIM: While discussing the border and immigration, Trump said his administration "ended all catch-and-release."

FACT CHECK: False, needs more context. Though Trump attempted to end the catch-and-release practice under his presidency, migrants were more likely to be "released" through this process under Trump compared to Biden, according to the libertarian Cato Institute. The Cato analysis found that Biden’s immigration authorities released 48.6% of individuals apprehended at the border, while the Trump administration released 52.2% over roughly a two-year period.

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"Of course, the absolute numbers of releases have been higher under President Biden, but that reflects much higher arrivals, not any meaningful change in policy," Cato's David J. Bier wrote.

-ABC News

THE ECONOMY

Trump’s tax legislation while in office

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump has repeatedly claimed the tax legislation passed during his presidency was the largest tax cut ever.

FACT CHECK: Needs more explanation. Trump’s tax cut was, in inflation-adjusted dollars, the fourth-largest since 1940. And as a percentage of GDP, it ranked seventh.

He also said, "People don't realize I brought taxes way down, way, way down, and yet, we took in more revenues the following year than we did when the tax rate was much higher."

That’s technically true, but misleading.

If you look at when the tax bill passed, it’s not clear at all that an increase in tax receipts followed the bill’s passage. Every year, the U.S. population grows, and -- except during a recession -- the size of the economy grows, too. "So you’d expect receipts to be higher every year, all other things equal," said Benjamin R. Page, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center, told PolitiFact previously.

If you look at when the tax bill passed, it’s not clear at all that an increase in tax receipts followed the bill’s passage. For the three months of fiscal 2018 prior to the tax cut, individual income tax collections rose by 10.8% over the equivalent period from 2017. But the rise for the seven months after the tax cut was 6.7%.

And if you look at total tax collections from every category, rather than just individual income taxes, the picture is even worse. During the seven-month period after the tax bill was passed, total receipts actually fell slightly compared to the equivalent period in 2017 by about a tenth of a percentage point.

Perhaps the most revealing comparison takes into account the May-to-July period because it excludes the spike in payments in April, when most Americans pay taxes on income generated in 2017 before the tax law was passed. During that period, individual income tax collections fell by about 1% compared to 2017.

-PolitiFact’s Louis Jacobson and Aaron Sharockman

The economy under Trump

TRUMP CLAIM: During his presidency, Trump said the U.S. had the best economy in the history of our country, "no inflation" and soaring incomes.

FACT CHECK: False. One of the strongest ways to assess the economy is the unemployment rate, which fell during Trump’s presidency to levels untouched in five decades. But his successor, Joe Biden, matched or exceeded those levels.

Another measure, the annual increases in gross domestic product, were broadly similar under Trump to what they were during the final six years under his predecessor, Obama. And GDP growth under Trump was well below that of previous presidents.

Wage growth increased under Trump, but to say they soared is an exaggeration. Adjusted for inflation, wages began rising during the Barack Obama years and kept increasing under Trump. But these were modest compared with the 2% a year increase seen in the 1960s.

Another metric — the growth rate in personal consumption per person, adjusted for inflation -- wasn’t higher under Trump than previous presidents. For many families, this statistic serves an economic activity bottom line, determining how much they can spend on food, clothing, housing, health care and travel.

In Trump’s three years in office through January 2020, real consumption per person grew by 2% a year. Of the 30 nonoverlapping three-year periods from 1929 to the end of his presidency, Trump’s periods ranked in the bottom third.

As for inflation being zero, that’s also wrong. It was low, ranging between 1.8% and 2.4% increases year-over-year in 2017, 2018 and 2019. This is roughly the range the Federal Reserve likes to see. During the pandemic-dominated year of 2020, inflation fell to 1.2%, because demand plummeted as entertainment and travel collapsed.

-PolitiFact’s Louis Jacobson and Aaron Sharockman

The state of the auto industry

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump said he would reverse government regulations to encourage the development of electric vehicles, saying he’d be "saving the U.S. auto industry from complete obliteration, which is happening right now."

FACT CHECK: False. During Biden’s presidency, employment in auto and parts manufacturing had risen by 127,800 jobs through December 2023.

-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockman

THE MIDDLE EAST

ISIS

TRUMP CLAIM: "We got credit for the war and defeating ISIS and so many things, the great economy, the biggest tax cuts ever, the biggest regulation cuts Ever the creation of Space Force, the rebuilding of our military. We did so much," Trump said.

FACT CHECK: Needs context. We’ll get to the tax cuts in a second. Here we’ll focus on the claim about ISIS. Trump rightly gets credit for shrinking the territory ISIS controlled. But it’s wrong to say ISIS was or is defeated.

According to data from IHS Markit, a private defense and security research firm, the area controlled by the Islamic State went from 90,800 square kilometers in January 2015 to 6,759 square kilometers in January 2018. That’s a 93% reduction in territory.

But the success Trump claims was built upon strategy and attacks that were launched under President Barack Obama.

The campaign to defeat ISIS took shape in September 2014 under the name of Operation Inherent Resolve. According to U.S. Air Force Central Command data, coalition forces engaged the enemy over 33,000 times between the launch of the operation and November 2017. (The Air Force includes strikes taking place in August 2014.) Counting only sorties in which at least one weapon was released, about three-fourths of the action took place during the Obama years. The Air Force reports over 104,000 missiles, bombs and other explosives dropped in the course of the campaign. About two-thirds of that came before Trump took office.

Though ISIS no longer holds territory, it continues to operate and has worked to expand its global presence through affiliates in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, according to the Congressional Research Service.

-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockman

Afghanistan exit

TRUMP CLAIM: Discussing U.S. engagement in Afghanistan, Trump said, “We also left behind $85 billion worth of military equipment.”

FACT CHECK: False. That’s wrong.

The United States spent $88.6 billion in Afghanistan providing security assistance over the course of two decades, and only a fraction of it was for hardware. The lion’s share of that is for salaries for members of the Afghan army and national police, FactCheck.org reported.

As of June 30, 2021, there were 167 usable aircraft, including 23 A-29 attack planes and 33 UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopters in Afghanistan, according to a July 2021 report released by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

But there has been no full accounting of how much aircraft or other military equipment was still there in mid-August, when the Taliban regained control. Defense expert John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, told PolitiFact "very little" of the $88.6 billion would have been spent on equipment. He estimated that the military equipment remaining is worth less than $10 billion, though virtually all of it could be considered under the category of weapons.

-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockman

THE POLLS

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump claimed in his speech that he's leading in Nevada by 14 points.

FACT CHECK: False. According to 538's polling average, he leads Biden by only 6 points in the Silver State. Even the best poll for Trump gives him only a 10-point lead in Nevada.

-538's Nathaniel Rakich

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S RECORD

Inflation

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump said, "We’ve had the worst inflation we’ve ever had under this person [Biden]."

FACT CHECK: False. Although inflation is still considered an economic problem for the U.S., the overall rate is nowhere near a record.

The highest inflation rates were recorded in the 1970s and early 1980s when the annual price increase sometimes hovered between 12% and 15%. The highest rate on Biden’s watch was around 9% in summer 2022. That was the highest monthly figure in about four decades but not the highest ever.

Inflation is down to around 3% now, about two-thirds lower than its 2022 peak.

-PolitiFact’s Louis Jacobson

Taxes under Biden

TRUMP CLAIM: Trump said of Biden's administration, "This is the only administration that said we're going to raise your taxes by four times what you're paying now."

FACT CHECK: False. Biden proposes a tax increase of roughly 7% over the next decade, not 300%, as Trump claims. About 83% of the proposed Biden tax increase would be borne by the top 1% of taxpayers, who earn just under $1 million a year in income.

-PolitiFact’s Sara Swann