Political Experts Fact-Check Trump’s Claims in Asheville Speech
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Trump’s Assertion of an Impoverished United States
“We literally are a third world nation,” claimed former President Donald Trump during his town hall in Asheville, predicting an economic plummet if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected. This statement was swiftly debunked by Eric Heberlig, a Political Science professor at UNC Charlotte, who clarified, “Usually we call third world nations: developing nations, low income. The United States – regardless of what you think of the economy now – is not poor.”
Examining Claims of Terrorism Under The Biden Administration
Trump also claimed that due to Harris’ radical liberal policies, the United States was suffering from horrific inflation. “It’s false,” said Heberlig. “The Vice President does not set national economic policy. The President contributes. Congress contributes.”
The Future of Trump’s Tax Cuts
Trump’s speech also touched on the topic of tax cuts. He predicted that the tax cuts he had initiated would end under Harris’ administration. He stated, “Many household tax reforms will expire next year, which means the next president could either extend the legislation or let it expire.” He further stated that taxes would quadruple with Harris in power, a claim debunked by Chris Cooper, WCU Political Science Department Chair, who confirmed that, “There may be a small sliver of the American economy where that’s true,” he said. “But for the average person, no, that is not true.”
Harris’ Past Political Leanings
Trump further addressed Harris’ past political leanings in his speech. He claimed Harris was even “more liberal than Bernie Sanders”, a statement that had some credible backing according to Cooper, who said, “There is a metric political scientists use called the NOMINATE score,” Cooper explained, “That shows that Bernie Sanders was more liberal than 98% of Democrats in the U.S. Senate, whereas Kamala Harris was more liberal than 99% of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate.”
The Battle for North Carolina
North Carolina, a state Trump has won in two previous election cycles, is anticipated to be a key battleground state for the upcoming election. A recent poll, however, indicates that Harris is pulling ahead in North Carolina, along with other key battleground states. As the countdown to the elections continues, it remains to be seen how much Trump’s claims will affect the polls in the state.
