Donald Trump's Pennsylvania Town Hall: Fact-Checking Ex-Prez's Key Claims

Donald Trump's town hall at the Philadelphia suburb of Oaks on Monday turned into a music concert after two attendees fell ill. However, the former president did take some questions from pre-selected audience members while South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem moderated the session. As Trump answered the questions, he made several misleading and false claims. Here is a fact-check of the major misleading claims made by Donald Trump at the Pennsylvania town hall.

Interest rates under Donald Trump What Trump said: "We had interest rates at 2 percent, and now they're 10 percent." Fact: During Trump's presidency, mortgage rates hit lows of 2.65% for 30-year and 2.1% for 15-year fixed rates, while by October 10, 2024, the 30-year average was 6.32%. Biden administration added 818,000 'fake jobs' What Trump said: "818,000 fake jobs they added, and they padded the job numbers a couple of months ago so that they'd look better on jobs...they were fake." Fact: In August 2024, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced a "benchmark revision" to March 2024 employment data. The BLS adjusted figures down by 818,000 jobs using unemployment insurance tax records, with final revisions due in February 2025. Claims about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan What Trump said: "We didn't lose one soldier in 18 months until this catastrophe happened when they took over." Fact: The Department of Defense's Defense Casualty Analysis System reported two hostile deaths and five non-hostile/pending deaths in the 18 months before the August 2021 withdrawal. Springfield Ohio having added 32,000 "illegal immigrants" What Trump said: "Springfield, Ohio, a town of 50,000 people, they've just added 32,000 people [who are] illegal immigrants." Fact: Springfield, Ohio, issued a statement saying that Clark County's immigrant population is approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people. 101,000 people attended Trump's Butler Pennsylvania What Trump said: "In Butler, Pennsylvania...we had 101,000 people." Fact: Trump claimed a large crowd at a recent Butler, Pennsylvania rally, though media attendees reported under 59,000. Easier to enter US illegally that through naturalisation What Trump said: "People are going to come into our country legally. You know it's so unfair you have people that are waiting...they take tests, and then people come, I actually say, 'Why don't you just go in?'" Fact: Trump referred to the English and Civics tests required for legal US citizenship. However, non-citizens who enter illegally face removal, a five-year re-entry ban, and potential criminal charges.