In speeches from Pennsylvania to Scotland, on subjects ranging from founding fathers to campaign cash, Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump has had trouble with the truth this week. In the second of a series, the Guardian looks at some of the tallest tales Trump has told over the past seven days.



Trade



“When subsidized foreign steel is dumped into our markets, threatening our factories, the politicians do nothing.” – 28 June, Monessen, Pennsylvania

In 2015, five US steelmakers complained that Chinese producers, boosted by government subsidies, were flouting import rules. This spring the Obama administration struck the Chinese companies with a 522% tariff. The US International Trade Commission also announced an investigation into aluminum imports, hinting at more tariffs on the Chinese.

“Today, we import nearly $800bn more in goods than we export.” – 28 June, Monessen, Pennsylvania

Trump is not telling the whole story. The US’s 2015 deficit on goods was indeed $762.6bn. But the US is largely a service economy and last year it had a surplus in its service trade – the exports of services performed by people in tech, finance, hospitality and other industries – which, with other market forces, drove the overall trade deficit down to about $500bn, according to the Census bureau.

Trump himself outsources manufacturing to China and Bangladesh, making suits and ties there and importing them to the US.

“Our founding fathers understood trade much better than our current politicians, believe me.” – 28 June, Monessen, Pennsylvania

The men who led the young United States in the 1790s and early 1800s likely did understand trade better than at least one current politician, but they understood it in a world of slavery, plantations and New England shipping. Even then, Trump’s trade ideas would not have necessarily been welcome; the founders had vicious disagreements over it.

Trump invoked Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln to argue for tariffs as a means of protecting American manufacturing. Hamilton supported tariffs in order to protect a young manufacturing economy; Thomas Jefferson largely opposed them, realizing that they would empower northern businessmen over the farming, slave-holding south. Lincoln similarly supported tariffs to protect northern industry – then violently at odds with the south. But by the late 19th century tariffs had become tools of powerful tycoons, who could impose high prices on goods on the poor and middle class. Their power was reduced by the income tax and other reforms of the early 20th century. Automation and globalization have further complicated trade in the 100 years since.

“It was also Hillary Clinton, as secretary of state, who shoved us into a job-killing deal with South Korea in 2012.” – 28 June, Monessen, Pennsylvania

In 2007, Republican George W Bush signed the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, but Congress refused to ratify it for nearly five years. Barack Obama warned of employment consequences from the deal in 2008, but argued it would boost the shattered economy after he became president. Clinton opposed the deal and a candidate but supported it as Obama’s secretary of state. But to say she “shoved” it on the US is an exaggeration, considering its steady support from Republicans and centrist Democrats.

The US International Trade Commission predicted the agreement would have a “negligible” effect on jobs in the US, and its net effect is difficult to gauge. In May, the US Trade Representative reported export increases of 8.4% since 2011, and a net gain in manufacturing jobs – though this is likely tied to the general recovery rather than the deal.

Immigration

“We must suspend immigration from regions linked with terrorism until a proven vetting method is in place.” – 25 June, Twitter

Over several months, Trump has contradicted or reinvented his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US. In December he proposed “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on”. In May, he called that “just a suggestion”. On 13 June, he said it would apply to regions “where there is a proven history of terrorism” and “Islamic terror”; on 25 June he said British Muslims “wouldn’t bother” him but those from “terror countries” would; and then on 27 June his campaign claimed nothing had changed.

The US has one of the most arduous refugee acceptance programs in the world, a 18-months to two-year process that involves vetting by the UN and multiple US security agencies, fingerprint and medical checks, and in-person interviews. Trump regularly ignores the existence of this strict vetting system.

Supporters

“Don’t know anything about him.” – 25 June, Aberdeen, Scotland, about George W Bush’s treasury secretary, Hank Paulson

Trump professed ignorance after a reporter asked him about the Republican leader who endorsed Clinton in an op-ed last week. But in 2008 Trump praised Paulson by name in an interview with CNN, which was unearthed by BuzzFeed. “I think Paulson, I would give an A, because he really took something very strong,” Trump said, speaking about the 2008 financial crisis.

The businessman frequently claims ignorance when confronted with something uncomfortable, even when he has spoken at length about that person or topic. “I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists,” the candidate said in February, after the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan endorsed him. Trump had disavowed Duke two days earlier, and in 2000 had called Duke “a Klansman” and described him as “not company I wish to keep”.

Campaign

“Mr Trump has fully extinguished (terminated) this loan per his commitment. Therefore, he has personally invested in excess of $50 million dollars in the future of our country.” – 23 June press release announcing Trump would forgive a large loan he had made to his campaign

As of Friday, Federal Election Commission confirmed to the Guardian that it has no record of Trump converting loans to donations, an absence first reported by NBC News on Thursday. Trump’s spokesperson Hope Hicks said the paperwork will be filed with the next FEC report but provided no proof that Trump had actually prepared the material. Trump has loaned his campaign $45.7m, and would have to forgive that debt by 20 July to make the next filing.