Former President Donald Trump made a series of false claims during two speeches on Saturday, including expressing an inaccurate opinion on American history. While speaking to the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a conservative Christian group, Trump criticized proposals to change the names of schools, military facilities, and other places that honor slaveowners and Confederate leaders. He specifically mentioned George Washington, stating, “They don’t know why. You know, they thought he had slaves. Actually I think he probably didn’t.”
However, historical records show that George Washington did indeed own slaves. At the time of his death in 1799, there were 317 enslaved people at Mount Vernon, his Virginia home and plantation, including 123 owned by Washington himself. Expert Alexis Coe emphasized, “George Washington owned slaves. We know this by his own hand. He kept ledgers on everyone he enslaved.” Coe described denying this fact as both “reprehensible” on a personal level and “dangerous to our country” when coming from a presidential candidate.
Despite this misinformation, Trump went on to make several other false claims during his speeches. He perpetuated the debunked theory that Democrats rigged the 2020 election, falsely stated that legal scholars wanted Roe v. Wade overturned, and inaccurately claimed that record inflation and crime rates are currently occurring in the United States. Trump’s speech also included misleading statements about topics such as his criminal case, global prison populations, and tariffs on Chinese goods.
In addition to his inaccurate comments, Trump made a peculiar claim about non-electric trucks not needing to stop when driving from New York to Los Angeles. These statements from the former president have drawn criticism for spreading misinformation and distorting historical facts.