Fact-checking Trump’s claims about Helene, immigration and the economy at his Butler rally

This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact.
Former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the first assassination attempt against him, to rally his supporters just a month before Election Day.
“Exactly 12 weeks ago this evening, on this very ground, a cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me and to silence the greatest movement, MAGA, in the history of our country, MAGA,” Trump said Oct. 5, referring to his “Make America Great Again” catchphrase. “For 16 harrowing seconds during the gunfire, time stopped as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his sniper’s perch, not so far away. But by the hand of providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal.”
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Early in his address, Trump spoke about Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who’d been in the July 13 crowd and whom Thomas Matthew Crooks killed. One of Crooks’ bullets grazed Trump’s ear.
A Secret Service countersniper killed Crooks.
Trump described Comperatore as a “folk hero” and called for a moment of silence at 6:11 p.m., the minute the shooting had begun July 13. After the pause, bells rang and a singer near the stage sang “Ave Maria.”
Trump’s speech included claims about the Biden-Harris administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, illegal immigration and the economy.
We fact-checked him.
Trump has said that if he hadn’t turned his head to look at the chart July 13, the bullet would have gone through his head during the assassination attempt. PolitiFact has fact-checked the contents of the chart.
Trump added misleading markings on a chart originally posted by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
Security personnel inspect the site after gunfire rang out during a Trump campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. File photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Trump highlighted a low migrant encounter total during April 2020 and claimed that was when he left office. But Trump’s presidency ended in January 2021.
That April 2020 period also marked the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, when lockdowns and travel restrictions contributed to decreased migration.
The chart also alluded to Trump’s Pants on Fire claim that millions of immigrants came illegally to the U.S. from jails, prisons or mental institutions during Biden’s administration. Immigration experts have told PolitiFact there is no proof that large numbers of people from prisons or mental institutions are coming to the U.S.
We rated a version of this claim False. Vice President Kamala Harris has not said people affected by Hurricane Helene will only get $750 from the federal government.
The $750 is under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Serious Needs Assistance program, which covers immediate needs after a disaster, including “food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies.” Through this program, the White House said, FEMA paid out more than $1 million to more than 1,400 North Carolina households within a day.
READ MORE: Disinformation and conspiracy theories cloud Helene recovery efforts in hard-hit areas
As of Oct. 4, FEMA said the Biden administration provided more than $45 million “in flexible, up-front funding” to Hurricane Helene survivors. The agency said it has provided more than 11.5 million meals, 3.32 million gallons of water, 150 generators and 400,000 tarps to the affected region.
On Oct. 2, in Augusta, Georgia, Harris said FEMA was also providing funding for home repairs and hotel costs.
Hours before Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, late Sept. 26, Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and announced a new $8 billion security assistance package for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Congress had already appropriated the funding for Ukraine.
False. Trump is referring to a figure from a Sept. 25 Immigration and Customs Enforcement letter saying 13,099 immigrants convicted of homicide are not in immigration detention. But that data goes back 40 years; it doesn’t specify that those 13,099 people entered the U.S. during the Biden-Harris administration.
Noncitizens convicted of crimes may not be in immigration detention for multiple reasons. For one, they may be in law enforcement custody serving time in prison.
A 2001 Supreme Court ruling also said people cannot be detained indefinitely. This means people from countries that don’t accept deportation flights must be released into the U.S.
False. The unemployment rate during the Trump administration dropped to levels dating back to the early 1950s. But gross domestic product growth during Trump’s administration was well below that of previous administrations. Other metrics, such as wages and business investment, don’t support Trump’s claim, either.
Mostly False. That’s a repeated mischaracterization of Harris’ role. Biden tasked Harris with working with Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras officials to address migration issues. But managing the border — controlling who and how many people enter the U.S. — is the Homeland Security secretary’s responsibility.
Biden asked Harris to focus on migration’s root causes, including the countries’ economic struggles, violence, corruption and food insecurity.
We rated a similar Trump claim, citing $28,000, Mostly False. Harris cast the tiebreaking vote on the motion to proceed to a final Senate vote on the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, a coronavirus pandemic relief bill. Economists believe the law contributed to inflation’s increase, but say supply chain shortages and Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine were bigger drivers of the spike.
The $28,000 is a likely estimate of increased spending for items such as food, shelter, transportation and energy. But wages also increased, evening out much, or, depending on the time period, all of the increased costs.
False.
In 2018, when she was a U.S. senator from California, Harris said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s function should be reexamined and that “we need to probably even think about starting from scratch.” But she didn’t say there shouldn’t be immigration enforcement. In 2018, Harris also said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had a role and should exist.
False.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that Venezuela ranked first for proven crude oil reserves in 2021 with 304 billion barrels, followed by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Canada, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Russia. The U.S. ranked ninth internationally, with 61 billion barrels.
The U.S. ranks higher internationally in coal reserves (No. 1) and natural gas (No. 4), administration data shows.
Mostly False. California law already doesn’t require the majority of voters to provide ID when voting in person. Senate Bill 1174, which prohibits local governments from requiring voter ID at polling places, was drafted in response to a Huntington Beach, California, measure that conflicted with state law.
READ MORE: Fact-checking Trump’s false claims about voter fraud and ‘rigged’ elections
People who register to vote in California must provide proof of identity. People whose information is not verified must present their IDs at the polls when they vote for the first time. All people who register to vote in California must sign a notice, under penalty of perjury, that states they are U.S. citizens.
Trump’s claim that a boxer “transitioned” to female is unsubstantiated.
Trump was referring to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The decision to allow Khelif to compete in the Olympics was controversial because a boxing organization previously disqualified her over a DNA test that supposedly showed she has XY chromosomes. That organization is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
READ MORE: What is the IBA? Governing body behind Olympic boxing storm has Russian ties, troubled history
International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said, “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport. This is not a transgender case.”