Thought Catalog

Here Are 22 Lies Told So Far At The 2016 RNC Convention In Cleveland

Direct quotes of false statements said at the RNC Convention, linked to the fact-checker who verified them as untrue. 
Jacob Geers
July 21, 2016
“There are about 350,000 people who succeed in crossing our borders illegally each year.”
— Jeff Sessions, Sen. Session garbles immigration stat on border crossings
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 Election Lies, Jeff Sessions, Immigration, 2016 RNC Convention
“As a senator, Hillary Clinton paid women less than the men" in her office.”
— Sharon Day, Did Sen. Hillary Clinton pay women less than men in office?
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 Election Lies, Sharon Day, 2016 RNC Convention
“The Cleveland police has issued a stand down order to officers [during the RNC Convention]”
— Nadia Pflaum, Cleveland police 'stand-down' for RNC? Pants on Fire!
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies
“I don't believe [President Obama] is a Christian. He has never talked about Jesus Christ once. We've had a Muslim president for seven and half years.”
— Antonio Sabato Jr., RNC speaker: Obama 'absolutely' Muslim
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies
“Hillary Clinton is for open borders.”
— Rudy Giuliani, False: Giuliani says Hillary Clinton is for open borders
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 Election Lies, 2016 RNC Convention, Rudy Giuliani
“Opportunities taken when we defied stand down orders and opportunities squandered when Hillary Clinton failed to protect her people on the ground. Had she done her job, we would not have had to compromise the annex.”
— Mark Geist, Evidence shows no Benghazi stand-down order to defy
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Benghazi
“Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have left us with $19 trillion in debt.”
— Sean Duffy, Sean Duffy's RNC claim about who left $19 debt wrong
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Sean Duffy, National Debt
“I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son. Personally. In an email to her daughter shortly after the attack Hillary Clinton blamed it on terrorism. But when I saw Hillary Clinton … she lied to me and then called me a liar. When I saw Hillary Clinton … she looked me squarely in the eye and told me a video was responsible.”
— Patricia Smith, Fact-checking the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 Election Lies, 2016 RNC Convention, Benghazi
“Hillary Clinton is proposing 'destroying Medicare for seniors.'”
— Donald Trump Jr., Would Hillary Clinton destroy Medicare? Trump Jr. says yes
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Healthcare, Donald Trump Jr.
“You see them [Black Lives Matter protesters] marching and you see them on occasion, at least — I’ve seen it — where they’re essentially calling, ‘Death to police.’ And that’s not acceptable.’”
— Donald Trump, Fact-checking the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention
Tagged: Donald Trump, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Black Lives Matter, Crime, 2016 Election
“In Nigeria, Hillary Clinton amazingly fought for two years to keep an al Qaeda affiliate off the terrorist watch list.”
— Chris Christie, Day 2 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Chris Christie, Terrorism
“Because of this reckless action by the candidate who is the self-proclaimed champion of women all around the world. These al Qaeda terrorists abducted hundreds of innocent young women two years ago. These school girls are still missing today. And what was the solution from the Obama/Clinton team? A hashtag campaign.”
— Chris Christie, Day 2 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Chris Christie, Terrorism
“Donald Trump will be a President not beholden to special interests, foreign and domestic and one who funded his entire primary run out of his own pocket just to prove it.”
— Donald Trump Jr., Day 2 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Donald Trump
“A Hillary Clinton Supreme Court means your right to own a firearm is gone.”
— Chris Cox, Day 2 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Supreme Court, 2nd Amendment, Gun Rights
“Hillary has changed her positions so many times, it's impossible to tell where the conviction ends and the ambition begins [...] Once a backer of the Keystone Pipeline, last year she opposed it.”
— Mitch McConnell, Day 2 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Mitch McConnell
“Neighborhoods have become more violent under President Barack Obama's watch.”
— Darryl Glenn, Glenn blames Obama for violent crime, despite long drop in c
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Crime
“Our economy is not growing.”
— Rick Scott, Florida Gov. Rick Scott wrongly says economy is not growing
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Economy
“Donald Trump always pays his bills promptly. You won't hear that. Promptly, no discounts.”
— Phil Ruffin, Does Donald Trump always pay his bills promptly?
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 Election Lies, 2016 RNC Convention, Donald Trump
“We've seen relentless mandates from the executive branch. It seems no aspect of our lives is too small for the present administration to supervise, no provision of the Constitution too large for them to ignore.”
— Mike Pence, Day 3 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Mike Pence, Executive Orders
“Hillary Clinton essentially offers a third Obama term. And the role is perfect for her. She championed Obamacare because, years earlier, she had all but invented it.”
— Mike Pence, Day 3 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Obamacare
“Every time we can't drill a well in America, terrorism is being funded.”
— Harold Hamm, Day 3 of GOP convention speeches: CNN vets the claims
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Terrorism, Economy
“It was Hillary Clinton who left Americans in harm's way in Benghazi and after four Americans fell said, 'What difference at this point does it make?'”
— Mike Pence, Mike Pence's inaccurate Benghazi-Clinton claim
Tagged: 2016 Election, 2016 RNC Convention, 2016 Election Lies, Mike Pence, Hillary Clinton, Benghazi