Trump had triple-digit lies and distortions in press conference

1. “I think our country is in the most dangerous position it has ever been in, from an economic point of view…”

The U.S. economy has recovered from the pandemic downturn faster than most other countries around the world. Growth has slowed in recent months, but gross domestic product still grew at a relatively healthy annual rate of 2.8% in April, May and June — faster than the pace in three of Trump’s four years in office. — Scott Horsley, NPR chief economics correspondent

2. “…from a security standpoint, both gangs on the streets…”

We don’t have great, up-to-date data on gang activity in the U.S., but violent crime trends offer a good window into the country’s safety. Nationally, violent crime—which includes murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault—is down sharply after peaking in 2020, according to the most recent FBI data. That data is preliminary and incomplete, covering about three-quarters of the country, but other crime analysts have found similar trends. Of course, crime levels vary locally: Murders, for example, are down in Philadelphia but up in Charlotte, N.C. — Meg Anderson, NPR National Desk reporter covering criminal justice

3. “…and frankly, gangs outside of our country in the form of other countries that, frankly, are very powerful. They are very powerful countries.”

The US is not in the “most dangerous position” from a foreign policy perspective than it has ever been. Biden withdrew troops from Afghanistan in his first year in office — though the withdrawal itself was chaotic and widely criticized — and since then, US troops have not been actively involved in a war for the first time in 20 years. The US supports Ukraine and Israel, of course, and has troops in Iraq and Syria, but they are not fighting on a regular basis.

Moreover, FBI Director Christopher Wray has said that the greatest threat to the country is domestic extremism. And outside of organized groups, the definition of extremism is changing as fringe ideologies move into the mainstream and radicalization takes hold among segments of the population. Think of the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol and the attempted assassination of Trump, even with a motive that remains unclear at best. Either way, the call is coming from within, experts on domestic extremism warn. Many polls show a sobering level of support for political violence to bring about change. — Andrew Sussman, NPR senior editor for national security

4-5. “There are many bad things coming. You could go into a 1929-type depression, which would be devastating, it took many years – it took many decades to recover from, and we are very close to that.”

There is no indication that a 1930s-style depression is coming for the United States. And the depression did not take “many decades to recover from.” It ended during World War II, in 1941. — Scott Horsley

6. “And we are very close to a world war. In my opinion, we are very close to a world war.”

No serious person thinks the US, Russia and China are on the verge of a world war. Right now, Russia seems to be having a hard time defending Russia, given its recent invasions of Ukraine. While there are concerns about things like the potential for regional conflagrations in the Middle East, only Trump is talking about a world war. — Andrew Sussman

7. “Kamala’s record is terrible. She is a radical leftist on a level that no one has ever seen.”

How liberal Harris is is debatable. Some in California didn’t like her criminal justice record and didn’t consider her progressive enough. She’s clearly liked by progressives and her voting record as a senator is on the liberal side of the spectrum, but is she “radically left” and “on a level that no one has seen”? There are plenty of people in life and history who would be considered far more liberal and radical.

8. “She chose a radical left-wing man.”

Few, if any, reasonable people would say that Walz is a “radical leftist.” He had a progressive record as governor with a Democratic legislature, but the things he passed were hardly radical — free school meals, protection of abortion rights, legalization of marijuana, restrictions on access to certain types of guns. All of these things have the support of the majority of voters. Moreover, that “progressive” record ignores Walz’s first term as governor, when he ran with Republicans because Democrats didn’t control the legislature. And it ignores Walz’s time as a congressman, when he was considered a more moderate member because he came from a district that had previously been held by a Republican.

9. “He goes for things that no one has ever heard of. He’s very focused on the transgender world.”

Last year, Walz championed and signed a bill that would prohibit state court officials from complying with requests for child removal, extradition, arrest or subpoena requests related to gender-affirming health care a person receives or provides in Minnesota. “Heavy into the transgender world” is vague and misleading.

10. “He doesn’t want borders. He doesn’t want walls.”

Walz has never called for no borders. He has opposed a wall because he doesn’t think it will stop illegal immigration. For example, he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that a wall “is not the way to stop illegal immigration.” He called for more Border Patrol agents, electronics, and more legal ways to immigrate.

11. “He doesn’t want any form of security for our country.”

Trump himself has praised Walz for his handling of the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer. And it’s certainly an exaggeration to say that he “doesn’t want any kind of security for our country.” Walz served in the U.S. National Guard for 24 years, so it’s clear that he cares about the country’s national security. And domestically, he’s never been an advocate of “defund the police.” For example, Walz opposed a ballot measure that would have abolished minimum staffing levels for police. That angered advocates. He signed police reforms into law, but that doesn’t prove he doesn’t want security.