| Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to someone else who'd like it! If this email was forwarded to you, sign up here. Did you hear something fact-checkable? Send it here; we'll check it out. Trump falsely triples number of reported overdose deaths Trump often exaggerates statistics to hype the scale of a crisis. He did so again when he signed an executive order targeting drug cartels — and reiterated his plan to boost tariffs on Mexico and Canada to force a crackdown on drug organizations. He told reporters that although for "15 years" the number of overdose deaths was estimated at 100,000, it's really 250,000 to 300,000 — "probably 300,000." But his claim of 300,000 deaths is false. Drug overdose deaths only began to exceed 100,000 four years ago, in part a legacy of the coronavirus pandemic, but they started to decline in 2023. As of the 12 months ending in August, the most recent data available, the number of deaths was about 90,000, the CDC says. Experts say there is no evidence the statistics, collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are faulty; in fact, they have improved after a boost in federal funding when the scope of the opioid crisis became clear during the Obama administration. To read the full fact check and learn the Pinocchio rating, please click the link below. |
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