Trump or Hillary: Who lies more?

Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have reputations about their truthfulness. Trump is seen as a counter to the typical DC politics – honest to a fault. And Hillary is seen as deeply untrustworthy. Her history of scandals has caused people to think she is prone to lying. Trump even nicknamed her “Crooked Hillary” and has called her a “World Class Liar.”

So who actually lies more: Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Using info compiled by fact-checkers at PolitiFact, we compiled a few answers.

Trump: ‘We’re the highest taxed nation in the world‘

One of Trump’s main points that has propelled his electoral success is his proposed tax cuts to the top 0.1 percent and businesses. On Meet the Press on May 8, 2016, Trump explained his proposal: “We’re the highest taxed nation in the world. Our businesses pay more taxes than any businesses in the world. That’s why companies are leaving.”

According to data collected from 2014, the United States’ tax revenue percentage of the GDP is 26 percent, the highest being Denmark at 50.9 percent and the lowest being Mexico at 19.7 percent. Not only is the United States about half of the “highest taxed nation in the world,” but it as actually much closer to the lowest taxed nation in the world and well below the average of 34.2 percent. Out of the 34 nations included in the report, the United States ranked 31.

If Trump was referring to business taxes, he is still grossly incorrect. Based on the same data set, the United States’ corporate tax revenue percentage of the GDP is 2.6 percent. The highest being Norway at 7.1 percent and the lowest being Greece at 1.3 percent. Once again, the United States is about half of the “highest taxes nation in the world,” and much closer to the lowest end rather than the highest. In addition, again, the United States’ percentage was lower than the average of 2.9 percent. Out of the 32 nations included, the United States ranked 17.

This statement by Trump is false on all accounts.

Hillary: Trump ‘wants to get rid of the federal minimum wage‘

Minimum wage is an issue that is heavily contested among Republicans and Democrats. During a speech in Charlotte on July 5, 2016, Hillary said: “Donald Trump thinks wages are too high. He actually stood on the debate stage and said that. And he wants to get rid of the federal minimum wage altogether.”

Trump’s stance on minimum wage has at times seemed all over the map, but on May 8, 2016 he appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and said: “I have seen what’s going on. And I don’t know how people make it on $7.25 an hour. I would like to see an increase of some magnitude. But I’d rather leave it to the states. Let the states decide. Because don’t forget, the states have to compete with each other.”

What Hillary said about Donald Trump is true: he does want to eliminate minimum wage set by the federal government. However, he does personally believe the minimum wage should be higher than $7.25.

With that all being said, Hillary was correct.

Trump: ‘Crime is rising‘

Trump’s campaign has been one propelled by fear. Whether it’s Muslims, Mexicans, or Hillary Clinton, Trump has made his supporters fear what the future my hold. His very slogan is Make America Great Again meaning the current status of the country is in disarray and must be fixed. On June 7, 2016 in New York, Trump addressed his supporters and mentioned: “Crime is rising. People are scared. The last thing we need is Hillary Clinton in the White House or an extension of the Obama disaster.”

Based on data from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting and the National Crime Victimization Survey, crime has actually decreased in the last decade. The data sets included “violent crime,” which includes crime such as murder, rape, assault, and robbery, and “property crime,” which includes crime such as burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. While there are other crimes not included in these categories, they still cover a wide range of crimes Trump could have been referring to.

The last year of complete data is 2014, which shows property crimes decreasing by 4.3 percent and violent crimes decreasing by 0.2 percent. While not a large decrease, it’s still not an increase, let alone an increase that should worry voters.

This statement by Trump does not seem to be rooted in any factual evidence.

Hillary: ‘I never received nor sent any material that was marked classified‘

Hillary’s email scandal has, at times, been the primary argument against voting for her, implying that she cannot be trusted. During an interview with NBC on July 2, 2016, she said: “Let me repeat what I have repeated for many months now. I never received nor sent any material that was marked classified.”

FBI Director James Comey made several statements in early July regarding the emails. He said: “Separately, it is important to say something about the marking of classified information. Only a very small number of the emails containing classified information bore markings indicating the presence of classified information. But even if information is not marked ‘classified’ in an email, participants who know or should know that the subject matter is classified are still obligated to protect it.”

So, while Hillary was wrong in saying that zero classified emails were exchanged, the number was very small: Comey said on July 7 that he believes three emails on her server were marker classified.

Comey also added the classified information was not properly marked because they lacked a classification header. Comey said that because of the missing header, Hillary most likely did not realize that the emails were classified.

While three out of over 30,000 is 0.01 percent, it is still more than zero, which is what Hillary claimed, so, in essence, she is false.

Trump: Hillary ‘wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment‘

When speaking on the final day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016, Trump said: “My opponent wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment.” The right to bear arms has been heavily debated recently, with no one really at an in-between stance. It only makes sense for Donald Trump to want to demonize Hillary in order to scare gun owners into voting for him.

However, she has repeatedly spoken out in favor of the Second Amendment. She supports additional, common sense based legislation, such as not allowing suspected terrorists of obtaining guns. Hillary has been support of the Second Amendment since her campaign in 2008.

In a presidential debate in January 2008, Hillary said: “I believe in the Second Amendment. People have a right to bear arms. But I also believe that we can common-sensically approach this.” And in June 2016, on ABC’s This Week, she added: “I believe we can have common-sense gun-safety measures consistent with the Second Amendment.”

Hillary wants to work alongside the Second Amendment, and by no means wants to abolish it.

Hillary: ‘Trump bankrupted his companies not once, not twice, but four times‘

With the current state of the economy, both Hillary and Trump have tried to convince voters that they are the one who can stabilize the economy. One way she has chosen to delegitimize her opponent is pointing out his numerous bankruptcies. At a rally in Ohio on June 21, 2016, Hillary said: “[Donald Trump has] written a lot of books about business. They all seem to end at Chapter 11. He bankrupted his companies not once, not twice, but four times.

In 1991, The Trump Taj Mahal declared bankruptcy. Followed shortly by Trump Castle, Trump Plaza and Casino, and Plaza Hotel in 1992. Those add up to four, but Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and Trump Entertainment Resorts filed in 2009.

While Hillary claimed four of Trump’s companies went bankrupt, the actual number is six. So speaking factually, she is correct and actually underestimating. However, Trump is not solely to blame for the bankruptcies given many extenuating factors including a struggling casino industry.

While Hillary was technically correct, it implies more fault on Trump than may be justified.

Trump: ‘43 million Americans are on food stamps‘

Another point Trump made during his speech on July 21, 2016 at the Republican Convention was: “Our roads and bridges are falling apart, our airports are in third-world condition, and 43 million Americans are on food stamps.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps, is overseen by the US Department of Agriculture, which reported in May 2016 that 43.5 million people were in the program.

Trump’s numbers are correct. However, his message that life under the Obama administration is not supported by this statistic. Since 2013, the number of people on food stamps has been steadily declining after it peaked at 47.7 million in 2012.

All in all, Trump’s statement is correct.

Hillary: ‘When I was Secretary of State, I had a very high approval rating‘

Hillary has been dragged through the mud in this election, and her term as Secretary of State has not escaped unscathed. She has been accused of being one of the worst Secretary of States in the history of the country and even, as discussed earlier, responsible for a prominent terrorist group.

On May 22, 2016, Hillary appeared on Meet the Press and said: “So I have a track record. And I’m going to remind people of that. Because it’s not just rhetoric, for me. When I was Secretary of State, I had a very high approval rating, as you can go back and check. Because I was doing a job that people could see.”

According to Gallup, her approval rating was at 65 percent in 2009 when she became Secretary of State and stayed above 60 percent and peaked at 66 percent in 2011 and 2012. The Gallup poll ranges from 1993-2015 and the highest recorded percentage was 67 percent in 1999. Meaning that her approval ranking during her time as Secretary of State was some of her highest ratings since she’s been on the political scene.

This approval rating is even higher than some of the most popular presidents’ average approval rating, so what Hillary said was true.

Trump: ‘Pre-Hillary, ISIS was not even on the map‘

Terrorism and ISIS have become a vital issue in this election. In light of recent attacks, people are turning to the candidates for their positions and potential solutions. Trump has seen this as a way to shed negative light on Hillary. During his July 21, 2016 speech at the Republican National Convention, he said: “In 2009, pre-Hillary, ISIS was not even on the map. Libya was stable Egypt was peaceful. Iraq was seeing, really a big big reduction in violence. Iran was being choked by sanctions. Syria was somewhat under control. After four years of Hillary Clinton, what do we have? ISIS has spread across the region, and the entire world.”

The name ISIS is fairly new, but the leaders and ideas are from well before Hillary’s term as Secretary of State. According to the National Counterterrorism Center, the origins of ISIS can be traced back to 2004 (Hillary took office five years after in 2009) when Sunni extremist Abu Mas’ab al-Zarqawi started al-Qaida in Iraq. After his death, the group became the Islamic State of Iraq. They were able to establish a stronghold in the country after Obama ordered the removal of 10,000 troops from Iraq in 2011.

Trump has also pointed out that Hillary supported the regime change in Libya in 2011 that has also contributed to ISIS’ stronghold in the Middle East. While Trump is correct that she supported both of Obama’s decisions, saying that ISIS originated under her term in office is incorrect. They existed several years before, but were not called ISIS.

Trump’s claim has some truth to it, but in essence is false.

Hillary: ‘Donald Trump is being used to essentially be a recruiter for more people to join the cause of terrorism‘

Donald Trump has not made it any secret that he wants to restrict Muslims immigrating to the United States. Hillary has combatted this extreme approach and on May 19, 2016 on CNN, she said: “When you say we’re going to bar all Muslims, you are sending a message to the Muslim world and you’re also sending a message to the terrorists because we now do have evidence. We have seen how Donald Trump is being used to essentially be a recruiter for more people to join the cause of terrorism.”

According to SITE Intelligence Group, Al Shabaab, an East African affiliate of al-Qaida, released a video months before Hillary made this comment on CNN. The video is targeted to Muslims and tells them that countries like the United States do not want them. The video includes a clip of Trump discussing a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the US.”

In addition, Newsweek reported on March 24 that ISIS released a video that included an audio clip of Trump.

It appears that terrorist groups are indeed using Trump in their videos, and what Hillary said was correct.

The proportions of truths and falsehoods were chosen based on the proportions of all the comments on PolitiFact. These are Trump’s scores:

And Hillary’s: