Trump’s Own Newly-Launched America.Gov Website Debunks Many of His Favorite False Claims — Including That He Won the 2020 Election

Screenshot

President Donald Trump launched America.gov to great fanfare on Tuesday. But the AI-powered portal which has been sold as effectively a one-stop shop for the federal government is delivering some inconvenient truths about the president.

“We are launching today something that is really not just something simply a website,” Trump said Tuesday, as he announced the site’s rollout. “It’s a restoration of America’s promise and a reinvention for the 21st century and beyond.”

But progressive influencers on social media quickly spotted that the AI portal — which is billed as “a government information assistant from the General Services Administration” — contained lots of official information which runs counter to longtime Trump claims. Most notably, America.gov provides a clear answer to the question of who won the 2020 election.

The prompt “Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election” generated the following response:

“Yes. Official certified results show Joseph R. Biden won the 2020 presidential election.

Electoral College: Biden 306, Trump 232 (270 needed to win)”

Screenshot

Numerous other Trump claims were also debunked by America.gov. On Monday, the president — during an Oval Office event — said, “We have the best economy we’ve ever had.”

America.gov says otherwise.

“No official U.S. statistical agency ranks the current economy as the best it has ever been,” the site said. It noted that “best ever” economy is not an official government stat, but also added, “Unemployment has been lower in other periods (for example about 3.5% in 2022). GDP growth has also been faster in many past quarters.”

Screenshot

Then there’s Trump’s frequent boast that the U.S. has secured upwards of $21 trillion in foreign investment during his second term.

“No official source I found confirms $21 trillion in foreign investment during President Trump’s second term,” America.gov said — noting that the White House’s own figures sit roughly at $11 trillion, and adds, “those figures mix U.S. company plans, foreign government pledges, and announced (not necessarily completed) deals, often over several years.”

Screenshot

Also on Monday, Trump repeated his claim that “prices for groceries have come way down from Biden.”

“No,” America.gov said bluntly. “Official BLS data do not show grocery prices ‘way down’ in President Trump’s second term versus President Biden’s term.”

Screenshot

And then there’s Trump’s boasts about employment.

“More Americans are working today by far than ever before,” Trump told the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 22.

America.gov’s verdict?

“No,” the portal said. “Latest official data do not show that more Americans are working ‘by far’ than ever before.” It added, “Raw job counts often rise over decades as the population grows. That is not the same as a record share of people working, and the latest year-over-year household employment figure is down, not ‘by far’ a record.”

Screenshot

It remains to be seen whether America.gov will ultimately help citizens secure employment by cutting some red tape. But the early returns suggest it might put at least one man out of work: CNN fact-checking guru Daniel Dale.

——

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!