Fact-checking President Trump after day One

Compiled by Hans Ngala

Trump’s return to the White House has begun generating some controversy already pretty much like during his first term.
The no-nonsense Trump often says things he believes to be true but these do not often hold up.
Our fact checking desk goes through some of Trump’s claims to see which ones just are not true or accurate.

• Claiming that the US is the only country that grants citizenship by birthright
  While signing the executive order ending birthright citizenship, Trump claimed the US was the only country in the world that grants citizenship by birthright. This claim is FALSE because the US’ next-door neighbor Canada also offers birthright citizenship regardless of the status of the parents in the country. Argentina, Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil are other countries in the Americas who offer citizenship by birthright. In Africa, South Africa grants birthright citizenship to individuals born in the country before October 6, 1995, if one parent is a South African citizen or permanent resident at the time of the child’s birth. Tunisia and Nigeria also have similar legislation. In fact, 35 countries and territories offer birthright citizenship, so Trump is wrong (see https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-birthright-citizenship)
• Claiming that 38,000 Americans died building the Panama Canal and that China runs the Canal
  This claim by President Trump is also FALSE. According to ‘The Guardian’ (UK), “The official death toll for the American construction effort behind the Panama Canal stands at about 5,600 people. Although the true number may be higher, the majority of deaths would have come from workers from Caribbean islands such as Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica (not the United States)
  The administrator of the Panama Canal has also denied Trump’s claim that China was controlling the canal’s operations. He has said that Chinese companies operating in the ports were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997, and US and Taiwanese companies are operating other ports along the canal as well”.
• Saying that the ‘S’ in BRICS, stands for ‘Spain’
  While signing the executive orders, Trump said: “Spain is very low (in defense spending). Are they a BRICS nation? They are a BRICS nation – Spain…” Trump said as he was responding to questions from a reporter.
  This claim is also FALSE.
  Spain is NOT a member country of BRICS. The ‘S’ at the end of the acronym stands for South Africa which joined the organization in December 2010, about a year after the organization was formed in June 2009.