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Fact-checking Donald Trump in Phoenix

Posted at 9:54 PM, Jun 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-19 10:30:33-04

Donald Trump touched on multiple points during his Phoenix rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum Saturday. 

The Republican presidential candidate said he would "terminate" the Affordable Care Act and that Arizona was the "poster child" for Department of Veterans Affairs issues. We truth-checked a few of his claims:

Highest taxed nation

Trump, while talking tax cuts and America's unemployment rate, claimed "we're the highest taxed nation in the world." 

PolitiFact truth-checked this claim when Trump said the same thing during a network interview last month. 

While the U.S. does have one of the highest corporate tax rates, Americans pay far less in taxes compared to other countries. 

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the average American pays more than $14,000 in taxes.

However, people in countries such as Denmark and Norway pay upwards of $30,000 in taxes. 

PolitiFact rated Trump's tax claim as False. 

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China

Trump also repeated a familiar talking point at the rally, claiming the U.S. has "rebuilt China." 

He mentioned this in a March New York Times interview, but what PolitiFact found isn't so simple.

While the U.S. and China are each other's largest trading partners, the U.S. is not the only country that has sought Chinese-made goods. China has also financed some of the American government's debt. But, economists say it's hard to tell who has rebuilt who. 

PolitiFact rated Trump's claim as Half True.

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Unemployment rate 

While railing on the economy, Trump said the unemployment rate is probably "20 percent or more."

Trump made a similar claim when formally announcing his presidential run last June, noting that the "real" unemployment rate is anywhere from "18 to 20 percent."

That wasn't the case then - and it isn't now. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the underemployed rate, which takes into account part-time workers and those who aren't actively looking for work, is 9.7 percent through May 2016.

That's still less than 20 percent - and, as far as the regular unemployment rate is concerned, it's just 4.7 percent through May of this year. 

PolitiFact rated Trump's claim as False. 

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To watch Trump's full speech from Phoenix, click here.