Examining Trump's claims about Helene, immigration and the economy at his Butler rally

This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact.

Former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the first assassination attempt against him, to rally his supporters just a month before Election Day.

“Exactly 12 weeks ago this evening, a cold-blooded assassin on this site sought to silence me and the greatest movement, MAGA, in the history of our country, MAGA,” Trump said on Oct. 5, referring to his catchphrase “Make America Great Again.” “For 16 harrowing seconds, time stood still during the gunfire as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his nearby sniper perch. But by the hand of providence and the grace of God, this villain could not achieve his goal.”

REGARD: Trump returns to Pennsylvania rally shooting range to campaign with Elon Musk

At the beginning of his speech, Trump spoke about Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was in the crowd on July 13 and killed by Thomas Matthew Crooks. One of Crooks' bullets grazed Trump's ear.

A Secret Service countergunner killed Crooks.

Trump described Comperatore as a “people's hero” and called for a moment of silence at 6:11 p.m., the exact moment the shooting began on July 13. After the break, bells rang and a singer near the stage sang “Ave Maria.”

Trump's speech included claims about the Biden-Harris administration's response to Hurricane Helene, illegal immigration and the economy.

We fact-checked it.

Trump: “I love this chart. I love this graphic. Isn't that a beautiful thing? But it's also nice, because look at the number, that's the day I left office. It was the lowest border protection, the lowest ever. Illegal immigration.

Trump said that if he hadn't turned his head to look at the map on July 13, the bullet would have gone through his head in the assassination attempt. PolitiFact fact-checked the contents of the chart.

Trump added misleading labels to a graphic originally posted by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

Security personnel inspect the grounds after shots were fired during a Trump campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. File photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Trump noted that the number of encounters with migrants was low in April 2020 and claimed that he left office at that time. But Trump's presidency ended in January 2021.

This period in April 2020 also marked the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as lockdowns and travel restrictions contributed to a decline in migration.

The graphic also alluded to Trump's “Pants on Fire” claim that millions of immigrants entered the U.S. illegally from prisons, jails or mental institutions during the Biden administration. Immigration experts told PolitiFact there is no evidence that large numbers of people are coming to the U.S. from prisons or mental institutions

“They offer them $750 for people whose homes were washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of.”

We rated one version of this claim False. Vice President Kamala Harris has not said that people affected by Hurricane Helene will only receive $750 from the federal government.

The $750 is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Serious Needs Assistance program, which covers immediate needs after a disaster, including “food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medications and other emergency supplies.” Through this program, the White House said, FEMA disbursed more than $1 million in one day to more than 1,400 households in North Carolina.

READ MORE: Disinformation and conspiracy theories are clouding Helene's recovery efforts in the hardest hit areas

On Oct. 4, FEMA said the Biden administration had provided more than $45 million in “flexible advance funding” to Hurricane Helene survivors. The agency said it has provided more than 11.5 million meals, 3.32 million gallons of water, 150 generators and 400,000 tarps to the affected region.

On Oct. 2 in Augusta, Georgia, Harris said FEMA was also providing funds for home repairs and hotel costs.

Hours before Helene landed near Perry, Florida, on September 26, Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced a new $8 billion security aid package for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Congress had already approved the funds for Ukraine.

“If you look at the crime, look at the crime, look at the people coming in. Murderers, 13,099 murderers, have been let in in the last short period of time.”

INCORRECT. Trump is referring to a figure from a Sept. 25 letter from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that 13,099 immigrants convicted of murder are not in immigration detention. But this data goes back 40 years; It does not indicate that these 13,099 people entered the United States during the Biden-Harris administration.

Noncitizens convicted of crimes may not be placed in immigration detention for several reasons. For one thing, they may be in police custody and serving a prison sentence.

A Supreme Court ruling in 2001 also said that people cannot be detained indefinitely. This means that people from countries that do not accept deportation flights must be released into the USA

We had “the greatest economy we’ve ever had.”

INCORRECT. The unemployment rate fell to early 1950s levels during the Trump administration. But gross domestic product growth during the Trump administration was well below that of previous administrations. Other metrics such as wages and business investment also do not support Trump's claim.

Harris “was appointed border czar…she was in charge of the border.”

Mostly wrong. This is a repeated mischaracterization of Harris' role. Biden tasked Harris with working with officials from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to address migration issues. But managing the border – meaning controlling who and how many people enter the US – is the responsibility of the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Biden urged Harris to focus on the root causes of migration, including countries' economic woes, violence, corruption and food insecurity.

Harris “cost $29,000 per family through inflation and price increases.”

We rated a similar Trump claim citing $28,000 as mostly false. Harris voted decisively on the motion to hold a final Senate vote on the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, legislation aimed at providing relief from the coronavirus pandemic. Economists believe the law contributed to the rise in inflation, but say supply chain bottlenecks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 were the bigger drivers of the increase.

The $28,000 is likely an estimate of higher spending on things like food, shelter, transportation and energy. But wages also rose, offsetting most or, depending on the time period, all of the increased costs.

Harris “vowed to abolish ICE.”

INCORRECT.

In 2018, when she was a U.S. senator from California, Harris said that the operation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be reexamined and that “we probably even have to think about starting from scratch.” But she said not that there should be no immigration enforcement. In 2018, Harris also said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a role and should exist.

“We have more liquid gold, oil and gas under our feet than any other country in the world, including Saudi Arabia and Russia.”

INCORRECT.

The US Energy Information Administration reported that Venezuela ranked first in 2021 with 304 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, followed by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Canada, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Russia. The US ranked ninth internationally with 61 billion barrels.

Government data shows the U.S. ranks higher internationally in coal reserves (No. 1) and natural gas (No. 4).

California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, “has banned all ID requirements when voting and registering to vote.”

Mostly wrong. California law already does not require the majority of voters to show ID when voting in person. Senate Bill 1174, which prohibits local governments from requiring voter ID at polling places, was drafted in response to a measure in Huntington Beach, California, that conflicted with state law.

READ MORE: Fact-checking Trump's false claims of voter fraud and “rigged” elections

People registering to vote in California must provide proof of identification. People whose details are not verified must present their ID when voting for the first time. All people registering to vote in California must sign a statement declaring that they are U.S. citizens under penalty of perjury.

“A young lady from Italy, very good boxer, very, very good. She was very excited, but she was playing a person who was transforming… a man who was transforming into a woman.”

Trump's claim that a boxer “moved on” to a woman is baseless.

Trump was referring to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The decision to allow Khelif to compete in the Olympics was controversial because a boxing organization had previously disqualified her because of a DNA test that allegedly showed she had XY chromosomes. This organization is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

READ MORE: What is the IBA? The governing body of Olympic boxing has ties to Russia and a checkered history

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said: “The Algerian boxer was born a woman, was registered as a woman, lived her life as a woman, boxed as a woman and has a female passport. “This is not a transgender case.”