Fact check: Trump brags to troops about 10 percent pay raise he didn't actually give them

[Moeman]

Fact check: Trump brags to troops about 10 percent pay raise he didn't actually give them

President Donald Trump told American troops in Iraq that he had given them a 10 percent raise, and that it was their first pay hike in a decade — but he didn't, and it wasn't.

"You just got one of the biggest pay raises you've ever received," Trump said in remarks at al-Asad Airbase during his surprise trip to Iraq on Wednesday, drawing cheers from the troops. "You haven’t gotten one in more than 10 years — more than 10 years. And we got you a big one. I got you a big one."

Troops will receive a 2.6 percent — not 10 percent — pay hike for 2019; they got a 2.4 percent pay hike in 2018.

What's more, American troops have received a pay hike every year for decades. 2019's raise is the largest in nine years.

Military pay raises are tied to increases in private-sector wages, as calculated by the Department of Labor. Congress can also enact raises that exceed that rate, as well.

Trump insisted that he personally had fought for this raise, because the troops put their lives on the line.

"They said: 'You know, we could make it smaller. We could make it 3 percent. We could make it 2 percent. We could make it 4 percent.' I said: 'No. Make it 10 percent. Make it more than 10 percent,'" Trump told the troops. "Because it's been a long time. It's been more than 10 years. That's a long time. And, you know, you really put yourselves out there, and you put your lives out there. So congratulations."

The remarks came during the president's first trip to troops stationed in a combat zone, days after he announced he'd withdraw the U.S. from foreign wars in Syria and Afghanistan.

"No force in history has done more for the cause of justice and peace," Trump told the service members. "We are always going to protect you. And you just saw that because you just got one of the biggest pay raises you've ever received."

Basic pay for active duty soldiers can range from $19,659 for a new private to $38,059 for a staff sergeant with six years experience, according to Army recruiting materials.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., spoke out against the president's remark on Thursday.

"We should never get used to the president not being straightforward and not telling the truth," he said on MSNBC. "The pay raise statements were not factually accurate. The president should know better than that. We should never sort of get used to this president with his looseness on the facts."

[crockett]

[Moshe]

38 minutes ago, Moeman said:

Fact check: Trump brags to troops about 10 percent pay raise he didn't actually give them

President Donald Trump told American troops in Iraq that he had given them a 10 percent raise, and that it was their first pay hike in a decade — but he didn't, and it wasn't.

"You just got one of the biggest pay raises you've ever received," Trump said in remarks at al-Asad Airbase during his surprise trip to Iraq on Wednesday, drawing cheers from the troops. "You haven’t gotten one in more than 10 years — more than 10 years. And we got you a big one. I got you a big one."

Troops will receive a 2.6 percent — not 10 percent — pay hike for 2019; they got a 2.4 percent pay hike in 2018.

What's more, American troops have received a pay hike every year for decades. 2019's raise is the largest in nine years.

Military pay raises are tied to increases in private-sector wages, as calculated by the Department of Labor. Congress can also enact raises that exceed that rate, as well.

Trump insisted that he personally had fought for this raise, because the troops put their lives on the line.

"They said: 'You know, we could make it smaller. We could make it 3 percent. We could make it 2 percent. We could make it 4 percent.' I said: 'No. Make it 10 percent. Make it more than 10 percent,'" Trump told the troops. "Because it's been a long time. It's been more than 10 years. That's a long time. And, you know, you really put yourselves out there, and you put your lives out there. So congratulations."

The remarks came during the president's first trip to troops stationed in a combat zone, days after he announced he'd withdraw the U.S. from foreign wars in Syria and Afghanistan.

"No force in history has done more for the cause of justice and peace," Trump told the service members. "We are always going to protect you. And you just saw that because you just got one of the biggest pay raises you've ever received."

Basic pay for active duty soldiers can range from $19,659 for a new private to $38,059 for a staff sergeant with six years experience, according to Army recruiting materials.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., spoke out against the president's remark on Thursday.

"We should never get used to the president not being straightforward and not telling the truth," he said on MSNBC. "The pay raise statements were not factually accurate. The president should know better than that. We should never sort of get used to this president with his looseness on the facts."

The Department of Labor is supposed to do that by law for all Government Employees.  Saldana and Obama did the reverse, violating Labor Law that have been in place since the 1940's.  But, what a President says, and what a President does is two different things.  I learned that intimately under Obama.  The last Bush Administration took care of all their people, equally.  He may have been goofy in public, but he had the acumen to surround himself with people who knew what they were doing.  That led to success.  Something that Trump claims is success is often a failure, but a success in his own imagination, a party of one.  He often goes in public long before being in office issuing checks his butt couldn't cash.  This is nothing new for Trump.  He loves being grandiose until he gets hit with a cold bucket of water.  Declaring 10 percent and getting two something is that cold water.  His mouth is his worst enemy.  He speaks before he thinks.  He promises more than he can deliver.  This was his life in the private sector, as many investors found out the hard way. Nothing is different than any politician, he is just a showman, leading those who want to be led down the prim rose path in that direction.

Edited January 3, 2019 by Moshe

[Moshe]

18 minutes ago, crockett said:

That is pretty much what has going on, and those who want to be misdirected think it is soft serve.  They don't care who is delivering it.  As long as it coming out of the guy they decided to like.

[Dric902]

Why do you hate America??

 

.

[Moeman]

42 minutes ago, Dric902 said:

Why do you hate America??

 

.

Far from that... don’t accuse me of false stuff... the truth only hurts if it should, and your statement has no truth. 

[Eric]

Guys, I am getting tired of this. There are a handful of you here who really seem to enjoy duking it out over politics and there doesn’t seem to be much consideration given to the disruption this is causing, or the hard feelings it is fueling. I am going to ask one more time that y’all keep political discussions civil and that the topics posted not be designed to provoke others. 

We have a political forum here on TBS. The next step will be to limit discussions like this to that forum. It’s up to all of you.