Who paid, what they said, who bought it, what passed, and what’s true.
FalseR
Private Prisons
“They’re rapists” · Donald Trump
1The MoneyDocumented
$1M
A company owned by GEO Group, a private prison firm, gave Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., $1 million in 2024. FEC
2The LineStated
“They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
Trump launching his first campaign, June 16, 2015. Transcript
3The Buy-inReported
66%
Of Americans backed deporting immigrants here illegally in Jan 2025. Support drops when the poll names the methods. Ipsos
4The BillReported
$45B
For ICE detention in the 2025 tax and spending law, which passed the House 218 to 214. GEO then won ICE contracts for about 6,000 more beds. CBSVoteSEC
5The Facts
2×
In Texas, U.S.-born citizens were over twice as likely as undocumented immigrants to be arrested for violent crimes. PNAS
FalseR
Wind Power
“The noise causes cancer” · Donald Trump
1The MoneyReported
$12.5M
Kelcy Warren, who runs the pipeline company Energy Transfer, gave Trump’s super PAC $12.5 million in early 2025. NBC
2The LineStated
“And they say the noise causes cancer.”
Trump on wind turbines at a House Republican dinner, April 2, 2019. AP
3The Buy-inReported
83% to 68%
The share of Americans who want more wind power, 2020 to 2025. Among Republicans it fell from 75% to 48%. Pew
4The BillDocumented
Day One
On Jan 20, 2025, an order closed all federal waters to new offshore wind leases. The 2025 law then cut oil and gas royalties from 16.67% to 12.5%. OrderInterior
5The Facts
No Evidence
The American Cancer Society knows of no credible evidence linking the noise from wind turbines to cancer. AP
MisleadingR
Guns
“Mental illness pulls the trigger” · Donald Trump
1The MoneyDocumented
$30M+
The NRA spent over $30 million in 2016 to elect Trump: $10.6 million for him and $21.6 million against Hillary Clinton. Our math. FEC
2The LineStated
“Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun.”
Trump after the El Paso and Dayton shootings, Aug 5, 2019. Record
3The Buy-inReported
73%
Of Americans blamed the mental health system for mass shootings that same week. Fewer, 67%, blamed loose gun laws. Ipsos
4The BillDocumented
235 to 180
Two years before that line, in Feb 2017, the House voted to kill a rule that would have added about 75,000 people a year to gun background checks. Trump signed it. VoteLaw
5The Facts
Under 4%
If mental illness disappeared, violence toward others would fall by less than 4%, a 2015 research review found. Study
MisleadingDR
The Bank Rollback
“Not a giveaway to Wall Street” · Heidi Heitkamp
1The MoneyReported
$364K
Commercial banks gave Sen. Heidi Heitkamp $364,000 in the 2018 cycle, more than they gave any other senator. OpenSecrets
2The LineStated
“This is not a giveaway to Wall Street.”
Heitkamp on the Senate floor, March 13, 2018, about the bank bill S. 2155. Record
3The Buy-inReported
4 to 1
Americans wanted the House to pass the bill by 4 to 1, in a poll the banking industry paid for. ABA
4The BillDocumented
258 to 159
The House passed it May 22, 2018. It freed banks with $50 billion to $250 billion in assets, like Silicon Valley Bank, from the Fed’s strictest oversight. VoteFed
5The Facts
SVB Failed
Silicon Valley Bank collapsed on March 10, 2023. The Fed’s own review says the 2018 law’s lighter rules “impeded effective supervision.” Fed
FalseR
The 2017 Tax Cut
“It will pay for itself” · Steven Mnuchin
1The MoneyStated
“Get it done or don’t ever call me again.”
Rep. Chris Collins on what his donors were telling him as the bill moved, Nov 7, 2017. Mother Jones
2The LineStated
“Not only will this tax bill pay for itself, but it will pay down debt.”
Of Americans approved of the law by Feb 2018, up from 37% in December. NYT poll
4The BillDocumented
224 to 201
The House passed it Dec 20, 2017. Las Vegas Sands booked a $670M tax benefit, and its owner, Sheldon Adelson, then gave the House GOP’s super PAC $30M. VoteCNBC
5The Facts
$1.9T
Congress’s budget office found the law adds nearly $1.9 trillion to deficits from 2018 to 2028, even counting the growth it brings. FactCheckCBO
Know a line that was sold to you?
How It Works
The Machine Behind the Lines
Big donors fund the groups that write the talking points and hand lawmakers bills ready to pass.
1The FundReported
$284M
Given out by DonorsTrust in 2024. Its tax return names no donors; eight unnamed people put in $162 million. 990NOTUS
2The Think TankReported
2 in 3
Nearly two thirds of Trump’s first executive actions in 2025 matched the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, fully or in part. TIME
3The Model BillReported
600+
Bills copied from the group ALEC’s model bills became state law from 2010 to 2018, out of nearly 2,900 filed. Public Integrity
4The LawmakerReported
4 Hours
A day on fundraising calls, in the schedule a party committee gave its new House members in 2013. HuffPost
Outside Money
$4.3Bin 2024
Spent on federal races by groups outside the campaigns and parties, 13 times the 2008 total. FEC, our math
Megadonors
75%from the top
Of the money in 2024’s presidential super PACs came from donors who gave $5 million or more. Brennan Center
Lobbying
$220back per $1
What companies saved for each dollar they spent lobbying for one 2004 tax break. Study
Media Literacy
The Political Economy
Campaign ad money pays local TV stations, and one owner can put the same script on hundreds of newscasts.
1The Ad BuyReported
$11.1B
Spent on political ads in the 2024 cycle, a record. Half of it landed in the last eight weeks. AdImpactTV Tech
2The StationDocumented
25%
Of Sinclair’s 2024 ad sales were political ads: $405 million of $1.61 billion. Our math, from its own report. SEC
3The OwnerDocumented
185
Stations run by Sinclair, in 86 markets. In 2018 its anchors all read one script warning of “one-sided news stories.” SECAP
4The ViewerReported
33%
Of Americans trust the news a great deal or a fair amount, Sept 2026. It was 28% in 2025, a record low. Gallup