Fox News’ Shep Smith fact-checks Trump address

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith fact-checked President Trump’s prime-time address on border security shortly after it ended on Tuesday night.

Smith pushed back on some of the president’s claims following his 10-minute speech, including statistics about violent crime and murder rates committed by undocumented immigrants.

“Government statistics show that there is less violent crime by the undocumented immigrant population than by the general population,” Smith said.

{mosads}The Fox News host also touched on the president’s repeated warnings about illegal drugs being brought into the country.

“But government statistics show much of the heroin actually comes not over the unguarded border but through ports of call,” Smith said.

The president said that the border wall would be paid for “indirectly” through a new trade deal with Mexico, but Smith also pointed out that the deal is “not yet complete.”

Trump said during his address that law enforcement officials have request $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, but it was the president who made that demand, Smith pointed out.

“It’s he who requested it and he who said he would own the shutdown,” Smith said of Trump. “Nevertheless he’s making the case to keep his base together on this matter.”

Trump’s speech reiterated several of his talking points on the border wall since the partial government shutdown was triggered on Dec. 22 over its funding.

“This is a humanitarian crisis — a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul,” Trump said.

The president’s address was met by a response from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)  who accused of him of trying to “stoke fear.”

“Sadly, much of what we have heard from President Trump throughout this senseless shutdown has been full of misinformation and even malice,” Pelosi said. “The president has chosen fear. We want to start with the facts.”