GOP Rep. Lisa McClain, of Michigan, falsely claimed during a Saturday campaign rally that former President Donald Trump “caught” former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. who was killed during the Obama administration.
“While President Trump was in office, we didn’t have a war and I think he made three peace treaties, Caught Osama bin Laden and Soleimani, al-Baghdadi,” McClain told the crowd of Trump supporters during a rally in Washington Township, Michigan. “And this president is weak. And I’ll tell you weakness breeds aggression. We need strength,” she added, drawing loud cheers and applause from the crowd.
However, the 2011 raid that killed bin Laden, however, was conducted during President Barack Obama’s first term in office. Joe Biden was serving as vice president at the time. Trump was hosting “The Apprentice” – a reality/game show on NBC.
Obama ordered the special SEAL Team Six operation that killed bin Laden at his compound in Abbottabad.
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“For over two decades, bin Laden has been Al-Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat Al-Qaeda,” Obama said, announcing the killing in an official address at the time.
During her speech, McClain also claimed that unemployment is at a “40-year high” and that there is “a labor shortage.”
But the current unemployment rate is 3.8%, down from a record of 14.7% during the height of the pandemic and lower than it has been for most of the last 20 years.
Watch McClain’s remarks below:
Fact Check: At the Trump rally in Michigan, Republican House Representative Lisa McClain falsely claimed Osama bin Laden was caught by Trump.
No, Lisa, Osama bin Laden was caught in 2011 under the Obama administration. pic.twitter.com/5LSc9ozfms
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 2, 2022
