CLAIM: President Donald Trump said during the final presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday night that “everyone is leaving New York.”
VERDICT: Mostly true.
Trump was talking about the businesses that have suffered during the coronavirus pandemic in New York and how residents are fleeing the state.
“These are businesses that are dying, Joe. You can’t do that to people. Take a look at what’s happened to New York and my wonderful city for so many years. It was vibrant. It’s dying; everyone’s leaving New York,” Trump said.
Trump’s statement is not that far off from the truth, at least for New York City. WABC reported that people are leaving New York City in record numbers to the point where moving companies are turning people away.
In March alone, there was a 256 percent increase in the number of people moving away from the city compared to the same month last year, according to WABC.
Trump said later in the debate that the country has to “open up” while protecting those vulnerable to the virus to keep the economy from collapsing.
“We can’t let that happen, Joe. You can’t let that happen, and we have to open up,” Trump said, adding that as a country, we have to “protect our seniors” who are more vulnerable to the virus.