Trump’s assertion that 10,000 of 300,000 ‘missing’ children have been found

This is an example of how government initiatives can begin with falsehoods.

During Donald Trump’s first term, he implemented a “zero tolerance” policy at the border that resulted in children being separated from their families. The policy was widely condemned before Trump reversed course. President Joe Biden, calling it “a moral failure,” made it a major issue in the 2020 presidential campaign. After Biden took office, he formed a task force to identify about 5,000 children who had been separated from their families.

Running for president again in 2024, Trump turned the tables on Biden. He first accused the Biden administration of losing 88,000...