Fact Check: Trump flipped 89 counties, surpassing Biden's 80 in 2020.

Fact Check: "Trump flipped 89 counties, surpassing Biden's 80 in 2020."

What We Know

The claim that "Trump flipped 89 counties, surpassing Biden's 80 in 2020" suggests that Donald Trump had a greater number of counties that shifted from Democratic to Republican compared to Joe Biden's flips from Republican to Democratic. However, analysis of the 2020 election results indicates a different narrative.

In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won a total of 509 counties, which represented a significant portion of the U.S. economy, accounting for 71% of America's economic activity (Brookings). In contrast, Trump won 2,547 counties, which only contributed to 29% of the economy. This stark contrast highlights that while Trump may have flipped a notable number of counties, the economic significance of the counties Biden won was much greater.

Biden's flips included several economically significant counties, such as Maricopa County in Arizona and Tarrant County in Texas, which were among the highest-output counties in the nation (Brookings). The claim about Trump flipping 89 counties lacks specific context regarding the economic weight or electoral significance of these counties.

Analysis

The assertion that Trump flipped more counties than Biden is misleading without additional context. While it is true that Trump flipped a number of counties, the overall impact of Biden's flips was more substantial in terms of economic output and electoral votes. The claim does not specify the criteria for "flipping" counties, which can vary based on the definition of what constitutes a flip (e.g., winning a county that previously voted for the opposing party).

Furthermore, the sources that discuss the county flips do not provide a comprehensive list or verification of the exact number of counties flipped by each candidate. The Wikipedia entry on the 2020 United States presidential election mentions the overall results but does not specifically validate the claim regarding the number of counties flipped (Wikipedia).

The New York Times and BBC reports focus more on the overall election results and the significance of Biden's victories in key states rather than on the specific number of counties flipped (NYT, BBC). This lack of corroboration from multiple reliable sources raises questions about the accuracy of the claim.

Conclusion

Verdict: False. The claim that "Trump flipped 89 counties, surpassing Biden's 80 in 2020" is misleading and lacks context. While Trump may have flipped a notable number of counties, Biden's flips included economically significant areas that contributed to a larger share of the national economy. The claim does not accurately reflect the overall dynamics of the election or the importance of the counties involved.