Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump said 'I alone can fix it'

Hillary Clinton said during her Democratic convention speech that voters shouldn’t trust Donald Trump because of his go-it-alone mentality.

"And most of all, don't believe anyone who says: ‘I alone can fix it.,’" Clinton said on the last night of the convention in Philadelphia. "Those were actually Donald Trump's words in Cleveland."

Clinton then reeled off a list of folks she said Trump was forgetting, including soldiers, police officers, firefighters, doctors and nurses, teachers, entrepreneurs and mothers who lost children to violence.

"He's forgetting every last one of us," she said. "Americans don't say: "I alone can fix it."

We wondered if that’s what Trump really said. We did not hear back from the Trump campaign.

Trump’s RNC speech

We found the comment in Trump’s speech at the Republican convention right after he rattled off a list of criticisms of Clinton, including one about her practice keeping State Department emails on her private server. He then pivoted to explain why he should be president:

"I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves. I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it. I have seen firsthand how the system is rigged against our citizens, just like it was rigged against Bernie Sanders – he never had a chance.

"But his supporters will join our movement, because we will fix his biggest issue: trade deals that strip our country of its jobs and wealth. Millions of Democrats will join our movement, because we are going to fix the system so it works fairly, and justly, for each and every American."

So Clinton did accurately quote Trump -- he did say "I alone can fix it."

But he did say more than that.

Clinton mentioned several types of Americans who work to "fix it together" such as police officers, implying that Trump ignored the crucial role they play in fixing our country’s problems. But Trump did mention that he would work with law enforcement:

Featured Fact-check

Facebook posts

stated on December 4, 2024 in a Facebook post

"The city of… is being warned to be alert & vigilant as there is a serial killer on the run,” Robert Thibodeau.

"I will work with, and appoint, the best and brightest prosecutors and law enforcement officials to get the job done."

On foreign policy, Trump talked about working with allies:

"We must work with all of our allies who share our goal of destroying ISIS and stamping out Islamic terror. This includes working with our greatest ally in the region, the State of Israel."

Our ruling

Clinton said Trump said at the Republican convention "I alone can fix it."

Trump did say those words when explaining why he thinks he is the best candidate for president. However, Clinton omitted that in other portions of his speech he showed a willingness to work with partners including prosecutors, law enforcement and foreign allies.

We rate this claim Mostly True.