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How Buy Nothing takes giving and receiving to a different, more neighborly level

Online buy nothing groups grow more popular by the day. members say the gift-economy has brought them closer than ever before..

• Kenny Cooper

Jessica Pointer (L) accepts a gift, a plant stand, from Lisa Ivery (R) on a sunny, fall morning. (Kenny Cooper/WHYY)

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Meanwhile, in Ambler and a host of other places …

Buy Nothing groups are active in Upper Dublin in Montgomery County, Doylestown in Bucks County, Malvern in Chester County, and in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, among places in this region.

Colleen Johnson, of Buy Nothing Ambler/Blue Bell/Lower Gwynedd, stepped into the admin role as that community grew. With more than 1,000 members, it may sprout a second group to maintain a hyperlocal feel.

However, it is also becoming aware how reinforcing boundaries could segregate people along class lines.

“So it would be like West Ambler and East Ambler or something like that, but you also have to look at the socioeconomics of people,” Johnson said. “So Blue Bell tends to have more wealthier people in a sense, so that they might have bigger items to gift. There’s a lot of renters in Ambler. There’s a lot more established people in Blue Bell and Lower Gwynedd, so we have like a good mix of people.”

She’s noticed that the demographics of the gift economy skew more toward women, yet Johnson said that hasn’t stopped her husband from participating and bringing home more stuff than they can handle on occasion — though they always make it work.

Part of the benefit of being an admin is being able to see the inner workings of other groups. That’s where Johnson saw her favorite thing gifted.

“Someone’s relative was going into hospice, and he wanted peanut butter Girl Scout cookies. And it wasn’t Girl Scout season time — but one of my members had them in the freezer,” Johnson said. “And so … I drove it to her, and she brought it to her relatives. So it was like a little train. But we were able to fulfill someone’s last request, and it didn’t cost anybody anything.”

Items can change hands quite frequently. Gina Carrozza, an administrator of Buy Nothing Pilgrim Gardens/Drexel Hill, said a “Happy Birthday” lawn sign became quite popular in her group.

“So much interest was on it, we started doing a sign-up sheet. So we had one post and everybody would sign up, and every day almost somebody else had this sign,” Carrozza said. “And [it] lasted about six months and I think went through 75 people.”

Melinda Levandowski, an admin of Buy Nothing Jenkintown/Wyncote, happens to be a professional organizer and declutterer by trade. She said we buy too much stuff and it stresses us out.

The value of Buy Nothing, she said, is that it provides an emotional exchange when we can find a home for things of sentimental value.

“You can actually match your stuff up with what you think it’s worth in that emotional value, like you can find a taker that values it and that you can pass it along to,” Levandowski said.

She’s big on the neighborly spirit, even online.

“I do send out reminders every once in a while, like, ‘Hey, everyone, here’s how you’re polite in comments.’ And, ‘Here’s how you talk to people on the internet.’ And, ‘Here’s how you gift, and here’s how you receive,’ but otherwise people are just generous, and people kind of get it,” Levandowski said.

Ally Sabatina, of Buy Nothing Broomall/Newtown Square, has flipped the script on the role of the admin. She and the other admins have began asking their members for recommendations about how the group can best function to help everyone in the community — not just those on Facebook.

“As our group has gotten much bigger and we have kind of polled our group members, we feel it’s important to support community resources just as much as we support the heart of our group,” Sabatina said.

Liana de Lara, an admin of Buy Nothing Conshohocken, has noticed that gifts and asks can reflect the holiday season, but she has also seen that they can reflect the hardships facing the community, such as losses from Hurricane Ida.

“It hit Conshohocken pretty bad. There’s been a lot of asks that have been going around … like ‘whole house got affected, so does anyone have extra dishes? I’m just starting at a new place,’” de Lara said.

And in the pandemic …

Things nearly ground to a halt in many groups as the coronavirus hit, but it brought out the best of Buy Nothing Lansdowne.

Mother and daughter Gillian and Caroline Lancaster came to the United States by way of England in 1988, though Gillian says, “I moved to Pennsylvania in 2004. And I’ve been living in Lansdowne, but hardly knew anyone because I was working and I was never here during the day.”

Caroline Lancaster has lived in the Philadelphia area since the 1990s, but she didn’t make her stop in Lansdowne until the pandemic. She was bored, and her mom needed help cleaning out the house. (Both women are self-employed graphic designers.)

Gillian Lancaster admitted that she has a bit of an obsession with Facebook, and that’s how she came across Buy Nothing Lansdowne.

“I mostly lurked to begin with, because I didn’t completely get the idea of just asking for something and people would just provide it. It seemed a little alien,” Gillian said. “And so the first thing I did was actually lent somebody a music score, because that felt safe. And I got such lovely, positive feedback from that I thought this actually probably would work. So when Caroline came, I told her about it.”

Because Caroline didn’t initially live in Lansdowne, she was only allowed to join on a probationary level. The duo soon started to give out crafts and goods. They really enjoyed seeing people give and receive items both big and small.

“It’s one of those things that might not make sense from the outside; once you’re in the cult, it suddenly makes sense,” Caroline said, laughing as she added, “It’s not a cult.”

They soon found a way in the pandemic to leverage the generosity of Buy Nothing to assist their neighbors.

“And then there was a food box program which we decided to help take part in, because we have a porch. And I had time and why not,” Caroline said.

A neighbor with a van, Deborah Van Dornick, and her son Jonathan Cairnes had connections to places giving out leftover food. They also made sure they weren’t taking food from other places in need. Soon, the Lancasters fashioned their porch into a makeshift food pantry, where people could drop off food or come and pick some up.

The Lancasters usually were not outside when people were picking up food, because they didn’t want anyone to be uncomfortable. Still, people in need of food would leave dish soap, because they felt like they should leave something.

“There should be no shame in needing food. Everyone needs food. And during the pandemic, a lot of people didn’t qualify, especially in the beginning didn’t qualify for any extra help. And there was a huge amount of need, because a lot of people around here are paycheck to paycheck,” Caroline Lancaster said.

That wasn’t Caroline’s only passion project using Buy Nothing resources. She turned unwanted Harry Potter books into origami, bookmarks, and key chains. She has sold them, but she doesn’t pocket the change. Instead, Caroline donates 100% of the proceeds to trans organizations that help change laws for the better.

Gillian Lancaster said that seeing acts of giving warms her heart, especially in the pandemic, when there has been so much death.

Caroline said giving should be thought of as an act of service to the community as opposed to the individual.

“​​And it’s so nice to reframe giving, instead of a reciprocal thing. Like, I’m giving you something to show you how I care about you. You’re my town. You know I love you. So, let’s take care of each other. Why not?”

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Essay Papers Writing Online

The benefits of participating in buy nothing day – how refraining from consumerism can lead to positive changes in society.

In this enlightening exploration, we delve into the unique merits one can experience when engaging in the remarkable initiative known as Buy Nothing Day. Discovering the incredible significance that lies behind this exceptional endeavor, we come to comprehend the multitude of benefits that await those who choose to embrace this extraordinary concept.

Why Participating in Buy Nothing Day is a Powerful Act

The decision to take part in Buy Nothing Day can have a profound impact on both personal values and the world as a whole. By choosing to abstain from consumerism on this designated day, individuals are making a conscious choice to challenge the status quo and question the dominant consumer culture. This act of resistance can bring about a myriad of positive effects, including promoting sustainable living, fostering community connections, and rebalancing the distribution of wealth.

• Promoting sustainable living: Participating in Buy Nothing Day encourages individuals to reevaluate their consumption habits and consider the environmental consequences of their actions. By choosing not to purchase new items, people can reduce their carbon footprint, decrease waste generation, and conserve resources. This eco-conscious decision contributes towards the preservation of our planet and the well-being of future generations.
• Fostering community connections: Buy Nothing Day provides an opportunity for communities to come together and engage in meaningful interactions. Instead of mindlessly shopping, individuals can participate in community events, swap items with neighbors, or donate to local charities. By prioritizing personal connections over material possessions, people can build stronger relationships and create a sense of belonging within their communities.
• Rebalancing the distribution of wealth: Consumer culture often perpetuates economic inequalities, as it prioritizes the accumulation of wealth and material possessions. By abstaining from buying on Buy Nothing Day, individuals can challenge this unequal distribution and highlight the importance of prioritizing human needs over endless consumption. This act serves as a powerful statement against the excessive accumulation of wealth by a few and promotes a more equitable society for all.

Overall, participating in Buy Nothing Day is more than a mere act of abstaining from shopping. It is a powerful act of resistance against consumer culture, an opportunity to promote sustainable living, foster community connections, and advocate for a fairer distribution of wealth. By making a conscious choice to challenge the norm, individuals can contribute to creating a more mindful, equitable, and environmentally conscious society.

Environmental Benefits

By participating in Buy Nothing Day, you can make a positive impact on the environment. Taking part in this event means refraining from purchasing unnecessary items, which reduces the demand for the production of goods and consequently minimizes the depletion of natural resources.

The concept of Buy Nothing Day highlights the importance of maintaining a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. By abstaining from unnecessary purchases, you can help reduce waste and decrease your personal carbon footprint. This practice encourages mindful consumption and promotes a more environmentally conscious society.

Additionally, participating in Buy Nothing Day can contribute to the fight against pollution. The production and distribution of goods often result in the release of harmful pollutants into the air, water, and soil. By actively choosing not to engage in excessive consumerism, you are actively contributing to the reduction of industrial pollution and supporting a cleaner and healthier environment.

Furthermore, taking part in Buy Nothing Day serves as a powerful statement against the continuous cycle of overconsumption and waste that plagues our planet. By consciously deciding to opt out of the rampant consumer culture, you are choosing to prioritize the preservation of our natural environment over material possessions, ultimately working towards a more sustainable future.

Overall, participating in Buy Nothing Day offers significant environmental benefits. It promotes mindful consumption, reduces waste, fights against pollution, and advocates for a more sustainable lifestyle. By making a small change in our shopping habits, we can collectively contribute to the preservation of our planet and ensure a healthier future for generations to come.

Economic Impact

The economic impact of participating in Buy Nothing Day can be significant. By abstaining from consumerism and refraining from making unnecessary purchases, individuals are able to save money, reduce personal debt, and support local businesses and communities.

By not engaging in excessive buying, individuals can redirect their funds towards more meaningful and essential expenses, such as healthcare, education, and savings. This shift in spending priorities can lead to improved financial stability and contribute to long-term economic well-being.

Additionally, refraining from purchasing non-essential items can help reduce personal debt. Many people accumulate debt by indulging in impulse buys and unnecessary purchases. By participating in Buy Nothing Day, individuals have the opportunity to evaluate their spending habits and make more conscious, responsible decisions about their financial health.

Furthermore, participating in Buy Nothing Day encourages individuals to support local businesses and communities. Rather than contributing to multinational corporations, individuals can choose to buy from local stores and artisans. This not only supports the local economy but also helps foster a sense of community and connection among residents.

In summary, participating in Buy Nothing Day can have a positive economic impact by promoting financial stability, reducing personal debt, and supporting local businesses and communities. By refraining from unnecessary purchases, individuals can redirect their funds towards more meaningful expenses, strengthen their financial well-being, and contribute to a thriving local economy.

Reflection and Mindfulness

In today’s fast-paced world, it is easy to get caught up in the chaos and lose sight of ourselves. We often find ourselves constantly chasing after material possessions and external validations. However, taking a step back and engaging in reflection and mindfulness can help bring back balance and perspective into our lives.

Reflection allows us to pause and evaluate our actions, thoughts, and emotions. It gives us an opportunity to understand ourselves better, identify our values and priorities, and make conscious choices. By reflecting on our consumption habits, we can gain insight into why we feel the need to constantly acquire new things and assess whether these possessions truly bring us happiness and fulfillment.

Mindfulness, on the other hand, involves being fully present in the moment and cultivating a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts and sensations. By practicing mindfulness, we can become more attuned to our inner desires and motivations. This heightened self-awareness can help us resist the temptations of impulsive buying and make more intentional and sustainable choices.

By participating in Buy Nothing Day, we can set aside a dedicated time to practice reflection and mindfulness. It serves as a reminder to slow down and question our consumption patterns. It encourages us to examine the deeper reasons behind our desire for material possessions and explore alternative ways to find meaning and contentment in our lives.

• Reflection allows us to gain self-awareness.
• Mindfulness helps us resist impulsive buying.
• Buy Nothing Day offers a dedicated time for reflection and mindfulness.
• Alternative ways to find meaning and contentment can be explored.

By engaging in reflection and mindfulness, we can break free from the cycle of excessive consumption and discover a more sustainable and fulfilling way of living. It allows us to shift our focus from external possessions to internal growth and well-being. So, take a moment to pause, reflect, and practice mindfulness – you may just find that the greatest treasures in life cannot be bought or owned.

Promotion of Minimalism

Embracing a lifestyle focused on minimalism and simplicity can have numerous advantages and positive impacts on individuals, their surroundings, and the environment. By promoting minimalism, individuals can discover the beauty of living with fewer material possessions and find fulfillment through experiences and relationships rather than constantly seeking material goods.

When individuals embrace minimalism, they prioritize quality over quantity. Instead of accumulating unnecessary items, they carefully consider their purchases and choose products that are durable and serve their needs effectively. This mindset encourages responsible consumer behavior and reduces waste, as it discourages the need for constant upgrades and replacements.

Furthermore, the promotion of minimalism can foster a greater appreciation for the environment. By reducing our consumption, we lessen the strain on natural resources and reduce the production of waste and pollution. Through minimalism, individuals can actively contribute to sustainability efforts and help protect the planet for future generations.

Minimalism also extends beyond material possessions. It encourages individuals to simplify their lives by decluttering not just their physical spaces, but also their schedules and commitments. By focusing on the essentials and eliminating unnecessary distractions, individuals can create more time and mental space for the things that truly matter to them.

In conclusion, the promotion of minimalism offers numerous benefits and positive impacts. It encourages responsible consumer behavior, reduces waste and pollution, fosters environmental awareness, and frees individuals from the constant pursuit of material possessions. By embracing minimalism, individuals can lead more fulfilling lives and contribute to a more sustainable and balanced world.

Social Awareness and Community Building

Engaging in activities that promote social consciousness and foster a sense of community is essential for building a more harmonious society. By actively participating in events that encourage social awareness, individuals gain a deeper understanding of the world around them and the issues that affect us all. Such events provide an opportunity for people to come together, share ideas, and inspire one another to create positive change.

One way to foster social awareness and community building is by participating in events like Buy Nothing Day. This initiative encourages individuals to take a step back from consumerism and reflect on the impact of their buying habits on both the environment and society. By refraining from unnecessary purchases, participants are able to redirect their focus towards more sustainable alternatives and meaningful connections with others.

During Buy Nothing Day, communities can organize events such as swap meets, where individuals can exchange items they no longer need or want with others. This not only reduces waste but also promotes a sense of unity and collaboration. Additionally, participating in organized discussions and workshops centered around topics such as conscious consuming, ethical production, and sustainable living can further expand individuals’ perspectives and empower them to make informed choices.

By actively participating in events that promote social awareness and community building, individuals have the power to foster positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. Through education, dialogue, and collective action, we can work towards creating a world where compassion and sustainability are at the forefront of our decision-making processes.

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Great Reading for Buy Nothing Day

At a juncture when many societies are consuming at record rates, Buy Nothing Day is a good entry point into a cultural movement based on re-thinking what it means to celebrate, to express love, to reward ourselves.

Buy Nothing Day was launched as an international day of protest against consumerism to coincide with “ Black Friday “, the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, which marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On Black Friday most major retailers open very early and offer promotional sales that can attract huge crowds of frenzied shoppers.

To celebrate and help you fill your free non-shopping time, should you care to participate, we delved into our archives and bring you some thought-provoking classic articles. Please dig in to the special front page feature and the “Related Articles” list here below.

Carol Smith

Carol is a journalist with a green heart who believes that presenting information in a positive and accessible manner is essential to activating more people to join the search for equitable and sustainable solutions to global problems. A native of Montreal, Canada, she joined the UNU communications team in 2008 while living in Tokyo and, after relocating to Vancouver, continued to telecommute to Our World as writer/editor through 2015.

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Buy Nothing Day

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Buy Nothing Day , day of protest in which participants pledge to buy nothing for 24 hours to raise awareness of the negative environmental, social, and political consequences of overconsumption. Conceived of in 1992 by Canadian artist Ted Dave, it is typically observed in North America on the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States , which is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Asia , Europe , South America , and Australia have also seen the appearance of Buy Nothing Day campaigns. The anticorporate political magazine Adbusters and its founder, Kalle Lasn, played a large role in organizing and promoting Buy Nothing Day.

The growing popularity of 'Buy Nothing'

As inflation soars and many people still struggle financially post-pandemic, a national movement in which goods and services are exchanged for free is growing. WMRA’s Jessie Knadler takes a look at the Buy Nothing movement taking hold in Lexington.

[sounds of The Free Market]

There is a store in Lexington that is unlike all others. You go in, you browse, you look through clothes, baby supplies, books, some furniture, you take what you need. You leave. What you don’t do here is pay any money for what you’re taking.

TONIA CLEMMER: Thanks y’all!

That’s right. Shopping at this store is free. As in, really free. As in, really REALLY free. In fact, that’s what it’s called. The Really Really Free Market . It’s kind of like a Goodwill or Salvation Army only with less merchandising props such as clothing racks and shelving. The floor is overflowing with donations. And shoppers.

CRYSTAL MULLER: When you’re struggling and you need hygiene products or any of that, you can come here and get it for free and that’s great. It helps a whole lot.

Crystal Muller was at the Free Market with her mother and two babies. They were there specifically for the Care Kits, a bimonthly program run through the Free Market where people can come in and pick up bags of personal hygiene and home essential items, and baby products. For free.

CLEMMER: It’s a program that’s used to lighten the load. So you can take that money that you would have spent on those things that are necessities and put it toward your light bill or your rent or any other thing you need.

Tonia Clemmer started the Care Kits program out of her guest bedroom before moving it to the Free Market. She understood firsthand the need for such a service.

CLEMMER: I’ve been a single mom for 19 years. I have a special needs son and it’s hard. Even before Covid things are tough. Right now, with prices rising so rapidly and the holidays approaching, I just felt like there’s a need.

She figured people dealing with food insecurity can go to the Food Bank. But there were no social services she knew of that addressed other necessities like shampoo. And she didn’t want her customers to feel bad or guilty for needing these things.

CLEMMER: We joke. We cut up. We have pretty gift bags. And you leave here like you were in a downtown shop.

NANCI OULD:  I’ve lived in this community my whole life, and I just want to say to our community, they are awesome. Because all Tonia has to put out is a need for something and there is somebody somewhere that if they can’t donate it, they’ll send in a monetary donation. It’s just amazing, this program.

Nanci Ould is a Care Kits volunteer. She was also Care Kits customer. She says being involved with the program, working with Tonia, giving back to the community, has literally changed her life.

OULD: I suffer from depression. And anxiety. And it has given me a reason not to crawl up in my bed and just go to sleep and pretend like the world is not here. It's given me a purpose.

Care Kits, the Really, Really Free Market—it’s all part of a growing national movement known as the Buy Nothing Project. Buy Nothing is a network of social media groups that encourages people to give and receive goods and services without any money changing hands. For a lot of people, it represents a mindset shift. The idea that you don’t always have to buy and sell things in a society already overflowing with stuff. Sometimes it just feels better to give it away.

Amenie Mitchell helped spearhead the movement in Rockbridge County. She’s a single mom, an environmentalist. She owned a popular restaurant in Lexington, and now she cares for her ailing father.

AMENIE MITCHELL: Yes, money is a resource and is a form of abundance, but it is by no means the only one and your skills, your experiences, the things that you have, the material possessions you have. I mean, even just your time are all resources.

Amenie also launched The Zipper Collective . It’s an incubator for other mutual aid ideas people like Tonia may want to develop. In fact, Tonia is expanding her program to help people, particularly victims of domestic abuse, furnish their homes. Here’s Amenie again.

MITCHELL: Money to me is not as important a currency as human connection is. The fulfillment that I get from what I'm doing right now is so soul deep, that nothing else could come close. But it's scary because everything we're taught how we measure one another, how we define power is all about currency and money. And it's scary to go, you know what? That's not my currency.

Still, Amenie acknowledges that, yes, the lights at The Market have to stay on and that takes money—generous donations from community members who, so far, have been more than willing to support these projects. The Facebook group Buy Nothing Lexington VA has nearly 4,000 members. In a town of 8,000, that says something.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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The Battle for the Soul of Buy Nothing

When my son was little, my mom started collecting his outgrown clothes to give to strangers on the internet. She would meet these people through Buy Nothing, a project that had been created by two women from Bainbridge Island, Washington, not far from her home in Seattle . The mission of Buy Nothing, which had a local cult following, was to revive old-fashioned sharing among neighbors. People were organized by town or neighborhood into Facebook groups, where they could post what they needed, or no longer needed, and their neighbors would respond accordingly.

What made this different from Goodwill, Craigslist , or other freebie groups was that the people in your group always lived close by, and—because Buy Nothing was hosted on Facebook—everyone’s names and photos were visible, and messaging other members was as easy as texting. Pickups tended to happen at the front door, prompting face-to-face conversation. After a while, strangers became friendly acquaintances, their stoops integrated into your mental map of your town. Through my mom, random people came to own the forgotten detritus of my motherhood: unused diapers, a nursing cover (“that you threw in bathroom trash,” my mom accused in an email). My mom had been living frugally and sustainably long before it was fashionable—diluting her dish soap, cutting her sponges into quarters—and on Buy Nothing, she’d found her people.

When my son was 6, my mom retired. She packed her life into used cardboard boxes procured on Buy Nothing and moved down the street from me in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she joined a new Buy Nothing group. With her freed-up time, she acquired empty kombucha bottles on Buy Nothing, filled them with home-brewed kombucha, then regifted those. I used the group by proxy—once, to get rid of a box of half-full toiletries, another time to find a clip-on leopard tail for my son’s summer theater production—and eventually joined it myself.

Our group, one of several in Fort Collins, included more than 1,000 members. Buy Nothing had grown a lot in the years since my mom had been an early adopter, especially during the worst of the pandemic, when people were avoiding stores. By summer 2022, there were thousands of groups in more than 60 countries, with about 6 million members. The founders, Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller, had published a book about buying less in which they described a grand vision of strengthening individuals, communities, and the environment. People told apocryphal stories about diehards who never bought anything, like, ever.

Facebook was a big part of what made Buy Nothing so effective. But it was also the reason I was far less active there than my mom. Like a lot of people I knew, I’d fallen off using Facebook much. Given Buy Nothing’s mission of commerce-free community building, there seemed something dissonant to me about its existence on a platform that mined people’s personal information and stoked invidious “engagement” for ad dollars. 

It turned out that Clark and Rockefeller, the Buy Nothing founders, also considered Facebook an uncomfortable fit. When I talked to them both on a Zoom call last summer, Rockefeller, 53, was on her parents’ porch in glasses, a delicate blouse, and a shaggy silverish bob, while Clark, 56, sat at her dining table wearing a ponytail and a fuzzy cardigan. “We used Facebook because it was a free tool, and it had a lot of reach. There were a lot of reasons that we picked it,” Rockefeller explained. “But we realized very early on that it also came with some things that conflicted with our mission.”

Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark founded Buy Nothing in 2013.

She and Clark had a wearied, beleaguered air. A year earlier they had decided to move Buy Nothing away from Facebook, turning their attention to launching a stand-alone Buy Nothing app. This kind of undertaking was, of course, one of those many things in life that do not come free. They registered a business, The Buy Nothing Project Inc., and pitched venture capitalists on investing in them. Clark had taken to punctuating her tweets with hashtags such as #futureofwork and #MakerEconomy.

So far, though, Buy Nothing Inc. was a flop. Even more upsetting, Clark and Rockefeller were getting blasted from within their own community. Some Buy Nothing members accused them, in blistering Facebook comments, of selling out. This reaction might have been expected, in retrospect, from a commerce-free collective, but the intensity of it shook Rockefeller and Clark. They had built a thriving and generous community on the most corporate of internet platforms. But now that they were trying to become independent—a move that they saw as committing further to their principles—they were met with furious disbelief that the founders of a movement premised on strings-free gifting now appeared to be trying to make a buck. “You have to fund it. There’s no shame in that,” Clark said. “But we are shamed nonstop for having named it the Buy Nothing Project.”

Buy Nothing’s much-repeated origin tale starts with Clark, a documentarian from Bainbridge Island, spending time in a remote mountain community in Nepal with her husband, the elite mountaineer Pete Athans. There she noticed that people reused their belongings and shared, rather than bought, what they needed. Back home, Clark and Rockefeller, a friend, would often take walks with their children along the water and inventory the trash that had washed ashore. They wondered whether they could reduce waste by bringing the sort of gifting Clark had seen in Nepal into their own town, and Buy Nothing was born.

None of this is exactly inaccurate. Clark is a filmmaker; she did observe gift economies in Nepal; she and Rockefeller did audit the Bainbridge shoreline. But the full story of Buy Nothing starts when they met, in 2009, through an online gifting forum called Freecycle. 

Earlier that year, Rockefeller had gotten divorced and ended up as a single mother. While married she had been working-class, but suddenly she was poor, living on food stamps and Medicaid. She joined Freecycle expecting to take things she needed while simultaneously giving back. She kept getting in trouble with the group’s local moderator, though, for offerings that he deemed unacceptable. “I had these twigs that I’d pruned,” she told me. “The guy was like, ‘Your old shrubbery is not a gift.’”

He was wrong. The twigs did attract interest—from Clark, it turned out. When she came by to pick them up, the women commiserated over Freecycle’s strict rules and found they had a lot in common.

Both women had unconventional lives. Clark’s academic parents raised their kids partly in Nigeria and Chile and spent their spare time on DIY projects. At one point they bought land in New Hampshire, and the whole family built a house on it by hand. Later, her work as a documentarian took her all over the world, with her children often tagging along. When Rockefeller was 3 years old, meanwhile, her mother joined a cult and left the family. Rockefeller’s father remarried, and he and Rockefeller’s adoptive mother, both government workers, instilled the family with a strong ethic of public service. As she grew up, an iconoclastic streak kept Rockefeller from settling into one particular career; she worked as a kayak guide and a craftsperson, among other gigs. 

Both women homeschooled their children—for Clark, to accommodate work and volunteerism, and for Rockefeller, to provide a more personalized education for her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum—and they started getting together for school projects. They found they shared a mutual devotion to environmentalism and frugal living. Whenever they saw each other, they’d come up with ideas for idealistic ventures: a local bartering club, a lending library for household tools. None ever took off. 

In July 2013, Rockefeller posted on Facebook, “If I started a local free/trade/borrow listserve, like Freecycle but with a different attitude re: moderation of posts, would you join?” There was a chorus of positive responses— yes! ,  yup! ,  prolly . Clark jumped in: “But how can each member post? Do you submit to a moderator who then posts your item for you? Do you have to have a photo?” Rockefeller replied, and in the thread—then later, in person—the women hashed out the details. 

The initial premise was to make people feel good about whatever they had to offer. “Literally, we want people to come in and offer their onion skins and their chunks of concrete,” Rockefeller told me. And unlike Freecycle, which focuses on giving and dissuades requests, they would encourage people to ask for anything. But maybe more consequential than any of those differences in sensibility was that Rockefeller and Clark decided to host Buy Nothing on Facebook, with its built-in social tools.

On July 6, Rockefeller created a Facebook group called Buy Nothing Bainbridge and added Clark as a co-administrator. By the end of the day it had more than 100 members. Within weeks the group had added hundreds more members, and strangers in nearby towns were asking how they could start their own. Rockefeller and Clark helped them, and by the end of December they had created 78 Buy Nothing groups, with more than 12,000 members in all.

The day before New Year’s Eve, Clark, Rockefeller, and a group of friends and Buy Nothing members got together to plan for the future. They had tea and muffins, then did an exercise. On multicolored index cards, they each wrote down their wildest dreams for Buy Nothing. One woman hoped that it would become a nonprofit and publish a magazine; another imagined it would spawn a virtual currency .

The group made a list of Buy Nothing’s positives ( dedicated admins, free, connects virtual world to the real world ) and negatives ( 24/7 time commitment, funding, problems managing Facebook ). They wrote down the opportunities ahead, and also the risks. In the latter column they listed the challenge of replicating their original vision across dozens of groups, the limitations of the Facebook platform, the chance of egos getting in the way of the group’s principles, and the possibility of being “unable to fund core expenses.” Years later, the list would turn out to be prescient. But at that time, almost a decade ago, all the excitement made Rockefeller and Clark feel like anything was possible.

Test the limits of what can be gotten or discarded on Buy Nothing, and you will be confounded. You can proffer a medium-size rock, and someone will want it for their garden. You can post dryer lint, and a neighbor will convert it into hamster bedding. In their book, Rockefeller and Clark write about a childless couple who, after multiple miscarriages, finally gave away their unused baby items. The recipient, collecting this on behalf of a pregnant friend, mentioned that the friend was thinking about putting her child up for adoption. One thing led to another, and soon the couple became the infant’s adoptive parents. 

This was a particularly unusual case, but over the months I spent talking to Buy Nothing members, it wasn’t even the wildest anecdote I heard. In my group in Fort Collins, recent offers have included a used stick of upmarket deodorant, a half-eaten artichoke pizza, and the fluff from inside a couch. All found new life. The couch fluff, actually, went to at least three people—one of whom, a friend of mine, was sewing tiny stuffed gnomes as Christmas presents.

A woman in Seattle named Katylin (she doesn’t use a last name) told me that Buy Nothing has allowed her to live well in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Katylin describes herself as blue-collar; she’s had various jobs including practicing cosmetology and working at a grocery store. Seattle has gotten wealthier and more economically stratified over the years, but on Buy Nothing, she told me, relations feel equalized.

Katylin has given away chicken droppings (for fertilizer), stale aquarium water (a nutrient-rich plant food), and crushed egg shells (a natural calcium source). She has received a stove, a dishwasher, toys for her children, concert tickets, and a wooden boat, which she rows out onto the lake at night to stargaze . For two years during the pandemic, Katylin told me, she bought almost nothing except food. “I feel great after a day of Buy Nothing,” she said. “You don’t go to a Walmart, come home, and feel  happy about your purchases.”

Rockefeller and Clark decided early on that they didn’t want to codify Buy Nothing’s principles into a business or a nonprofit, with all the unwieldy administration that would entail. They did, however, want to supervise how the Buy Nothing groups functioned, so they built a makeshift management structure using the tools already embedded in Facebook. On Facebook, groups have to be operated by one or more administrators, so Rockefeller and Clark decided to have local volunteers run each group. They disseminated information to these people through another Facebook group called the Admin Hub. They appointed regional admins to oversee the local ones, and finally a small circle of about 20 global admins to handle project-wide tasks and weigh in on big decisions. Rockefeller and Clark had the final word. 

Almost all of the admins were women, and their labor was entirely volunteer. As Rockefeller and Clark sank their lives into Buy Nothing, sometimes at the expense of their families and careers, so too did thousands of others. Local administrators said they spent seven or eight hours a week, and in some cases as many as 40, reviewing requests to join their groups, making sure their communities felt welcoming, and keeping the giving spirit active by, for example, posting messages of gratitude.

Another part of an admin’s job was to enforce the 10 rules of Buy Nothing. One core rule concerned each group’s borders, which were limited to small geographical zones. The idea was that this would foster a more intimate community and reduce a group’s carbon footprint. A member could belong to only the group where they lived, and once a group reached 1,000 people, it was supposed to split into smaller communities, a process called “sprouting.”

Rockefeller and Clark imagined Buy Nothing sprouting into groups covering ever-smaller geographies until, eventually, so many people were on Buy Nothing that it would be rendered obsolete. “We know our immediate neighbors so well that we can just walk over there and say, ‘Hey,’” Clark said.

It was a romantic vision for what the internet could facilitate. But as Buy Nothing expanded, people started to chafe against this stricture and others. While Rockefeller and Clark regularly received notes of gratitude, they also got messages of irritation, and even hate mail, that blamed them for mishaps and infighting in the local groups or accused them of heavy-handedness with all the rules.

In 2018, some of these localized complaints started to bubble up to the movement’s surface. When a Buy Nothing group in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood was approaching 5,000 people and still hadn’t subdivided, regional admins started pushing for a sprout, a local admin at the time told me. (Regional admins couldn’t be reached for comment.) She said that when the sprout was announced to the group, members were furious: They protested that they didn’t want to split up, and they worried a sprout might fall along racial and socioeconomic lines and reinforce the legacy of segregation and redlining.

According to the admin and other members I spoke to, the regional admins doubled down, as did members, and the language got heated. “Our community gets really fired up on the internet,” the admin said. “It was rocky.” Then Clark got involved, writing in a regional group for admins that she was “saddened” by the Jamaica Plain community’s uncivil behavior. At this, the local admins quit in protest, and the remaining members revolted completely.

Members of the group discovered a YouTube video Clark had filmed during a Himalayan expedition co-led by Athans, her husband, with support from the Nepalese government. The video shows Athans in climbing gear, handling an ancient human skull while suspended in front of a cave. In voiceover, Clark explains reverently, “We’ve uncovered a people who persevered, their story of good health recorded in their bones.” She describes present-day villagers who, when Clark and her family brought gifts of clothing, insisted that the items be divided equally among the households, “so each family would have equal social capital to share.” She goes on: “We wondered, could we start an egalitarian gift economy in our own town?” The video cuts to Bainbridge Island.

Former members told me that the video was roasted for having colonialist undertones. One member, Kai Haskins, wrote a Medium post about the conflict titled, “That ‘Hyper-Local’ Buy Nothing Group You Love Is Controlled by a Wealthy White Woman in Washington State and Is Reinforcing Systemic Racism and Segregation.”

Clark took issue with Haskins’s account; for one thing, she said, she’s not wealthy. Still, she eventually apologized in a post to the Jamaica Plain group. “I agree that it is important for all of us, and white people in particular, to talk about racism without becoming defensive. I clearly have been, and I’m learning from my own fragility,” she wrote. By that time, though, everyone was fed up. The Jamaica Plain group fell apart, with thousands of members defecting and starting a separate group.

One way to approach the episode might have been to see it as an inevitable, if uncomfortable, outgrowth of a movement that encouraged people to feel communal ownership of their local gift economies. If it ended with members in Jamaica Plain starting a rival gifting group, so what? That was not, however, how Rockefeller and Clark responded. They worried that the upset in Jamaica Plain, and other episodes like it, represented a bigger problem, and in late 2019 they formed an “equity team” to figure out how to create an “actively anti-racist and anti-oppression culture” within Buy Nothing. 

Katherine Valenzuela Parsons, a member of the equity team, told me that the team discovered people in other groups had also experienced a racialized dimension to sprouting. And Buy Nothing’s problems went further still. Some local admins were letting people offer Confederate flags. In several instances, when people of color complained about this and other racist or offensive posts, they’d been accused of incivility and thrown out of their groups. In other cases, members attacked admins of color for raising these issues.

Rockefeller and Clark had known about some of this, but the scope startled them. On the one hand, the Jamaica Plain experience had made them feel that high-level admins, themselves included, might have overstepped. On the other hand, they didn’t want the Buy Nothing experience to be so unsupervised that toxicity and racism would go unchecked and local admins would abuse their power.

They also felt that Facebook incentivized provocative, even hostile, communication. “Even if your motivations are purely lovely and welcoming and inclusive, you’re basically putting yourself in the meat grinder of social media, and you will be eaten up,” Rockefeller said. The equity team hadn’t highlighted Facebook itself as a problem, but Rockefeller and Clark started to wonder whether it all couldn’t be solved by going off the platform entirely.

The two of them had harbored vague desires since the beginning of Buy Nothing to divest themselves of Facebook, but they had never figured out how to do it. One option was to turn Buy Nothing into an independent nonprofit. But Rockefeller, who has spent much of her adult life volunteering and working in nonprofits, dreaded the cycle of fundraising and subsequent obligation to meet funders’ demands. It also seemed weird to start a business based on giving stuff away for free. Now, they came up with a plan. They’d collect donations from Buy Nothing members to build a platform independent of Big Tech. On Black Friday of 2019—celebrated in their community as Buy Nothing Day—Rockefeller and Clark posted an announcement on Buy Nothing’s main Facebook page: They were building an app called SOOP, for Share On Our Platform. “Because we want to answer only to the public good and not to platform owners who will profit from the use of personal data,” they wrote, “we are raising the funds to do this on our own.”

The response was mixed at best. Some community members found it wildly hypocritical that the founders were asking for money. It was a fair point: Rockefeller and Clark’s own rules for local groups banned “requests or offers for monetary assistance, including requests for loans, cash, or donations.” Optics-wise, it didn’t help that Rockefeller and Clark had started plugging their forthcoming book,  The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan , on Buy Nothing’s Facebook page. A few members did donate, but the total—just $20,000—wasn’t enough for even the most basic proof of concept. Humbled, Rockefeller and Clark returned the money and tabled the idea.

Their book came out a few months later. The tone was part Marie Kondo , part manifesto. “Money isn’t all that wonderful,” Clark and Rockefeller wrote, adding, “The market economy begets isolation, and money disconnects us from one another.” Those who worried that the book would make the authors rich needn’t have wasted their energy—it was published just as the pandemic arrived, and barely sold.

The pandemic propelled Buy Nothing into mainstream popularity. With people hunkering down in their neighborhoods, membership started growing faster than ever, to about 1.5 million users in July 2020; over the following year, the project would add nearly 3 million more. People shared groceries, homemade masks, over-the-counter medication. It was exhilarating but also, for Rockefeller and Clark, exhausting; suddenly they were working nine-hour days on top of everything else.

Meanwhile, they’d been changing Buy Nothing’s operations, partly in light of the equity team’s findings. They started getting rid of regional and global admins, a move meant to return control to local groups and streamline communication. They published self-serve materials on their website so that people could launch new groups on their own. They also loosened Buy Nothing’s rules to let groups determine their own geographical boundaries, decide when to sprout, and allow members to belong to more than one group.

Not everyone appreciated the changes. Haskins, one of Buy Nothing’s more vocal critics in Jamaica Plain, said they came across as “performative bullshit.” Parsons, the equity team member, told me that while she came around to them, they went much further than anything she and the equity team had suggested. 

Other admins felt the founders had broken Buy Nothing’s intimate feel and community-led support systems. And they objected to the top-down direction of these changes. One of them, Andrea Schwalb, took to the Admin Hub to denounce the project’s new direction, and said she was kicked out. She started a separate Facebook group, called Gifting With Integrity—OG Buy Nothing Support Group, for Buy Nothing admins who preferred the old organizational structure and rules. Schwalb and others were already prickly about how Rockefeller and Clark publicized their book; all the changes, she said, made matters worse. “We were big mad.”

Clark and Rockefeller saw their modifications as necessary, if controversial, improvements. They were making the organization less bureaucratic and more equitable; those who disagreed were resisting change. And it was hard for them to feel generous toward their most strident critics. 

By this point, Clark had stopped making documentaries and was working on Buy Nothing full-time. Rockefeller had, in Buy Nothing’s early years, taken a job at an organization that assists people with disabilities and eventually became its executive director. As Buy Nothing took up more of her time, however, she stepped into a part-time position as an administrative assistant that paid little more than minimum wage. “I’m basically living on the edge of poverty so that I can serve this thing that I helped create,” she told me. She acknowledged she’d done this by choice. Still, she added, “Sometimes it feels like, ‘Oh, this is absolute insanity, it makes no sense.’” She and Clark started dreaming of paying themselves and others for their Buy Nothing labor; it seemed only right. Their crowdfunding efforts had backfired. Now they wondered whether it wasn’t such a bad idea to turn Buy Nothing more straightforwardly into a business.

In January 2021, Clark received a LinkedIn message from Tunji Williams, a former attorney turned entrepreneur who had previously built a small startup. “I just learned about your amazing movement,” he wrote, and offered to collaborate with them. They invited him to meet over Zoom, where Williams explained that the birth of his first child had inspired an idea for an app to share secondhand baby paraphernalia and other items. Friends told him about Buy Nothing, and he thought he’d approach them about launching a startup together.

Clark and Rockefeller accepted. Going into business with someone who happened to email at the right moment may not have been the savviest decision, but the way they saw it, their cards were finally lining up. Williams came across as genuine and experienced, and, if they were being honest, they needed help. On January 13, they registered The Buy Nothing Project Inc. as a benefit corporation—a for-profit business obligated to prioritize society, workers, the community, and the environment—in Delaware. This time they took a more conventional approach to fundraising, collecting $100,000 from family and friends. The company had four cofounders: Clark, Rockefeller, Williams, and a software developer named Lucas Rix who, as it happened, had also sent a blind email to Clark and Rockefeller. Clark would be the CEO, Williams the COO, Rockefeller the head of community, and Rix the head of product. For the first time in months, Rockefeller and Clark felt energized. “It was a huge relief,” Rockefeller told me. 

Three weeks after registering The Buy Nothing Project Inc., Clark announced in the Admin Hub that they were building an app “to host the Buy Nothing movement as it continues to grow.” The founders would now dedicate their time to this new endeavor. As a gesture of gratitude, she added, they would give a stake in the platform to admins who joined the waitlist for the app. “Your enthusiastic participation will help us reach critical mass more quickly,” she wrote. 

The reaction was not particularly enthusiastic. Some people did cheer the founders on and sign up for the waitlist—but others were upset. The app had no admin roles at all. Several admins told me that although they didn’t begrudge Rockefeller and Clark their entrepreneurial turn, they couldn’t help but view the app as competition with the existing communities that they’d painstakingly built over years. “There was a time when I was spending 30 hours a week doing things for Buy Nothing,” Kristi Fisher, an admin in California, told me. “There was this feeling of, like, nobody asked us or took our thoughts and feelings into consideration.”

Others turned their ire directly on the founders, harshly criticizing them for capitalizing on the work of thousands of volunteers and then shilling their product in that very same space. Rockefeller and Clark felt personally attacked. As they pushed on with what they saw as an attempt to give the Buy Nothing community a healthier existence online, it seemed possible that in the process they might lose the community entirely. 

In November 2021, the Buy Nothing app launched. It was immediately clear how different it was from the Facebook groups. You didn’t have to be approved for admission, for one. You could set any address as your home base and search for items within a larger radius: maybe one mile away, maybe 20. 

But some core features of the Buy Nothing culture had been lost. You could no longer click on a person and see where they worked or whether you had friends in common. On Facebook, Buy Nothing posts had appeared in your feed spontaneously, encouraging off-the-cuff interactions, but using the app required remembering to open it in the first place. All this added up to making the posts feel less intimate and more transactional. Some people told me that, on the app, Buy Nothing resembled the depersonalized services against which it had originally defined itself.

The launch of the app intensified the feud between the Buy Nothing founders and their internal critics. Rockefeller and Clark almost fully reoriented the Buy Nothing website around the app; at one point, information about the Facebook groups was tucked under a snarky message: “Want Facebook to profit from your Buy Nothing experience? We’ve got you covered!” Schwalb, meanwhile, developed her OG group into a sort of alternate universe in which nothing about Buy Nothing had changed. She shared Buy Nothing documents that the founders considered obsolete, coached admins on how to operate under the old rules, and, through friends who still belonged to the Admin Hub, generally kept tabs on what Buy Nothing was up to.

In the weeks after launch, thousands of people tried out the app. By the end of the year, 174,000 people worldwide had downloaded it; of those, about 97,000 were using it once a month or more. As time passed, though, the numbers stalled. In the App Store, one-star ratings dominated. By April 2022, monthly users had fallen to 75,000.  

The discontent among Buy Nothing Facebook admins explained some of this; they were hardly going to evangelize for an app they resented. But the far more significant problem was that the app just wasn’t very good. It was so basic and bug-ridden that, at first, people couldn’t even figure out how to register. To limit expenses, Clark and Rockefeller had contracted a web-development shop in Poland to make a simple version. They eventually raised another $400,000, but that was still short of what they needed. 

The truth was that turning Buy Nothing into a business had come with far more expenses than revenues. If Facebook profited from Buy Nothing members’ activities, it also covered many of their costs. With the launch of the app, the resources that came for free with Facebook—software development, computing power, visibility—were suddenly Clark and Rockefeller’s responsibility.

It was logical that offsetting those costs, and eventually turning a profit, required bringing in revenue, but whenever I asked Clark and Rockefeller about this, they sounded genuinely perplexed. They had vowed not to sell their members’ personal data or run targeted advertisements, thus ruling out some of the most obvious business models. And their ideas for moneymaking enterprises that wouldn’t sacrifice their ideals struck me as convoluted: They considered collecting generalized information about what items people were sharing, then selling that to local municipalities tracking waste; they thought of pushing public-service announcements about reuse that users would pay to turn off. Their most straightforward idea was to incorporate a Taskrabbit -like function, allowing users to charge one another for add-on services such as delivering gifts or repairing broken items, with Buy Nothing taking a cut. But then that, of course, would involve buying something.

They were at an impasse, and funding was running out. So, in May of last year, Clark did what any self-respecting entrepreneur in her position would do: She started writing to venture capitalists and angel investors. In the months that followed, she sent messages to 163 investors. She got 17 meetings—and no funding.

Clark blamed the difficult environment at the time for fundraising. Rockefeller agreed, though she couldn’t help but suspect something else: “We’re two middle-aged women trying to raise money, and we have been a women-led movement from the beginning. They look at us, and they’re like, ‘Well, you haven’t run a multimillion-dollar company, so why should I give you any money?’” She bristled at that perception: “We took nothing, and we turned it into a movement that now literally millions of people participate in every day. Come on. That didn’t happen by mistake.”

Still, no funding materialized. Nor, as time went on, did the users. I spoke to dozens of Buy Nothing members while reporting on this article, and the vast majority had either barely heard of the app or had tried it once or twice before abandoning it. By June of last year, Rockefeller and Clark quietly stopped developing the app. By winter, they were scraping the bottom of the Buy Nothing bank account. 

Clark planned to cover the company’s costs, around $5,000 a month, as long as she needed to. But she and Rockefeller both sounded more disheartened than ever. Once, as we began a Zoom call, I could hear an incessant pinging in the background. Clark explained that she had set up notifications for support requests through the app. It turned out she and Rockefeller were mostly responding to the requests themselves.

At the one-year anniversary of its launch, the Buy Nothing app had been downloaded 600,000 times, but only 91,000 people were regularly using it, not many more than at the beginning. Meanwhile, the Facebook groups from which the founders had disengaged were thriving without them. Global membership had surpassed 7 million. When I asked what Rockefeller and Clark thought would happen to Buy Nothing Inc. if they couldn’t come up with additional funding, they said they weren’t interested in thinking in such fatalistic terms. But when I posed the same question to Williams, the COO, he said he’d considered it. “We’re adults,” he said. “We’ve got to shut it down.”

Rockefeller and Clark hadn’t given up, though. They decided to switch tactics yet again. Over Thanksgiving weekend, they changed the Buy Nothing website so that when someone showed up looking for information about starting a Facebook group, they were directed to fill out a form that would automatically be sent to Rockefeller and Clark. The form asked people whether they had tried the app, offering a download link. If, after trying it, they still wanted to start a Facebook group, Rockefeller or Clark would build the group for them.

Rockefeller and Clark may have realized that if they couldn’t compete with Facebook, they would do better to take control of what they’d started. A couple of days after Christmas, Schwalb opened up Facebook to find that her OG group had vanished. Months earlier, Buy Nothing Inc. had secured trademarks on the phrases “Buy Nothing” and “Buy Nothing Project” and reported the OG group to Facebook for trademark infringement. 

Clark and Rockefeller told me that while they wanted to give local admins flexibility in running their groups, Gifting With Integrity had crossed a line. The group was aggressively promoting an approach that the founders had discarded; it had combined the Buy Nothing brand with the Gifting With Integrity name; it was disseminating old documents without what the founders considered proper attribution. “I don’t get to say ‘I’m making shoes, and they’re called Nike , and they have the swoosh on them, and you should buy my Nikes,’” Rockefeller told me. To Schwalb and her co-admins, this was a stretch. For one thing, Gifting With Integrity wasn’t asking people to buy anything. 

In January, Rockefeller and Clark posted a message to the Admin Hub, elaborating on their stance. They were just trying to protect their trademark, they said. To that end, they were asking that all Facebook groups link to a Buy Nothing web page describing the project. Rockefeller and Clark told me that they required this so that admins wouldn’t have to make manual updates whenever details changed. But Schwalb noticed that the web page, conveniently, promoted the Buy Nothing app.

To get back on Facebook without reprisal, the OG group changed its name to, simply, Gifting With Integrity—OG Admin Support Group, removing the part about Buy Nothing. They encouraged local gifting groups to change their names as well. Their website reads, “We are not affiliated with, nor do we support in any fashion, the Buy Nothing Project.” On Facebook, the Gifting With Integrity group has 1,500 members, all overseeing local groups. 

My own Buy Nothing group, in Fort Collins, was one of those that followed Gifting With Integrity’s lead. It’s now called the Northeast Fort Collins Gifting Community. A friend shared with me a message sent to the group by an admin announcing the change: “We truly believe in building our little hyperlocal community and plan to continue to operate by the original principles that make this group great. We don’t want that to disappear into the machinery of the new monetized system.” When I asked Schwalb how many local groups had discarded the Buy Nothing name and adopted Gifting With Integrity’s approach, she replied, “We’re not keeping numbers, and we most definitely don’t intend to, because I don’t want to turn into the Buy Nothing conglomerate.”

In some ways, Rockefeller and Clark’s loss of control made me think of women inventors who hadn’t gotten credit for their products: Rosalind Franklin, the scientist who helped discover the double helix; Lizzie Magie, the gamemaker who invented Monopoly. But then, Rockefeller and Clark had started Buy Nothing as a counteragent to the capitalist ethic that concentrates wealth and power in the hands of the few while ruining lives, communities, and the environment. The project had been a success, owing to their efforts, certainly, and also to those of the thousands of volunteers who made Buy Nothing their own. If the movement ended up splintering into an unaccountable mess of local variations—and Rockefeller and Clark didn’t make a cent in the process—maybe that was the most fitting ending possible.

I had all but written off their chances of survival when, in late January, I heard from Rockefeller and Clark again. Recently, with things getting desperate, Clark had looked back through her email to see whether there were any connections she’d missed. Scrolling, she hit upon a year-old email from a former Intuit executive named Hugh Molotsi. Molotsi had launched his own startup, Ujama, that helped parents coordinate childcare with one another via an app, but it didn’t have many users. Molotsi had written to see whether Rockefeller and Clark wanted to use his technology, but since they were building their own app at the time, they’d said no.

Now Clark did some research and realized Molotsi’s app was much better than anything they’d built. She’d also learned, from her conversion to entrepreneurship, how important it was to network. She got in touch with Molotsi and, after a couple of calls, made a proposition to merge the companies under Buy Nothing’s name. Molotsi would join the company as chief technology officer and rework the Buy Nothing app. “He needs community, we need tech,” Clark explained. 

Molotsi agreed; the deal is pending. As part of the transition, Williams stepped down as COO, though he remains on the Buy Nothing board. Molotsi also introduced Buy Nothing’s founders to their first funder in a long time: an angel investor named Paul English, known for cofounding the travel website Kayak. English put in $100,000 and introduced Clark and Rockefeller to a number of VCs and angel investors. So far, Clark told me, the response to their pitches has been much warmer than before, though no one has committed to investing. Visits to the app are up, too: Monthly users recently surpassed 100,000.

When I spoke to Molotsi over Zoom, he said he feels the company needs to do a better job explaining to investors how it can make money: “The Buy Nothing name—that’s a challenge, because it’s like, OK, nothing is being bought, how are you going to monetize the platform?” 

I asked how that question might be answered. “There are lots of things happening around gift-gifting that I believe are monetizable,” he said. “So, for example, if you have a couch you’re trying to get rid of, and I want your couch, but you don’t have a truck, and I don’t have a truck, that presents a problem: How are we going to make this happen?” He was talking, I realized, about the delivery service Rockefeller and Clark had floated months earlier.

One of the last times I spoke to the founders, I remarked that these recent developments looked good for them. Clark responded that she still feels like they’re at a low point. Her schedule had become punishing: She’d been waking up between 4 and 5 am to work on Buy Nothing, and not stopping until she went to bed. It struck me as a big departure from the all-volunteer camaraderie of Buy Nothing’s early years. But Clark is as certain as ever that she and Rockefeller are on the right path in their decade-long quest to get people to buy less. “Rebecca and I are just two creatives. This was just never where we thought we would head,” she said. “But now it makes sense, because we want to build a bigger, better world.”

Let us know what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor at [email protected] .

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How the pandemic fueled the rise of the ‘Buy Nothing’ economy

Ramona Monteros joined her local Buy Nothing group in Los Angeles in 2018, drawn to the idea of giving things away. “Selling is a hassle,” she says. “I didn’t want to deal with negotiations.” She’d post on the Facebook group’s message board items she no longer had use for—clothes and shoes that her kids had outgrown, succulents when she would thin out her yard—that her neighbors would claim and then swing by to pick up.

At the time, the group had just 40 members, and Monteros soon became its admin—making certain those requesting membership lived in the group’s defined neighborhood, ensuring spam didn’t get posted, and generally encouraging and stewarding the group. It stayed relatively small and mellow, growing to about 400 members by early 2020.

Then the pandemic hit. In its early days, as questions swirled over how the virus spread, members discussed shutting the group down. In the end, they decided they would rather exchange goods with their neighbors outside on a porch or front stoop rather than go into a store. Monteros says with so many people out of work and on shaky financial footing, continuing felt like a moral imperative.

Members gave and received the likes of toys and kids’ clothes, the bread and butter of most Buy Nothing groups. But they also exchanged staples of the pandemic—things like sourdough starter, masks and gloves, bubble wrap, and cardboard boxes. In a group in nearby Claremont, even dryer lint, used as fire starter, got claimed by would-be campers looking for a COVID-friendly vacation. In Torrance, a happy birthday lawn sign got passed around a group run by Monteros’s friend. “Something about the whole trauma of the first few weeks really brought everyone together,” says Monteros.

A year later, Monteros’s group made up of North Hollywood residents had catapulted to more than 1,800 members and added seven other admins to keep up with the volume of posts. The group grew so big that it recently split in two (called “sprouting” in Buy Nothing circles) to keep it from getting too unwieldy.

Let’s be clear—the rise of the so-called gift economy is no L.A. fad. Between March 2020 and January 2021, the Buy Nothing Project, described by its founders as a social movement rather than an organization or nonprofit, added 1.5 million participants to hit 4 million members. At Freecycle, a similar concept, posts by users looking to give away their stuff went up by 100% during the pandemic.

The collective cleaning out of closets that took place while people quarantined and socially isolated has fueled the movement, as has the economic uncertainty the pandemic wrought. But experts say there’s also something deeper within our collective psyche that shifted in the past year and a half as people sat at home and realigned their priorities. “There’s a growing dis-ease with consumer culture and the way it operates,” says Juliet Schor, an economist and Boston College sociology professor who studies consumption. “The wastefulness, the cycle of acquisition and discard, is increasingly unappealing to people.” She calls this a “mainstreaming change” in how people think about consumerism.

Rebecca Rockefeller, cofounder of the Buy Nothing Project, says the gift economy has been around forever for a reason. “This is how we originally survived as a species,” she says. “It makes sense that it’s something that we are rediscovering the value of now, because we’re at one of those inflection points in society where we have a lot of thinking to do about how we’re going to move forward if we’re all going to make it.”

That shift was something that took hold in my neighborhood, which launched its own Buy Nothing group in the middle of the pandemic. People offered up bicycles and Crock-Pots and printers. But members just as eagerly claimed the leftover birthday cakes, takeout utensils, plastic vampire teeth, and partially used toothpaste. Last May, a local Facebook group popped up designed just for exchanging jigsaw puzzles at a time when they were in high demand and hard to find. My apartment building’s message board buzzed with offers of furniture, air conditioners, and extra food when online grocery orders had gone awry. Following the posts gave me a sense of what was happening with my neighbors and a window into their lives when it was easy to feel isolated. It kept me hopeful, seeing how people gave even while they also struggled. It was something Monteros experienced too. “It makes you feel more secure,” she says. “You’re not just by yourself out there. It’s comforting.”

Gaëlle Bargain-Darrigues has conducted research showing that sense of connection is key to Buy Nothing members. Bargain-Darrigues, whom Schor advises at Boston College, moved to New England from Miami to start a doctoral program in sociology with a focus on consumption and the environment. She got interested in the Buy Nothing Project when her new neighbors suggested she check out the local group to furnish her home—she picked up a few things for her kid, a rocking chair, and furniture for her balcony.  

Bargain-Darrigues wanted to understand why participants joined, especially in neighborhoods where people were well-off. For many the motivation was a concern about waste and a desire to avoid throwing away anything with worth. Others were worried about the environment or had an economic need. But she was surprised to hear the main value people got out of the group: “Everyone highlighted that it really created a sense of community, a sense of solidarity among neighbors,” she says.

In another key finding, Bargain-Darrigues’s research showed that Buy Nothing groups did not actually lead people to buy nothing. People still purchased new things, even though they were trying to constrain and control their consumption.

That may be precisely the point and even the appeal of the Buy Nothing Project. Alternatives to mainstream consumption have cycled through our culture for decades—voluntary simplifiers, downshifters, minimalists, simplicity circles. But the Buy Nothing Project is a kinder, less extreme version by design. Participating doesn’t force anyone to shift their relationship with capitalism or material possessions all that much, which helps explain why it has spread beyond the hard-core early adopters. “You could say this is consumption with conscience, with sustainability in mind, but it is absolutely consumption. We’re just sharing the resources,” says Liesl Clark, Rockefeller’s Buy Nothing Project cofounder. “It’s not a movement of austerity.”

Clark and Rockefeller founded the Buy Nothing Project in 2013 in Bainbridge Island, Wash., and credit part of its growth to a generational shift. Younger consumers are more likely to view used goods as cool and authentic rather than taboo, further evidenced by what Boston Consulting Group calls the “ resale boom .” The resale market (think eBay , Poshmark, and Depop ) is valued at as much as $40 million by BCG and is expected to grow 20% annually for the next five years.

As a Gen Xer, Rockefeller is part of the first generation to grow up aware of the looming threat of climate change. The environmental activism she experienced as a child of hippies in the 1970s was based on the idea that people must suffer to make things better, she says. “That’s not a great path to sustainable change,” she explains. “The best way to inspire people to shift their relationship with stuff was to find a way to connect people to each other and to bring some joy and a sense of fun to the whole thing.”

Some warn, however, that there’s a risk when the sense of connection needed for a thriving gift economy becomes too insular. Maurie Cohen, a professor of sustainability studies at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, says some may only be willing to participate in the first place because they are making exchanges within their socioeconomic group. “We can’t dismiss the process of stratification,” he says.

These concerns were front and center in a Buy Nothing group in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood in 2018 when it announced it would sprout, leading to accusations of racism and classism over how the split might happen. Rockefeller and Clark say the “watershed moment” led them to reflect on how separating neighborhoods through hard boundaries could perpetuate structural racism. They’ve since put together an equity team and given more autonomy to local communities. When Monteros’s group sprouted, she and the other admins polled members and examined demographic data and transportation routes. They then posted all the information they collected for members to see.

I asked Monteros whether she thinks activity in her group will wane as the pandemic enters its next phase. “I’ve been wondering that myself,” she told me. She predicts that it might slow down a little bit but that it won’t go away completely. “It has become part of people’s lives.”

Some economists are forecasting that post-pandemic there will be a “snap back” in traditional consumption, which could hinder the enthusiasm for movements like the Buy Nothing Project. The data suggests people are already returning to their old habits. Consumer spending declined 3.9% last year but has since surpassed pre-pandemic levels . “When people are forcibly restrained from eating, drinking, and partying for a long time, they have a wild binge,” says Richard Wilk, a professor emeritus in anthropology at Indiana University Wilmington. “That has been embedded in our culture for hundreds of years.”

But the other thing that happens during a binge, he says, is people moralize and plead restraint. “Americans are utopian thinkers as well as wild party animals,” he says, “and I think they go together in a strange mutual dependence. You can’t have one without the other.”

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Home and garden | cisco systems will slash thousands of jobs as tech layoffs widen, home and garden, home and garden | earth day: the 4 million members of the ‘buy nothing’ movement, two women have launched a stop-shopping movement to save the planet   .

A global web of neighborhood Facebook groups where members post stuff they are giving away or need, the Buy Nothing Project works like a giant gift exchange where nothing is expected in return. The aim is to knit together communities, reduce excess consumption and lighten the load on our planet.

The movement was co-founded by two friends. When her kids were young, says Liesl Clark, who lives on Bainbridge Island, a 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle, she often took them beachcombing. Her friend Rebecca Rockefeller and her kids went, too.

“We were constantly amazed by how much plastic washed up from the high tide,” Clark says. “Not just candy wrappers and straws, but car bumpers, garden tools and toys.”

They collected the debris, which the kids used to make art projects to display in their community center and local art museum. But the thought of how much trash lurked in our oceans haunted the women.

All that plastic led to a cathartic, “Aha!”

“We knew the mantra ‘reduce, reuse, recycle,” says Clark, a documentary filmmaker for National Geographic and Nova. “And we decided to add a fourth R: refuse.”

Their reasoning went like this: If we all bought less and shared more, we would save money and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills or washing up on our shores.

They started the movement by looking around their own houses. “Our kids were outgrowing their clothing, and we weren’t using many of our household goods, so we thought, ‘Why wouldn’t we spare others in our community another trip to Lowe’s or Wal-Mart?’” Clark says.

They started the first Buy Nothing Facebook group in July 2013. Within hours, several hundred members of their community had joined. Then came requests from others looking to form groups in their cities, and the project went viral.

Today, the volunteer-run Buy Nothing Project has nearly 4 million participants in 44 nations, 12,000 volunteers and printed materials in 16 languages, Clark says. Nearly two-thirds of the groups are in the United States, including one in my community ― I was stunned to find ― with 830 members, including some of my friends, who are posting everything from baby bibs to bicycles. Just today, kitchen chairs, fiddle-leaf fig cuttings and a Roomba vacuum. (I am in a drawing for the Roomba).

How had I not known about this?

Clearly used to folks like me who are slow to grasp the mind-blowing concept of (gasp!) not shopping, Clark offers a stream of examples: “If someone would like a peppermill, she can post, ‘Hey, does anyone have a spare peppermill before I go buy one?’ Next thing, someone is getting rid of their excess and saving the asker a trip.”

Or, she adds, say you’re baking a cake and need a springform pan. Because that’s an item you might only use once a year, maybe you can borrow it instead of buy it. Ask the group.

Then there’s the idea of the community lending library: “How many plastic snake routers to clear clogged drains do we need in one town?” she asks, “or post-hole diggers to build fences?” Her neighborhood has one of each making the rounds.

Feeling like an all-consuming clod yet? I am.

To start a Facebook group, someone from the community has to go through the Buy Nothing training program and volunteer to administer the group. To join, you ask to be admitted, then wait for the administrator to let you in. In my case, this took a few days. But eventually I passed muster.

Of course, any time you have a concept steeped in goodness, you have abuses. To head those off and to preserve the integrity of these gift economies, Clark and Rockefeller created some rules:

No buying or selling.

No trading or bartering.

No strings attached.

No hate speech.

Nothing illegal: no firearms, drugs, prescription medications or expired goods, including car seats or cribs not up to current standards.

No judgement. Every gift has equal value. Every giver and asker has equal value.

No penalties. If you loan something, you have to be okay with the possibility that it might get damaged. (Generally, if that happens, the borrower will fix it, Clark says.)

No double dipping. You can only join one group — and you have to live in that community.

Beyond that, post anything you’d like to give away, lend or share. Ask for what you’d like to receive for free or borrow.

Intrigued? Join me next week to hear some of the oddest items given and requested, and to find out what’s next for the Buy Nothing Project.

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Buy Nothing Day

Buy nothing day: a resistance against black friday - 27 november.

Buy Nothing Day is an international day of protest against consumerism celebrated around the world. The day challenges individuals to switch from the usual habits of buying and consuming to a 24-hour period of reflection on our society’s spending habits. This article delves into the concept, origins, and impact of Buy Nothing Day, highlighting its significance in today’s consumer-driven world.

Buy Nothing Day: A Counter to Consumerism

Established by Canadian artist Ted Dave in 1992, Buy Nothing Day is observed annually on the day after Thanksgiving, coinciding with one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the United States – Black Friday. This day encourages us to pause and reflect on our buying habits, asking the question: “Do we really need what we’re buying, or are we simply swept away by the wave of consumerism?”

The Implications of Overconsumption

Consumerism, fueled by relentless advertising and societal pressures, often leads to overconsumption – a significant contributor to various global issues, including environmental degradation and economic inequality. By observing Buy Nothing Day, we are invited to question our role in these issues and consider how we might make changes to promote a more sustainable and equitable world.

Ways to Observe Buy Nothing Day

While the premise of Buy Nothing Day is straightforward – don’t buy anything – there are numerous ways to embrace its spirit. Some people choose to avoid all forms of shopping, while others use the day to clear out clutter and donate unwanted items. Still, others take the opportunity to educate friends and family about the impacts of overconsumption.

FAQs: Buy Nothing Day

Q: What is Buy Nothing Day?

A: Buy Nothing Day is an international day of protest against consumerism. It encourages people to refrain from buying anything for 24 hours to reflect on society’s spending habits.

Q: When is Buy Nothing Day observed?

A: Buy Nothing Day is observed annually on the day after Thanksgiving, coinciding with Black Friday in the United States.

Q: Why is Buy Nothing Day important?

A: Buy Nothing Day highlights the issues associated with overconsumption, including environmental degradation and economic inequality. It encourages people to reflect on their consumption habits and consider more sustainable practices.

Q: How can I participate in Buy Nothing Day?

A: Participation in Buy Nothing Day involves refraining from buying anything for 24 hours. Some people also use the day to declutter, donate unwanted items, or educate others about overconsumption.

Conclusion: The Power of Buy Nothing Day

Buy Nothing Day serves as a powerful reminder of the impacts our buying habits can have on the world. By choosing to participate, we take a stand against overconsumption and make a statement about the importance of sustainability. Whether we use the day to declutter our homes, educate others, or simply reflect on our own habits, each of us can make a difference. Remember, every product we don’t buy is a small victory for our planet.

What to Know About the Buy Nothing Project

U.S. News & World Report

September 7, 2021, 12:00 AM

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It sounds like the ultimate spending diet: buying nothing. If you haven’t heard of the concept, it’s spreading with Buy Nothing groups popping up throughout the world. Thank the Buy Nothing Project , a nonprofit organization with chapters now in 44 countries with more than 6,500 communities.

So what is the Buy Nothing movement, and should you join a local Buy Nothing group?

Don’t worry: This isn’t a cult, and the concept doesn’t have to be taken to the extreme. Yes, you can still buy stuff. We’ll explain.

[ READ: Top Money Lessons From the Pandemic. ]

What Is the Buy Nothing Project?

In 2013, two friends, Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark, created a gift-giving group on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The idea was that instead of bartering or offering gifts with strings attached, you’d just give away stuff you don’t want to people in your community who might be able to use it. And what do you get in return? Hopefully a nice thank you.

Within Buy Nothing groups, members offer up everything from baby gear to furniture, but it’s not always about “stuff.” Sometimes people give or receive expertise , says Katie Emery, a Los Angeles resident who belongs to a Buy Nothing group. For example, she says a member in her group offered to gift one hour of her time to advise someone on gardening.

“I’m a novice gardener, so I took her up on her kind offer. She spent over an hour with me and showed me what plants would work best in various sections of my garden, and even showed me how to arrange my potted plants better,” Emery says. “That one hour meant a lot to me, and I hope to give back to my community with my own knowledge soon. It was so inspiring.”

Another member gifted a 100-year-old sourdough starter, Emery says.

“Suddenly, everyone in the neighborhood was learning to bake sourdough bread. And even the finished bread was gifted to other neighbors,” Emery says. “It’s been such a great experience, I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

Where Can I Find Buy Nothing Groups Near Me?

The Buy Nothing Project provides links to Facebook groups in states, cities and sometimes neighborhoods. Most Buy Nothing groups are on Facebook, and the Buy Nothing Project is also working on an app.

How Buy Nothing Works

After you join a local group, you can ask for things you want or need or offer things you would like to give away — or a bit of both. You can also lend items to people in your community.

Saying “thanks” is the main payment for getting free stuff, so be sure to make it clear to the giver that you appreciate what you’re receiving.

Here are some of the main reasons to join a group, according to members:

Save money and live better. Daniela Sawyer, in San Mateo, California, has belonged to a Buy Nothing group for about six years — in part, she says, because money was tight.

“Buy Nothing enabled me to get second-hand clothes, shoes, novels and toys for my children,” Sawyer says.

Do something good for the planet. Sawyer says she likes her Buy Nothing group for this reason as well, and that giving something away “provides the item another chance to be used and keeps it from going out in a landfill.”

[ Read: Here’s How You’re Paying for Climate Change ]

Feel good about giving. Rebecca Churchill, in Oakton, Virginia, says she joined a Buy Nothing group after helping her mother pack up her home to relocate to a smaller place.

She likes the idea of giving things away to help others. “I don’t need a new handbag, but there are Afghan refugees moving to this country who need everything, and there are children in my own town who are going to bed hungry,” Churchill says.

Get rid of clutter. Another selling point is downsizing belongings to make your home more manageable and organized . “There is peace in living more simply, and I feel mentally more organized and calmer when my home is not choked with visual clutter,” Churchill says.

Get to know your neighbors. You can feel good about helping people in your community, and as an added benefit feel a little closer to your neighbors. You’ll be giving things to people you either know or will get better acquainted with.

What Are Buy Nothing Group Rules?

The rules require members to “give freely” without any expectation of reward or compensation. “Trading, bartering, buying or selling is counter to the Buy Nothing Project mission,” according to its website. It also suggests that members “give creatively,” for example, by sharing skills or through community lending libraries, clothing share events and bike programs.

What Is Buy Nothing Day?

If you’ve heard of Buy Nothing Day, it actually has nothing to do with the Buy Nothing movement. It was started as a protest against consumerism by a Canadian artist, and officially or unofficially, in the U.S., it’s held the day after Thanksgiving (countering one of the biggest shopping days of the year , Black Friday).

[ See: 12 Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom. ]

Buy Nothing: the Bottom Line

The main thing to remember is that “buy nothing” isn’t all or nothing. Buy joining, you aren’t pledging to never buy anything again, never hold a garage sale or never list something for sale on eBay, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace .

Of course, you’re going to shop and live your life. But if you join a Buy Nothing group, you may be able to seamlessly incorporate it into your life and enjoy some of the benefits while getting to know more people in your neighborhood.

In any case, when you happen to have stuff that you no longer want but don’t feel like selling and are loathe to throw away, a Buy Nothing group can do a lot of good.

That’s why Christine Alemany likes her Buy Nothing group in New York City. She says a lot of people leave things behind when they move out of the apartment building she lives in.

“We have found rugs, art, furniture when people move out. Some are lightly used. Others are antiques. I hate that these are being thrown away. So why not give to the local community?”

She and other fellow tenants have done just that.

“These items can mean so much to people and would otherwise be put in a landfill. Instead, students and people who are starting over can furnish their apartments. They can then use the money that would otherwise be spent for medicine, health care, etc.,” Alemany says.

Besides, Alemany says, “it just feels good.”

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What to Know About the Buy Nothing Project originally appeared on usnews.com

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Buy Nothing Day Essay: Is It Good For Your Wallet?

The origins

Buy Nothing Day for the first time was launched in September 1992 in Vancouver, Canada by artist and a social activist called Ted Dave. He proclaimed this day as a protest against consumerism and a way for a society to tackle the problem of over-consumption. From 1997 it has started to take place after Thanksgiving, on a Friday, famously known as “Black Friday” – perhaps, the most popular and busy day for shopping due to major promotional sales in the United States, whereas other countries celebrate it on Saturday. It was hugely promoted by a Canadian magazine called Adbusters. In 2000, some of their ads were refused their advertising time by almost every big television channel, with an exception of CNN, but, in the very near future, advertisements for Buy Nothing Day began happening not only in Canada and the United States, but also in Israel, Norway, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Sweden. The ads, created by Adbusters, were not against shopping per se or against Christmas, as it happens in the beginning of Christmas shopping season, but to help consumers to reconsider their habits of spending and how they can affect our environment.

To help drawing the attention to the consumerism, its problems and issues, there have been created a lot of different events as forms of protest all over the world. Some of them include:

• Coat exchanges in some states of America. People donate coats and anybody, who has a desire to possess a coat, is free to take it.
• Streets parties, which are free of charge.
• In San Francisco people paddle along the waterfront.
• A monthly bicycle ride, named as The Critical Mass, a lot of the time happens on this day or near it, which gives a way for rides in some cities to endorse and celebrate it.
• Some people cut their credit cards in shopping malls or stores, showing in this manner that everyone can end a rising debt and burglarious interest rates just with a simple act of cutting their credit card.
• Others took a different approach and decided to celebrate nature, instead of protesting against buying, by taking a hike, looking at Buy Nothing Day as a day that not only promote less consuming, but also more recycling.
• Participants pretend to be zombies and wonder around big shopping malls with a blank stare or get a shopping cart and steer them around without actually putting anything in.
• People protest publicly taking part in sit-in – a form of protest where participants occupy an area and sit there.
• Firstly appeared in 2009, a protest called Wildcat General Strike, during which the members, who take part in the activity, not only don’t buy anything on Buy Nothing Day, but they’re also turn off their phones, televisions, computers and lights.

Buy Nothing Day has received some criticism. The critics say that this day doesn’t change anything, because people would buy the day after it. Others complain that there are certain necessities, like food, that people have to buy. There are also those who claim that Buy Nothing Day is harmful for local businesses and that it’s economically unreasonable.

What you can do

There are many reasons why people decided to celebrate Buy Nothing Day instead of going mad on Black Friday. Looking at those crazy sales that appear on Black Friday, hearing people ecstatically screaming “I got this shirt 50% off!” only makes me think that you can get a 100% off just by staying at home and enjoying your time with your loved ones. Moreover, it’s been said that the ‘special deals’ that you see on Black Friday are no better and sometimes even worse that the ones you can get in the couple days before and after Christmas.

If you have a slight obsession with hunting for sales or just shopping in general, but you want to commit to staying away from it, here’s few thing that you can do on But Nothing Day or, in fact, any other day, instead of shopping. I can imagine, your wallet will be grateful, even if it’s just for a short period of time.

• Become an outdoorsy person, if you’re not already, and get outside! Take a walk with your dog, go for a run or play football with friends. Fresh air and nature surroundings are good not only for your body but for you mind and soul as well.
• Find water. If you’re feeling that stress is starting to get you, find a water source. Whether it’s a river, lake, fountain or waterfall, water is proven to have great calming abilities and it will also help you to reset your brain.
• Cook. Is there any cool recipe that you’ve always wanted to try? Now is the perfect time for it. There’s nothing better than a homemade meal, no matter if it’s only for you or for your whole family.
• Meditate. Meditation has a lot of benefits, besides, when, if not during the holiday season we’re swimming in a stress pool? This makes it the perfect time to take a deep breath in, a deep breath out and relax.
• Have a party. Call out your friends and gather together for a costume party or invite all of your family members for a game of charades. You can make this memorable for all of you.
• Plan a trip. It will occupy your busy mind and help you to have something to look forward to.
• Do nothing. Take a bath, read a book, watch your favorite TV series that you keep missing. Dedicate this whole day to yourself, it will help you to truly unwind and relax.

In my eyes, Buy Nothing Day certainly has a noble cause, but I think the word ‘celebrate’ has been used very loosely here. It looks more like a challenge for people who want to buy presents for Christmas. On the one hand, Buy Nothing Day has a great idea behind it, although, on the other hand, would one day be enough to stop consumerism? So, I guess, the question is – can you remodel the world just by buying nothing?

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162 lies and distortions in a news conference. NPR fact-checks former President Trump

Domenico Montanaro

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Aug. 8. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

There were a host of false things that Donald Trump said during his hour-long news conference Thursday that have gotten attention.

A glaring example is his helicopter emergency landing story, which has not stood up to scrutiny .

But there was so much more. A team of NPR reporters and editors reviewed the transcript of his news conference and found at least 162 misstatements, exaggerations and outright lies in 64 minutes. That’s more than two a minute. It’s a stunning number for anyone – and even more problematic for a person running to lead the free world.

Politicians spin. They fib. They misspeak. They make honest mistakes like the rest of us. And, yes, they even sometimes exaggerate their biographies .

The expectation, though, is that they will treat the truth as something important and correct any errors.

But what former President Trump did this past Thursday went well beyond the bounds of what most politicians would do.

Here’s what we found, going chronologically from the beginning of Trump’s remarks to the end:

1. “I think our country right now is in the most dangerous position it’s ever been in from an economic standpoint…” 

The U.S. economy has rebounded from the pandemic downturn more rapidly than most other countries around the world. Growth has slowed in recent months, but gross domestic product still grew at a relatively healthy annual clip of 2.8% in April, May and June – which is faster than the pace in three of the four years when Trump was president. — Scott Horsley, NPR chief economics correspondent

2. “…from a safety standpoint, both gangs on the street…”

We don’t have great, up-to-date data on gang activity in the U.S., but violent crime trends offer a good glimpse into safety in the country. Nationally, violent crime – that includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – has been trending way down after a surge in 2020, according to the most recent data from the FBI . That data is preliminary and incomplete, covering around three-quarters of the country, but other crime analysts have found similar trends. Crime levels, of course, vary locally : murders are down in Philadelphia, for instance, but up in Charlotte, N.C. — Meg Anderson, NPR National Desk reporter covering criminal justice

3. “...and frankly, gangs outside of our country in the form of other countries that are, frankly, very powerful. They’re very powerful countries.”

The U.S. is not in the “most dangerous position” from a foreign-policy standpoint than ever before. Biden pulled troops out of Afghanistan in his first year in office — though the withdrawal itself was chaotic and a target of much criticism — and since then, U.S. troops have not been actively engaged in a war for the first time in 20 years. The U.S. is supporting Ukraine and Israel, of course, and has troops in Iraq and Syria, but they’re not fighting on any regular basis.

What’s more, however, FBI Director Christopher Wray has said the greatest threat to the country is domestic extremism . And beyond organized groups the very definition of extremism is changing, as fringe ideologies move into the mainstream, and radicalization takes hold amongst parts of the populace. Consider: the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and the assassination attempt on Trump’s life, even with a motive that remains murky at best. Regardless, the call is coming from inside the house, domestic extremism experts warn. Many polls show a sobering degree of support for political violence to drive change. — Andrew Sussman, NPR supervising editor for national security

4-5. “ We have a lot of bad things coming up. You could end up in a Depression of the 1929 variety, which would be a devastating thing, took many years– took many decades to recover from it, and we’re very close to that.”

There is nothing to suggest that a 1930s style Depression is on the horizon for the United States. And the Depression did not take “many decades to recover from.” It ended during World War Two , in 1941. — Scott Horsley

6. “And we’re very close to a world war. In my opinion, we’re very close to a world war.”

No serious person thinks that the U.S., Russia and China are about to start a world war. Right now, Russia appears to be having a hard time defending Russia, given Ukraine’s recent incursions. While there are concerns about things like the potential for regional conflagrations in the Middle East, only Trump is talking about world war. — Andrew Sussman

7. “ Kamala's record is horrible. She's a radical left person at a level that nobody's seen.” 

It’s debatable how liberal Harris is. Some in California didn’t like her record on criminal justice and thought she was not progressive enough. She’s clearly liked by progressives and her voting scores as a senator are on the liberal end of the spectrum, but is she “radical left” and “at a level that nobody’s seen”? There are plenty of people alive and in history who would be considered far more liberal and more radical.

8. “She picked a radical left man.”

Few, if any, reasonable people would say Walz is a “radical left man.” He had a progressive record as governor with a Democratic legislature, but the things passed are hardly radical – free school lunch, protecting abortion rights, legalizing marijuana, restricting access to certain types of guns. All of these things have majority support from voters. What’s more, that “progressive” record ignores Walz’s first term as governor when he worked with Republicans because Democrats didn’t control the legislature. And it ignores Walz’s time as a congressman when he was considered a more moderate member given that he was from a district that had been previously held by a Republican.

9. “He's going for things that nobody's ever even heard of. Heavy into the transgender world.” 

Last year, Walz championed and signed a bill that prevented state courts of officials from complying with child-removal requests, extraditions, arrests or subpoenas related to gender-affirming health care that a person receives or provides in Minnesota. “Heavy into the transgender world” is vague and misleading.

10. “He doesn't want to have borders. He doesn't want to have walls.”

Walz has never called for having no borders. He has voiced opposition to a wall because he doesn't think it will stop illegal immigration. He told Anderson Cooper on CNN , for example, that a wall "is not how you stop" illegal immigration He called for more border-control agents, electronics and more legal ways to immigrate.

11. “He doesn't want to have any form of safety for our country.”

Trump himself praised Walz’s handling of the aftermath of the George Floyd murder at the hands of a police officer. And it’s certainly hyperbole to say he “doesn’t want any form of safety for our country.” Walz served in the U.S. National Guard for 24 years, so clearly, he’s interested in the country having national security. And domestically, he’s never been a “defund the police” advocate. Walz opposed a ballot measure that would have gotten rid of minimum police staffing levels, for example. That angered advocates. He signed police reforms into law , but that does not prove wanting no safety.

12. “He doesn't mind people coming in from prisons.”

Walz has not said he wants people coming in from prisons. Trump is trying to tie his claim that other countries are sending prisoners to the United States to Democrats’ immigration policies.

13. “And neither does she, I guess. Because she's not, she couldn't care less.”

Harris has said a lot to the contrary of not caring about the levels of migrants coming across the border, let alone people coming in from prisons. In fact, when in Guatemala, she said her message for people thinking of immigrating to the United States was: " Do not come. Do not come ."

14. “She's the border czar. By the way, she was the border czar, 100%. And all of a sudden, for the last few weeks, she's not the border czar anymore, like nobody ever said it.”

Harris was never appointed “border czar.” That’s a phrase that was used incorrectly by some media outlets. Biden tasked Harris with leading the “ diplomatic effort ” with leaders in Central American countries, where many migrants are coming from.

Biden said he wants Harris “to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border.” He added that Harris “agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept — the returnees, and enhance migration enforcement at their borders — at their borders.”

Harris herself that day spoke of “the need to address root causes for the migration that we’ve been seeing.”

15. “We have a very, very sick country right now. You saw the other day with the stock market crashing. That was just the beginning. That was just the beginning.”

The stock market did not “crash.” The stock market fell sharply at the end of last week as investors fretted about a softening job market. This was amplified on Monday when Japan’s stock market tumbled 12%, sparking a selloff around the world. Stocks in Japan and elsewhere have since regained much of this ground, however. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 683 points on the day of Trump’s news conference. — Scott Horsley

16. “Fortunately, we've had some very good polls over the last fairly short period of time.”

Most good polls have shown Harris gaining not just nationally, but also in the swing states, though these same polls show a very close race.

17. “Rasmussen came out today. We're substantially leading.” 

Trump is not substantially leading, and Rasmussen is viewed as one of the least credible pollsters in the country.

18. “And others came out today that we're leading, and in some cases, substantially, I guess, MSNBC came out, or CNBC came out also, with a poll that was, you know, has us leading.” 

Polls have not shown substantial leads. CNBC had Trump leading by 2, unchanged from his 2-point lead in July.

19. “And leading fairly big in swing states. In some polls, I'm leading very big in swing states… .”

Again, polls in swing states have shown a tightened race.

20. “But as a border czar, she's been the worst border czar in history, in the world history.”

Vice President Harris was never asked to lead immigration policy. That’s the job of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Again, the term “border czar” was used inaccurately by some media outlets, and it’s a term conservatives have been using to attack her, in part, because she has only visited the Southern U.S. border a few times since 2021. But in reality, Harris was tapped by President Biden to address the root causes of migration . Her approach has focused on deterrence. She’s told migrants to not come to the U.S., and she has been able to secure more than $5 billion in commitments from private companies to help boost the economy in Central American countries. — Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR immigration correspondent based in Texas 

21. “I think the number is 20 million, but whether it's 15 or 20, it's numbers that nobody's ever heard before. 20 million people came over the border in the last– during the Biden-Harris administration. Twenty-million people. And it could be very much higher than that. Nobody really knows what the number is.”

It’s unclear where Trump is getting this number from. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection , since 2021 agents have had more than 7.3 million encounters nationwide with migrants trying to cross into the country illegally. Under Biden, unlawful crossings hit an all-time high last year, but that number has decreased significantly, in part, due to Biden’s asylum restrictions at the Southern U.S. border. An April report from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics found there’s nearly 11 million unauthorized migrants in the country. — Sergio Martínez-Beltrán

22. “Just like far more people were killed in the Ukraine-Russia war than you have reported.”

Neither Russia nor Ukraine is revealing its own casualty figures, so there are only very broad estimates. — Andrew Sussman 

23. “A lot of great things would have happened, but now you have millions and millions of dead people. And you have people dying financially, because they can't buy bacon; they can't buy food; they can't buy groceries; they can't do anything. And they're living horribly in our country right now.”

Grocery prices actually jumped sharply during Trump’s last year in office, as pandemic lockdowns disrupted the food supply chain and Americans were suddenly forced to eat more of their meals at home. Grocery inflation in June 2020 hit 5.6%. This was masked, however, by a plunge in other prices, as the global economy fell into pandemic recession.

As the economy rebounded, prices did, too. Inflation began to rise in 2021, and spiked in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent food and energy prices soaring. Inflation has since moderated, falling from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3% in June 2024 . (July’s inflation figures will be released next week.) Grocery prices have largely leveled off in the last year, although they remain higher than they were before the pandemic – a potent reminder of the rising cost of living.

Economists have warned that Trump’s proposed import tariffs and immigration restrictions could result in higher inflation in the years to come. Researchers from the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimate the tariffs alone would cost the typical family about $1,700 a year . — Scott Horsley

24. “We've agreed with NBC, fairly full agreement, subject to them, on Sept. 10th.”

This is ABC, not NBC.

25. “She can't do an interview. She's barely competent and she can't do an interview.” 

Harris hasn’t done interviews since getting into the campaign, but she has done them in the past, so saying “she can’t do” one or that she is “barely competent” are just insults. Trump tends to revert to questioning the intelligence of Black women who challenge him. In fact, Trump did it nine times in this news conference, saying either Harris is not that “smart” (five times) "incompetent” (three times) or “barely competent,” as he did here.

26-27. “Why is it that millions of people were allowed to come into our country from prisons, from jails, from mental institutions, insane asylums, even insane asylums, that's a– it's a mental institution on steroids. That's what it is.”

Immigration experts have said they have not been able to find any evidence of this. Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, told FactCheck.org : “It’s hard to prove a negative — nobody’s writing a report saying, ‘Ecuador is not opening its mental institutions’ — but what I can say is that I work full-time on migration, am on many coalition mailing lists, correspond constantly with partners in the region, and scan 300+ RSS feeds and Twitter lists of press outlets and activists region wide, and I have not seen a single report indicating that this is happening. … As far as I can tell, it’s a total fabrication.”

Notably, a version of this did happen in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift from Cuba . The Washington Post noted three years later: “Back in 1980, it seemed to be a humanitarian and patriotic gesture to accept provisionally, without papers or visas, all those fleeing from the port of Mariel. More than 125,000 came. Most were true refugees, many had families here, and the great majority has settled into American communities without mishap. But the Cuban dictator played a cruel joke. He opened his jails and mental hospitals and put their inmates on the boats too.”

Without a question, some migrants who have come into the U.S. have committed crimes, but the data show the vast majority do not. According to Northwestern University , immigrants are less likely to commit a crime than U.S.-born people and certainly at no higher rates that the population writ large. (Trump goes on to repeat this claim minutes later in the news conference as well, so it is included in our count here.)

28. “We have a president that's the worst president in the history of our country.”

Trump may have this opinion, but he says it as if it’s fact, and a 2022 survey of historians ranked Biden in the top half of presidents. Trump, on the other hand, was No. 43. The two below Trump were James Buchanan, who did little to stop the impending U.S. Civil War, and the impeached and nearly convicted Andrew Johnson.

29. “We have a vice president who is the least admired, least respected, and the worst vice president in the history of our country.” 

A recent rating of vice presidents did not show this. Harris was in the bottom half of vice presidents, but Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, Henry A. Wallace and were toward the bottom of the list.

30. “The most unpopular vice president.”

This might have been true about a year ago or so, but not anymore. An NBC poll then showed Harris had the lowest favorability rating of any modern VP they’d tested. But her numbers have turned around. The NPR poll had Harris with a 46%/48% favorable to unfavorable rating, which was higher than Trump’s and his running mate, JD Vance, who is among the least popular running mates in recent history .

31. “Don't forget, she was the first one defeated. As I remember it, because I watched it very closely, but she was the first one.”

Harris was not “defeated,” because she dropped out of the Democratic presidential race before Iowa. But even if one considers her dropping out on Dec. 3, 2019, a defeat, she was not the first of the Democratic candidates in that primary campaign to do so. At least 10 others dropped out sooner .

32-34. “And I'm no Biden fan, but I'll tell you what, from a constitutional standpoint, from any standpoint you're looking at, they took the presidency away. … And they took it away.” 

There’s nothing in the U.S. Constitution about picking presidential candidates. This is a party process, and everything has been done within party rules. And, again, the presidency wasn’t taken away: Biden is still president.

35. “They said they're going to use the 25th Amendment.”

This was never floated as a possibility to get Biden to withdraw from the race. Biden’s Cabinet members are all people he appointed and who are loyal to him. In addition, the 25th Amendment outlines a procedure for removing a sitting president from office, not from running for a second term.

36-39. "They're going to hit you hard. ‘Either we can do it the nice way. I heard, I know exactly, because I know a lot of people on the other side, believe it or not. And, they said, ‘We'll do it the nice way, or we'll do it the hard way.’ And he said, ‘All right.”

This was not said; he did not hear; no Democrats in the know are talking to Trump; and this dialogue is made up.

40. “We're leading, we're leading.”

The race is statistically tied in national polls and in the states. In some national polls, Harris leads. In some, Trump does.

41-42. “I'm saying it's a–, for a country with a Constitution that we cherish, we cherish this Constitution to have done it this way is pretty severe, pretty horrible. … But to just take it away from him, like he was a child.”

Again, this is Trump talking about how Biden stepped aside, and there’s nothing in the Constitution about how the political parties should pick candidates. And nothing was taken away.

43-46. “And he's a very angry man right now, I can tell you that. He's not happy with Obama, and he's not happy with Nancy Pelosi. Crazy Nancy, she is crazy, too. She's not happy with any of the people that told him that you've gotta leave. He's very unhappy, very angry, and I think he, He also blames her. He's trying to put up a good face, but it's a very bad thing in terms of a country when you do that. I'm not a fan of his, as you probably have noticed, and he had a rough debate, but that doesn't mean that you just take it away like that.” 

Trump can’t speak to Biden’s state of mind; all evidence is that Nancy Pelosi is perfectly sane – see her recent multiple rounds of interviews about her book, including with NPR ; again, Trump doesn’t know Biden’s state of mind; and again, nobody took it away.

47-51. “She's trying to say she had nothing to do with the border. She had everything. She was appointed to head the border. And then they said border czar. Oh, she loved that name. She loved that name. But she never went there. She went to a location once along the border, but that was a location that you would love to go and have dinner with your husband or whoever. That was a location that was not part of the problem. That was not really going to the border. So I– essentially she never went to the border.”

(1) As previously noted, she was not put in charge of the border and certainly did not have “everything” to do with it; (2) she was not appointed to head the border; (3) if “they” is the White House, then “they” did not call her “border czar”; (4) Trump doesn’t know what Harris might have thought about the term; (5) Harris did not go to a place at the border “you would love to go and have dinner with your husband or whoever.”

In 2021, Harris toured border patrol facilities in El Paso, Texas, visited an area where asylum seekers were screened, and met with migrants. Republicans criticized her at the time for not going to the Rio Grande Valley.

52. “Now we have the worst border in the history of the world.” 

World history is filled with cases where one country has crossed a border and invaded a neighboring country.

53. “She destroyed San Francisco. She destroyed California as the A.G. But as the D.A. She destroyed it. She– San Francisco. … She destroyed– no cash bail, weak on crime, uh, she's terrible.”

As San Francisco’s district attorney from 2004 to 2011, and then California’s attorney general until 2017, it’s true that Kamala Harris was deeply connected to how crime was prosecuted during that particular period. However, no single person is responsible for destroying any city or state, not to mention that both are not destroyed.

There are just too many factors that contribute to why crime rises and falls. What’s more, according to the FBI , both violent and property crime rates in California more or less mirrored national trends during her tenures. As a prosecutor, Harris was largely seen as aligning more with law-and-order tendencies, though she has supported some progressive reforms, like offering certain criminal defendants drug treatment instead of going to trial. She also tweeted support for a Minnesota bail fund after the 2020 protests of George Floyd’s murder. — Meg Anderson

During her campaign for the 2020 nomination, she rolled out a plan that would have phased out cash bail , and she pledged to eliminate it as president because “no one should have to sit in jail for days or even years because they don’t have the money to pay bail.” But in the same campaign, during a debate, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard criticized Harris for keeping cash bail in place as district attorney.

54. “And yet they weaponized the system against me.” 

The justice system was not weaponized against Trump. Biden went through pains to not show any interference with the Justice Department. And Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers in New York in a state case.

55-58. “I won the big case in Florida. I won the big case. … Nobody even wrote about it. The big case.” 

(1) Trump did not “win” the classified documents case against him in Florida; (2) this was not “the big case” against him; (3) there was plenty of coverage of it; and (4) he goes on to repeat that he won the case later.

For context: the judge in the case controversially dismissed it, claiming the special counsel was unconstitutionally appointed despite Supreme Court decisions upholding independent counsels. The Justice Department has signaled it will appeal by the end of August but by the time the decision comes back, the election will be over.

Trump had four criminal cases against him including the classified documents case – the fraudulent business practices case in New York, for which he was convicted on 34 felony counts; an election interference case in Georgia; and the other federal case dealing with Jan. 6. If there was a biggest case, it was the last one.

59. “The judge was a brilliant judge, and all they do is they play the ref with the judges. But this judge was a fair but brilliant judge.”

There has been lots of criticism of the judge in the case, Aileen Cannon, who Trump appointed. She had very little experience as a trial judge, made several decisions that were questioned by legal experts and early in this case, had a ruling, in which she called for a special master to review classified documents first, overturned by the 11th Circuit.

60. “Now Biden lost it because he didn't have presidential immunity. He didn't have the Presidential Records Act. He lost it.”

This was not “Biden’s case.” It was to be tried by special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. The Biden White House has made efforts to keep an arms-length distance from the investigation. Biden often declined to comment on the Justice Department’s and state investigations into Trump when it would likely have been politically advantageous for him to talk about it on the campaign trail.

61. “But the– I call it prosecutors, special counsel, special prosecutor to me. He–, appointed by him and appointed by Garland. He said the man's incompetent. He can't stand trial, but he can run for president.” 

This appears to be a misrepresentation of what special counsel Robert Hur said of Biden in a report he released investigating the president’s handling of classified documents. Hur said he wouldn’t be charging Biden, called the president “an elderly man with a poor memory" and said a jury might find sympathy with him because of it. He did not say Biden was incompetent and could not stand trial.

62. “She couldn't pass her bar exam.”

This is false. Harris passed her bar exam on the second try . She failed on first attempt, which is not unusual for California’s bar exam given its difficulty.

63. “I was doing very well with Black voters, and I still am. I seem to be doing very well with Black males. This is according to polls, as you know. 

Trump was not doing “very well” with Black voters. Biden was not doing as well with Black voters as he did in 2020, according to most surveys, but that didn’t mean Black voters were moving heavily toward Trump. Many seemed more likely not to vote. There were signs that Trump was doing better with Black men, but there wasn’t much good evidence to support this in polling, considering most national polls have such high margins of error with voter groups. A typical national survey might have 1,000 voters and 100 or so Black voters, give or take. That’s typically a margin of error upward of +/- 10 percentage points, meaning results could be a whopping 10 points higher or lower.

64. “Extremely well with Hispanic.”

Like with Black voters, it’s difficult to tell in most national surveys exactly how well a candidate is doing with Latino voters because of high margins of error. “Extremely well” depends on how it’s defined, but this is an exaggeration.

65. “Jewish voters, way up.”

Jewish voters traditionally vote roughly 2-to-1 for Democrats in presidential elections, so this seems more like a hope than reality.

66. “White males, way up. White males have gone through the roof. White males, way up.” 

It’s just not the case that Trump is “way up.” NPR polling finds that while Trump is doing as well as ever with white men without college degrees, Harris – and Biden before her – is actually leading with white men with college degrees, a group Trump won in 2020, according to exit polls .

67. “It could be that I'll be affected somewhat with Black females. Well, we're doing pretty well. And I think ultimately they'll like me better, because I'm gonna give them security, safety and jobs.”

Trump is not doing well with Black females. Black women are a key pillar Democratic voting group, and Black voters have moved more in Harris’ favor since she’s gotten in.

69. “We have a very bad economy right now. We could, we could literally be on the throes of a depression. Not recession, a Depression. And they can't have that. They can't have that.”

This is not the case. See earlier fact check. (He repeats this again later in the press conference, so it is included here in the count.)

70. “I know Josh Shapiro. He's a terrible guy. And he's not very popular with anybody.” 

A Fox News poll last month showed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a finalist to be Harris’ running mate, had a 61% approval rating in the state. Other polls also found him with a net-positive rating, though, not quite as high.

71. “Listen, I had 107,000 people in New Jersey. You didn't report it.”

It was reported that the numbers come from faulty information about the size of a crowd at Trump’s rally. More accurate estimates appear to be anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 . Still, a very large crowd, but Trump is exaggerating here.

72-77. “What did she have yesterday? 2,000 people? If I ever had 2,000 people, you'd say my campaign is finished. It's so dishonest, the press. … When she gets 1,500 people, and I saw it yesterday on ABC, which they said, ‘Oh, the crowd was so big.’ … I have 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the crowd size. And no, they never say the crowd was big. … I think it's so terrible when you say, ‘Well she has 1,500 people, 1,000 people,’ and they talk about, oh, the enthusiasm.” 

(1-3) Trump gave at least three incorrect estimates here, downplaying Harris’ crowd sizes (2,000, 1,500 and 1,000); (4) He also far overestimated how big his crowd sizes are compared to Harris’; (5-6) He twice said the press is dishonest about her crowd size and about his.

For context, the Harris campaign’s estimate was 10,000 or more at each rally. What the exact number is might be unclear — as is often the case with crowd-size estimates — but they were bigger than 2,000 and 1,500. Reporters have often commented on the size of Trump’s crowds. Frequently, they are very large, certainly larger than ones that Hillary Clinton drew in 2016 or Joe Biden this year, but Trump also regularly exaggerates their sizes.

78. “If I were president, you wouldn't have Russia and Ukraine, where it never happened. Zero chance. You wouldn't have had Oct. 7th of Israel.”

This is speculation, and that there is simply no way to know what would have happened in either case if he'd been reelected.

79. “You wouldn't have had inflation. You wouldn't have had any inflation because inflation was caused by their bad energy problems.” 

Again, this is speculative. Energy and food prices jumped sharply around the world following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russian energy. Gasoline prices in the U.S. hit a record high topping $5 a gallon. But domestic energy production has not suffered during the Biden administration. In fact, U.S. oil and natural gas production hit record highs last year. AAA reports the average price of gasoline today is $3.45/gallon. — Scott Horsley

80. "I don't know if you know, they're drilling now because they had to go back because gasoline was going up to $7, $8, $9 a barrel."

Oil and gas production has largely been determined by energy companies. They were disciplined about not expanding production when prices were low but have become more aggressive as prices climbed. While Kamala Harris opposed “fracking” for oil and gas during her 2019 presidential campaign, she now says she would not try to outlaw the practice – which is important in battleground states such as Pennsylvania. — Scott Horsley

81. “Everybody's going to be forced to buy an electric car, which they're not going to do because they don't want that. It's got a great market. It's got a market. It's really a sub market.”

The Biden administration has set a goal of having 50% of new vehicle sales be electric by 2030 . It has primarily tried to achieve this through carrots rather than sticks, offering incentives to make electric cars more affordable, encouraging the development of electric charging stations and using the federal government’s own purchasing power to create demand. — Scott Horsley

82. “We don't have enough electricity. We couldn't make enough electricity for that.”

A shift to electric vehicles will require a rapid updating and expansion of the U.S. power grid, according to the Electric Power Research Institute . However, as EVs become more efficient, the increased demand could be reduced by as much as 50% per mile traveled over the next three decades. — Scott Horsley

83. “The weight of a car, the weight of a truck, they want all trucks to be electric. Little things that a lot of people don't talk about. The weight of a truck is two-and-a-half times, two-and-a- half times heavier.” 

Electric vehicles are typically heavier than gasoline-powered vehicles, because of the batteries. But the weight difference is about 30% , not 250% as Trump said. What’s more, American vehicles have been getting heavier for decades, long before the move to EVs, thanks to the popularity of pickup trucks and SUVs.

84. “You would have to rebuild every bridge in this country, if you were going to do this ridiculous policy.”

While many bridges and other transportation infrastructure need improvement , the additional weight of EVs is just one of many factors that will need to be considered. Another challenge is that bridges and highways are typically funded through gasoline taxes. The shift to EVs, which don’t use gasoline, will require an alternate source of highway funding.

85-90. “So, but on crowd size in history, for any country, nobody's had crowds like I have, and you know that. And when she gets 1,000 people and everybody starts jumping, you know that if I had a thousand people would say, people would say, that's the end of his campaign. I have hundreds of thousands of people in, uh, South Carolina. I had 88,000 people in Alabama. I had 68,000 people. Nobody says about crowd size with me, but she has 1,000 people or 1,500 people, and they say, oh, the enthusiasm's back.”

There were at least six different misstatements here – (1) Trump has had large crowds, but “in history,” there certainly there have been people with larger crowds, from Barack Obama and others; (2, 3) her crowds have been larger than 1,000, which he repeats twice; (4) no serious analysts have said this is the end of Trump’s campaign. This race is very close; (5) there’s no evidence for crowds of the size Trump notes in South Carolina and Alabama; (6) people do talk about Trump’s crowd sizes.

91. “They wanna stop people from pouring into our country, from places unknown and from countries unknown from countries that nobody ever heard of.”

Someone has likely heard of whatever the unnamed country is.

92-93. “We're leading in Georgia by a lot. We're leading in Pennsylvania by a lot.”

The races in Georgia and Pennsylvania are within the margin of error, according to an average of the polls.

94. “So I won Alabama by a record. Nobody's ever gotten that many votes. I won South Carolina by a record. You don't win Alabama and South Carolina by records and lose Georgia. It doesn't happen.”

It does, and here’s why. Demographically, Georgia has become very different from South Carolina and Alabama. Georgia’s population is now majority-minority, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Alabama and South Carolina are 64% and 63% white, respectively.

Georgia’s Black population is also significant politically — 33% of the state’s population is Black. By comparison, Alabama is 27% Black, South Carolina 26%. Latinos also make up 11% of Georgia’s population and Asian Americans are 5%, both of which are higher than Alabama and South Carolina. And Georgia’s population is marginally younger — 15% of Georgia’s population is older than 65% compared to 18% in Alabama and 19% in South Carolina.

95. “If we have honest elections in Georgia, if we have honest elections in Pennsylvania, We're gonna win them by a lot.”

Winning them by a lot is highly unlikely, considering how close the states have been in recent elections, but perhaps more pressing is Trump’s insinuation that there were voting problems in the two states, which there were not. That’s why Trump is upset with Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, for example, because he upheld the valid 2020 election results even in the face of pressure from Trump.

96. “Of course there'll be a peaceful transfer. And there was last time.”

This wholly ignores the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol, which took place because of Trump’s election lies.

97. “Because I'm leading by a lot.”

Again, this is a very close race.

98. “We have commercials that are at a level I don't think that anybody's ever done before.”

This is false. Since Super Tuesday, Democrats have outspent Trump’s campaign and outside groups supporting him by more than double, according to data provided by AdImpact and analyzed by NPR — $373.5 million to $150.6 million.

99. “She's not smart enough to do a news conference.”

There is plenty of evidence that Harris is “smart enough to do a news conference,” as she has done in the past.

100. "We're in great danger of being in World War III. That could happen." 

Again, no serious analyst believes this.

101. “I think those people were treated very harshly, when you compare them to other things that took place in this country where a lot of people were killed.”

The Justice Department investigation into the events of Jan. 6, 2021, is the largest and most complex federal criminal probe in U.S. history, the attorney general has said. More than 140 law enforcement officers were injured that day, in what U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves has described as the biggest mass casualty event involving police. It’s hard to find any comparable event in recent American history.

As of Aug. 6, 2024, according to Graves’s office, prosecutors have charged more than 160 people with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer. Prosecutors have also secured convictions on the rarely-deployed charge of seditious conspiracy, or attempting to overthrow the government by use of force, against top leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

Even so, only a small number of Jan. 6 defendants have been held in federal custody while they await trial. Mostly, these are the rioters who allegedly used the most violence on that day more than three years ago. Republican members of Congress have toured the jail facilities and decried conditions there, expressions of support that defendants facing ordinary charges in D.C. have not received. — Carrie Johnson, NPR national justice correspondent

102. “Nobody was killed on Jan. 6th.” 

Conservatives were upset at the time that one of the rioters, Ashli Babbitt, was killed when she was shot by police, as she was trying to force her way into the Speaker’s Lobby of the Capitol, which leads to the House chamber, with a crowd of others. Many officers were injured that day; one died of a stroke as a result of Jan. 6; and others later died by suicide that their families say was also a result of Jan. 6.

103-105. “And, you know, it's very interesting, the biggest crowd I've ever spoken to. … The biggest crowd I've ever spoken before was that day. … The biggest crowd I've ever spoken. … I've spoken to the biggest crowds. Nobody's spoken to crowds bigger than me.” 

It was not the biggest crowd he’s ever spoken to. His inauguration would have topped that. And others have had bigger crowds, as noted earlier.

106. “I said peacefully and patriotically.”

While Trump did utter those words, it is misleading. Trump also said the word “fight” multiple times , and he told the already angry crowd because of the election lies he fed them: “We fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” Trump aides testified that he “refused” to tweet the word “peaceful” in the days leading up to the rally because he thought it might discourage people from being there, and he was concerned about his crowd size.

107-108. “If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same, everything, same number of people. If not, we had more. …You look at the picture of his crowd, my crowd, uh, we actually had more people.”

First, the speeches did not take place at the “same real estate.” Trump spoke from a position just south of the Ellipse. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Second, the crowds were not the same size and Trump’s was certainly not larger. It is an extraordinary claim and shows just how much Trump cares about crowd size.

109. “We have a Constitution. It's a very important document, and we live by it. She has no votes.” 

Again, there’s nothing in the Constitution about how parties should pick their presidents.

110-111. “They said, ‘You're not going to win, you can't win, you're out.’ And at first they said it nicely, and he wasn't leaving, and then you, you know, the, you know it better than anybody. … At first, they were going to go out to another vote, they were going to go through a primary system, a quick primary system, which it would have to be. And then it all disappeared, and they just picked a person.”

As explained earlier, this is not how Biden wound up stepping aside. The story is yet another Trump invention. He also lies here in saying that “they were going to go through a primary system” and “it would have to be” a quick primary system.” There’s no requirement that a primary is held. In fact, for many years, candidates’ selection as party nominees had nothing to do with primaries, and they were not as prevalent as today.

112-113. “That was the first out. She was the first loser, OK? So, we call her the first loser. She was the first loser when– during the primary system, during the Democrat primary system, she was the first one to quit. And she quit.”

As explained earlier, Harris was not the first one out in the 2020 Democratic primary race. And “first loser” appears to be a name Trump made up at this news conference, as Harris has not been referred to that way as a result of her run for the 2020 nomination.

114. “She did, obviously, a bad job. She never made it to Iowa. Then for some reason, and I'm, I know he regrets it, you do too, uh, he picked her, and she turned on him too. She was working with the people that wanted him out."

Once again, this is a false conspiracy invented by Trump.

115. “She was the first one out.” 

Trump repeats this false line again.

116. “I think the abortion issue is written very much tempered down, and I've answered I think very well in the debate, and it seems to be much less of an issue, especially for those where they have the exceptions.”

Abortion rights as a political and social issue has certainly not “tempered down.” There are millions of women, especially across the South, who do not have access to abortion and women who have experienced pregnancy losses with the inability to access medications for those necessary procedures.

117. “As you know, and I think it's when I look for 52 years, they wanted to bring abortion back to the states. They wanted to get rid of Roe v. Wade and that's Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, and everybody. Liberals, conservatives, everybody wanted it back in the states. And I did that.”

Everybody absolutely did not want that. It was actually quite unpopular for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe . And he again repeats that it has become less of an issue.

118-119. “I think that abortion has become much less of an issue. It's a very small.” 

“I think it's actually going to be a very small issue. What I've done is I've done what every Democrat and every Every Republican wanted to have done.” 

“I think the abortion issue has been taken down many notches. I don't think it's of– I don't think it's a big factor anymore, really.”

Minutes apart from each other, he repeats these three false claims. Abortion rights is not a “very small” issue for millions of voters. Democrats are organizing around it, and it has been seminal to Biden and Harris’ campaigns.

120. “Previous to [Virginia Gov.] Glenn [Youngkin], the governor, he said the baby will be born, we will put the baby aside, and we will decide with the mother what we're going to do. In other words, whether or not we're going to kill the baby.”

This is a distortion Republicans continue to push about what former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said. This has been fact-checked by others multiple times .

121-122. “I think the abortion issue has been, uh, taken down many notches. I don't think it's of, uh, I don't think it's a big factor anymore, really.”

“Everybody wanted it in the states.”

“But that issue has is very much subdued.”

He once again returns to the issue of abortions, which remains a “factor,” not everybody wanted it in the states, the issue is not “very much subdued.”

123-124. “ She wants to take away everyone's gun.” 

Harris has not proposed taking away all guns. She has proposed banning assault-style weapons, something that was in place for a decade. Some surveys had shown majority support for this. Others show a split. (Trump makes this case later, as well, so that is also included in the count.)

125. “Some countries have actually gone the opposite way. They had very strong gun laws and now they have gone the opposite way, where they allowed people to have guns, where in one case they encouraged people to go out and get guns, and crime is down 29%.”

It’s difficult to compare gun violence and gun laws in the United States to other countries, simply because of the staggering amount of guns we have here. Although the U.S. has less than 5% of the world’s population, it holds almost 40% or more of the world’s civilian-owned guns. And it has “the highest homicide-by-firearm rate of the world’s most developed nations,” per the Council on Foreign Relations . Norway, Canada and Australia all tightened their gun restrictions after shootings. — Meg Anderson

126. “On July 4th, 117 people were shot and 17 died. The toughest gun laws in the United States are in the city of Chicago. You know that. They had 117 people shot. Afghanistan does not have that.” 

Though Trump didn’t get the numbers exactly right, Chicago did have an incredibly violent July 4th holiday weekend this year. According to Mayor Brandon Johnson, more than 100 people were shot and 19 of those people died. Chicago does have strict gun laws, in part because its state does: Everytown For Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, ranks Illinois third in the nation for the strength of its gun-control laws. However, no state or city exists within a bubble, and Illinois is surrounded by states with much weaker laws, including Indiana, which is just a short drive from Chicago. — Meg Anderson

127. “For 18 months, not one American soldier was shot at or killed, but not even shot at.” 

This is, to put it charitably, misleading. It appears that he’s actually referencing the period when the Trump administration signed the deal with the Taliban, in advance of U.S. troops leaving. The deal said the U.S. would be out in 14 months, and in exchange the Taliban wouldn’t harbor terrorists and would stop attacking U.S. service members. Needless to say, the deal didn’t hold. But as the AP notes , “There was an 18-month stretch that saw no combat, or ‘hostile,’ deaths in Afghanistan: from early February 2020 to August 2021.” – Andrew Sussman

128. “Kamala is in favor of not giving Israel weapons. That's what I hear.”

Harris does not support an Israel weapons embargo. A Biden administration official posted on social media that Harris "has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.” A leader of the uncommitted movement said Harris “expressed an openness” to a meeting about an embargo, but the Biden administration official said Harris "will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law,” not that she would support an embargo.

129. “She's been very, very bad to Israel, and she's been very bad and disrespectful to Jewish people.”

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. The couple has hosted Passover Seders.

130. “Well, I know Willie Brown very well. In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together and there was an emergency landing.”

This claim has not held up to scrutiny. Politico reported that Trump did have to make an emergency landing in a helicopter with a Black California politician decades ago, but it wasn’t Willie Brown, the former San Francisco mayor and state assembly speaker. It was Nate Holden, a former Los Angeles city councilman and state senator.

131-132. “This was not a pleasant landing, and Willie was— he was a little concerned. So I know him. I know him pretty well. I mean, I haven't seen him in years. But he told me terrible things about her.”

“He was not a fan of hers very much at that point.”

This is something Trump repeated twice, minutes apart from each other. Brown strongly denies having been on a helicopter with Trump or telling Trump negative things about Harris, whom he dated in the mid-1990s and supports now for president. The relationship ended in 1995.

133. “Our tax cuts, which are the biggest in history… .”

The 2017 tax cuts were not the biggest in history. As a share of the economy, they barely make the top 10 . They were big enough, however, to blow a big hole in the federal budget, which is why Trump was overseeing a nearly $1 trillion dollar annual deficit before the pandemic. — Scott Horsley

134. “It'll destroy the economy.”

This is what Trump said will happen if his tax cuts are not renewed. But The 2017 tax cut did not deliver the economic boom that its supporters promised, and there’s no reason to think reversing a portion of the cut would cause economic destruction. — Scott Horsley

135. “I've never seen people get elected by saying, 'We're going to give you a tax increase.'”

Vice President Harris has echoed President Biden’s pledge not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000. However, Biden has called for raising taxes on wealthy individuals and raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% – halfway back to where it was before the 2017 cut. — Scott Horsley

136. “These guys get up, think of it. ‘We're going to give you no security.’ …”

No Democratic presidential candidate has advocated “no security.”

137. “We're going to give you a weak military… .’ ”

An analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, showed a “review of historical defense budget trends shows there is more at play in determining overall investments in defense than just which party is in the White House.” Indeed, since the year 2000, U.S.-led wars overseas have resulted in a surge of spending by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

138-139. “…We're going to give you no walls, no borders, no anything.”

Harris, Walz and the Democratic Party have never said they want “no borders.” They certainly oppose Trump’s wall/fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, citing the exorbitant cost and its relative ineffectiveness, they say, compared to using other methods. (Trump later says that Harris wants “open borders,” so that’s included in the count here.)

140. “...We're going to give you a tax increase.”

Again, this is misleading and suggests Harris wants to increase taxes across the board when they have consistently talked about increasing taxes only on the wealthy. In Harris’ view, those making more than $400,000 a year .

141. “They're gonna destroy Social Security.”

Democrats have consistently advocated for keeping Social Security and making it solvent.

142. “They've weaponized government against me. Look at the Florida case. It was a totally weaponized case. All of these cases, by the way, the New York cases are totally controlled out of the Department of Justice. They sent their top person to the various places. They went to the A.G.'s office, got that one going, then he went to the D.A.'s office, got that one going, ran through it. No, no, this is all politics, and it's a disgrace.”

In congressional testimony this year, Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers that President Biden had never called him to discuss any of the cases against Trump. Garland also had aides review Justice Department leaders’ email for any correspondence with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In a letter to Congress in June 2024, the Justice Department said it had found no such contacts.

In that same letter, Justice Department legislative affairs chief Carlos Uriarte said the department did not “dispatch” former acting Associate Attorney General Matthew Colangelo to New York to join Bragg’s team prosecuting Trump. “Department leadership was unaware of his work on the investigation and prosecution involving the former president until it was reported in the news,” Uriarte wrote. — Carrie Johnson

143. “Any time you have mail-in ballots, you're gonna have problems. ... We should have one-day voting; we should have paper ballots; we should have voter ID; and we should have proof of citizenship.” 

Trump continues to spread baseless claims about mail ballots. There’s no proof of widespread fraud with the voting method. When it comes to paper ballots, they're standard. One estimate found that in the 2024 general election, "nearly 99% of all registered voters will live in jurisdictions where they can cast a ballot with a paper record of the vote."

The proof of citizenship comment echoes a Republican push on the issue , though studies have shown voting by non-U.S. citizens in federal elections to be exceedingly rare. The GOP-led House has passed a bill to require such documentary proof, but it’s likely to go no further in a Senate led by Democrats who are opposed to adding new voting restrictions. — Ben Swasey, voting editor

144. “The polls have suggested, there are some polls that say we're going to win in a landslide.” 

There are no polls that suggest Trump will win in a landslide. By all accounts, this is a very close race.

145. “...they're paying 50, 60, 70 percent more for food than they did just a couple of years ago.”

The rise in grocery prices is a common complaint , but Trump exaggerates the scale of the increase. According to the Consumer Price Index, grocery prices have risen 25% since before the pandemic and 21% since President Biden took office. (At the same time, average wages have risen 23% since before the pandemic and 17% since President Biden took office.)

146-149. The Strategic National Reserve is “virtually empty now. We've never had it this low.”

“He's sucked all of the oil out.”

“Essentially the gasoline to keep the, to keep the price down a little bit. … But you know what? We have no strategic national reserves now. He's emptied it. It's almost empty. It's never been this low.”

“They've just, for the sake of getting some votes, for the sake of having gasoline–. You know, that's meant for wars. It's meant for, like, tragedy. It's not meant to keep a gasoline price down, so that somebody can vote for Biden or, in this case, Kamala.” 

The strategic oil reserve is actually up in the past year . Biden has since repurchased about 32 million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As of this month, the reserve held about 376 million barrels of oil. The reserve was lower when Trump left office than when he got in.

150. “I see it right now, I see her going way down on the polls now.”

The opposite is true. Harris has continued her momentum since getting into the race.

151-152. “...now that people are finding out that she destroyed San Francisco, she destroyed the state of California.” 

As addressed earlier, Harris is not entirely responsible for San Francisco or the state of California. Crime trends there were similar to national crime trends during her time as district attorney in San Francisco and as the state’s attorney general. What’s more, preliminary data for this year indicates that many cities in California, including San Francisco, are seeing murder rates falling. (Trump repeats the claim one more time later in the news conference, so it is included in the count here.) — Meg Anderson

153. “She was early, I mean, she was the first of the prosecutors, really, you know, now you see Philadelphia, you see Los Angeles, you see New York, you see various people that are very bad, but she was the first of the bad prosecutors, she was early.”

Although Harris did refer to herself in her 2019 memoir as a “progressive prosecutor,” her legacy has largely been seen as tougher on crime. She has supported some progressive reforms, such as pretrial diversion, which offers certain criminal defendants things like drug treatment instead of going to trial. — Meg Anderson

154. “You know, with Hillary Clinton, I could have done things to her that would have made your head spin. I thought it was a very bad thing – take the wife of a president of the United States, and put her in jail. And then I see the way they treat me. That's the way it goes. But I was very protective of her. Nobody would understand that. But I was. I think my people understand it. They used to say, lock her up, lock her up. And I'd say, just relax, please.”

Trump called for Clinton’s imprisonment multiple times , including going along with crowd chants of “lock her up.”

155. “Don't forget, she got a subpoena from the United States Congress, and then after getting the subpoena, she destroyed everything that she was supposed to get. 

Clinton aides requested emails be deleted months before the subpoena, and the FBI said there’s no evidence the messages were deleted with a subpoena in mind. — Carrie Johnson

156. “I thought it was so bad to take her, and put her in jail, the wife of a president of the United States. And then, when it's my turn, nobody thinks that way.”

The Justice Department closed an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct some State Department business in 2016. Then-FBI Director Jim Comey gave a press conference to explain his reasoning in July of that election year. Comey said, “We did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information,” but he criticized Clinton and her aides for being “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information” that flowed through the server.

By contrast, prosecutors in the Florida case against former President Donald Trump said Trump had flouted requests from the FBI and a subpoena for highly classified materials he stored in unsecure spaces like a ballroom and a bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The indictment in that case accuses Trump of unlawfully retaining government secrets and of intentionally obstructing justice with the help of an aide who moved boxes of materials and otherwise allegedly thwarted the FBI probe. Trump and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department says it is appealing the district court’s decision to toss the case on constitutional grounds. — Carrie Johnson

157. “A lot of the MAGA, as they call them, but the base. And I think the base is, I think the base is 75% of the country, far beyond the Republican Party.”

Rounding up, Trump won 46% of the vote in 2016 and 47% of the vote in 2020. He has a high floor, but a low ceiling politically. Majorities continue to say they have an unfavorable rating of Trump, which has been consistent for years. No American presidential candidate has ever gotten 75% of the vote in this country, dating back to 1824 since data was kept for popular votes. Lyndon B. Johnson got 61% in 1964, Richard Nixon slightly less than 61% in 1972, Ronald Reagan 59% in 1984. Since then, Barack Obama got nearly 53% in 2008 and 51% in 2012, the first candidate since Eisenhower to win at least 51% of the vote twice.

158. “My sons are members, and I guess indirectly I'm a member, too.”

Trump here is talking about membership in the National Rifle Association. Another family member being an NRA member does not make someone else an NRA member “indirectly.”

159. “She served 24 years for being on a phone call having to do with drugs. You know who I'm talking about. She was great. And she had another 24 years to go. And it was largely about marijuana, which in many cases is now legalized, OK?”

Presumably, Trump is talking about Alice Marie Johnson, who had been convicted on cocaine conspiracy and money laundering charges . Kim Kardashian advocated for Johnson and won a pardon for her from Trump.

160. “They're either really stupid, and I don't believe they're stupid, because anybody that can cheat in elections like they cheat is not stupid.”

More than 60 court cases proved there was not widespread fraud or cheating that would have made any difference in any state.

161. “Lately I've seen where they're trying to sign these people up to vote. And they have to stop. They cannot let illegal immigrants vote in this upcoming election.”

This is a conspiracy not based in fact. Immigrants in the country illegally cannot vote in presidential elections, and there’s no evidence there is an intentional effort to sign them up in mass numbers to sway elections.

162. “If you go to California, and you ask the people of California, do they like the idea of sanctuary cities? They don't like it.”

The subject of sanctuary cities actually mostly splits Californians. Slim majorities have actually said that they favor the sanctuary-state law and are against their cities opting out of the law. Of course, this breaks down along party lines, and since California is heavily Democratic, those results might not be surprising. But it’s more divided than Trump suggests.

• 2024 presidential election

Inflation Falls Below 3% for First Time Since 2021

Consumer prices rose 2.9 percent in the year through July, a downtick from the prior month. The report keeps the Federal Reserve firmly on track to cut interest rates next month.

• Share full article

+3.2% excluding

food and energy

+2.9% in July

Jeanna Smialek

Cooling inflation likely ‘ticks the box’ for a Fed rate cut.

The Consumer Price Index cooled in July compared with a year earlier, providing further evidence that inflation is moderating and likely keeping the Federal Reserve firmly on track to cut interest rates at its meeting next month.

Overall inflation was 2.9 percent in July on a yearly basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported , easing slightly from 3 percent in June. The figure was milder than economists had expected, and it marked the first time inflation has slipped below 3 percent since 2021.

While inflation still exceeds the 2 percent that was normal before the coronavirus pandemic, it is much slower than the 9.1 percent peak in 2022.

And after stripping out food and fuel prices, a closely watched “core” index climbed 3.2 percent from a year earlier, a step down from the previous report and in line with expectations. Economists pay attention to that number because it gives a sense of the underlying inflation trend.

Here’s what else to know:

On a monthly basis, inflation was in line with economists’ expectations and slightly warmer than last month. Food prices increased 0.2 percent from the previous month, continuing a significant slowdown . But shelter was more problematic. Rents rose 0.5 percent, versus an 0.3 percent gain in June, and the government’s measure of homeownership costs also accelerated.

“It really ticks the box for a September rate cut,” says Gennadiy Goldberg from TD Securities. He said the “big question” for Fed officials is how much to cut interest rates now, and that will probably hinge on the job market.

The Fed has held interest rates at a relatively high 5.3 percent for the past year. Investors think that the big question is whether next month policymakers will cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point, a typical move, or by a half-point, which would be an unusually large cut.

The inflation report left many Democrats feeling victorious . “We’ve won the battle against inflation,” Bharat Ramamurti, former deputy director of the National Economic Council, wrote on X . While President Biden also cheered the inflation figures, he cautioned that the cost of living remained too expensive.

Wall Street had been on edge heading into the inflation report, after sharp stock swings this month reignited fears over the economy’s direction. The market staged a muted reaction to the report.

Fed policymakers aim for 2 percent annual inflation based on the Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation measure, which comes out later than the Consumer Price Index. That data for July will be released on Aug. 30 .

Alan Rappeport and Jim Tankersley

Easing inflation has the Democrats tasting victory.

After more than two years of being politically battered over soaring prices, Wednesday’s inflation report left many Democrats feeling victorious.

Consumer prices rose 2.9 percent in the year through July, falling below 3 percent for the first time since 2021. The report keeps the Federal Reserve on track to cut interest rates next month, a move that could lift economic sentiment in the United States ahead of the November election.

“We’ve won the battle against inflation,” Bharat Ramamurti, former deputy director of the National Economic Council, wrote on X . “It’s time for the Fed to begin cutting rates.”

Congressional Democrats were also using the report to push the Fed to cut aggressively.

“Inflation is down,” Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, the chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, said in a news release. “The price of gas or a new car have fallen over the last year. And many families can now breathe a bit easier. Now, we need to make sure that this relief is reaching all Americans.”

Republicans have been hammering Democrats over inflation and are unlikely to let them off the hook. They continue to note that prices are up nearly 20 percent since President Biden took office and note that the labor market is showing signs of slowing.

“Despite a small improvement in the rate of price increases, the damage from the Biden-Harris administration’s philosophy of ‘tax it, regulate it, and spend it’ is done and continues to plague the economy,” said Representative Jodey Arrington of Texas, the chairman of the House Budget Committee. “It’s hard to fathom how hardworking American families can survive another four years of the Biden-Harris failed economic agenda.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has pledged to crack down on corporate price gouging and is expected to lay out additional plans for lowering costs in a speech this week.

Former President Donald J. Trump, her Republican opponent, will hold a rally in Pennsylvania this weekend with a focus on inflation, according to his campaign. He has claimed that the Biden administration’s spending policies have fueled record levels of inflation.

“Under Kamala Harris, everything costs 20 percent more than it did under President Trump,” said Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary. “America cannot afford another four years of Kamala’s failed economic policies.”

While Mr. Biden cheered the inflation figures, he cautioned that the cost of living remained too expensive. He said large corporations had been sitting on record profits and failing to do enough to help.

“We have more work to do to lower costs for hardworking Americans, but we are making real progress,” Mr. Biden said, while noting that wages have outpaced price increases for 17 months running. “Prices are still too high.”

Advertisement

Jordyn Holman

Walmart will release its quarterly earnings on Thursday. It's a good gauge for how U.S. consumers are faring, and this quarter would cover spending on activities like summer vacations and early back-to-school shopping. Executives at the company, the largest retailer in the U.S., have noted that inflation has driven more people who make over $100,000 to their stores, and analysts will be looking for signs that those shoppers have stayed, even as inflation has eased.

Ben Casselman

The price of many goods, including cars, clothes and some foods, continued to fall in July. So did some of the service prices that have been a big driver of recent inflation, like plane tickets. But a few categories remain stubborn, most notably housing and car insurance.

Monthly changes in July

Motor vehicle insurance

Fruits and vegetables

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

Nonalcoholic beverages

Rent of primary residence

Alcoholic beverages

Food away from home

All items excl. food and energy

Medical care commodities

Tobacco products

Electricity

Physicians’ services

Dairy and related products

New vehicles

Motor vehicle repair

Cereals and bakery products

Piped utility gas service

Hospital services

Airline fares

Used cars and trucks

All items excluding food and energy

Tobacco and smoking products

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair

Danielle Kaye

Nothing in the inflation report has jolted the stock market. It maintained a sense of calm once trading got underway this morning, a sign that the fresh inflation numbers were in line with expectations. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq oscillated between very slight rises and falls in early morning trading, while the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 0.4 percent.

S&P 500

Joe Rennison

The rise in the Russell is important as that index is more of a barometer of the broader economy than the S&P 500 or Nasdaq, which are packed with big multinational companies.

Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, said that the C.P.I. was “good news” but added said people are still grappling with higher prices overall. “Evidence is piling up that consumers are struggling under the combined weight of high prices, elevated interest rates and the cooling job market. Even with the ‘as expected’ readings, prices broadly continued to rise last month.”

Cooling inflation is good news for workers. Average hourly earnings, adjusted for inflation, have risen 0.7 percent over the past year, and 0.8 percent for rank-and-file workers. Nominal wages (that is, not adjusted for inflation) are rising more slowly than in the red-hot period coming out of the pandemic, but slower price increases mean that, in real terms, many workers are actually better off now than they were back then.

One surprise here was that shelter inflation was a bit firmer than expected. That isn’t what Fed officials have been hoping for: They have been patiently waiting for rent and a measure of how much it would cost homeowners to rent to ease. But Omair Sharif, founder of Inflation Insights, told me that this month’s numbers looked like they might be an outlier.

For instance, the equivalent measure was pushed up a lot by just rents in the West, which tied back to a pop in Los Angeles and Riverside. That makes it look like noise, Sharif said.

“If you want to look at the totality of the data, the totality in my mind is pretty clear, and it is definitely toward more disinflation,” Sharif said.

Sharif follows these numbers as closely as anyone, so I take what he’s saying here seriously. But it’s worth noting that forecasters have been predicting a slowdown in shelter inflation for well over a year now and have been pretty consistently disappointed.

Jim Tankersley

President Biden celebrated inflation falling below 3 percent in a news release . He also intensified a Democratic attack on corporations for keeping prices elevated .

“Prices are still too high. Large corporations are sitting on record profits and not doing enough to lower prices,” he said .

“It’s great to see a ‘two’ handle on the yearly C.P.I. It doesn’t mean our work is done but it does mean we’re moving in the right direction, and with a bit of momentum,” Jared Bernstein, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told me in an email.

Alan Rappeport

After years of being battered by bad inflation news, current and former Biden administration officials are spiking the football this morning. The former deputy director of the National Economic Council, Bharat Ramamurti, wrote on social media that “we’ve won the battle against inflation” and a spokeswoman for Treasury Secretary Yellen predicted last year that by the end of this year the first numeral of the inflation rate would be a "2."

Madeleine Ngo

Food price increases remained relatively unchanged in July.

Food inflation was relatively unchanged in July. Still, the new data continued to reflect the significant slowdown that food price increases have seen in recent months.

Overall, food prices in July rose 0.2 percent from the previous month, the same rate they rose in June. Grocery prices climbed 0.1 percent for the second straight month. The cost of dining out was up 0.2 percent over the month, a slightly slower rate from 0.4 percent in June.

Compared with a year earlier, food price gains also saw little changes. Food costs were up 2.2 percent in the year through July, the same rate that food prices rose in June. That is down significantly from 2022, when food price gains peaked at 11.4 percent.

Prices for fruits and vegetables rose 0.8 percent over the month. That is up from June, when prices fell 0.5 percent. Meats, poultry and fish prices rose 0.3 percent after they declined 0.1 percent the month before. Prices for cereals and bakery products fell 0.5 percent.

Egg prices increased again for the second straight month. In July, egg prices rose 5.5 percent over the month, a faster rate than in June, when they climbed 3.5 percent. Egg prices have been up and down each month since an outbreak of avian influenza contributed to a supply shortage and a big surge in prices early last year. Compared with a year ago, egg prices are up 19.1 percent.

Economists said they expected to see grocery inflation remain around current rates in the coming months, barring unforeseen shocks. Although inflation has eased, food prices remain a persistent concern for voters ahead of the presidential election. That could be in part because food prices have not fallen overall, and they have instead continued to rise. Grocery prices are up about 20 percent from four years ago.

Although wage growth is currently outpacing grocery price increases, some economists said it could take more time for consumers to feel relief.

“People are feeling frustrated in large part because earnings have just caught up to food inflation,” said Michael Swanson, the chief agricultural economist at Wells Fargo. “It could be a year or more before the closing of that gap is felt by consumers.”

Futures for the Russell 2000, an index of smaller companies more closely tied to the ebb and flow of the economy, inched up, rising 1 percent. Smaller companies are poised to benefit from lower interest rates. The dollar, meanwhile, stayed fairly flat.

The summer is obviously a big time to travel. Some good news for those hopping on planes: The airline fares index fell 1.6 percent year-over-year in July.

“It really ticks the box for a September rate cut,” said Gennadiy Goldberg from TD Securities. “The big question they have to decide is whether they should cut 25 or 50,” he said, referring to a quarter-point or half-point cut (25 or 50 basis points, in market lingo).

“It gives the Fed maximum flexibility,” Goldberg said, explaining that the Fed will now be focused on the labor market, both the jobs report on Sept. 6 and weekly jobless claims data.

How significant was the increase in housing costs last month? The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that it accounted for nearly 90 percent of the month-to-month increase in overall consumer prices.

Talmon Joseph Smith

And when excluding shelter from the consumer price index, inflation has been hovering around the Fed’s 2 percent target for a year. In the meantime, many other inputs fluctuated, from auto insurance to medical insurance. But now, even with the government’s measure of shelter running hot, price increases overall appear to be on a cooler path.

Congressional Democrats are using the report to push the Fed to cut aggressively. “Inflation is down,” Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, the chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, said in a release. “The price of gas or a new car have fallen over the last year. And many families can now breath a bit easier. Now, we need to make sure that this relief is reaching all Americans.”

“I am frustrated that unnecessarily high interest rates are squeezing families and starting to push up unemployment,” he added. “The Fed should recognize that inflation is down and cut rates before they cause further harm to the economy.”

The Fed has really been pivoting toward paying attention to the labor market, and this is really going to cement that transition. A possible cool-down in hiring is the big concern now, and officials are really going to be watching the jobs report on Sept. 6.

It’s worth pausing for a moment to reflect on what this report represents. On the one hand, there’s little practical difference between 3 percent and 2.9 percent inflation. But symbolically, the drop back to a “two-handle,” as the nerds call it, is remarkable given where inflation was just two years ago.

Most significantly, the progress on inflation has come with little damage to the broader economy — the elusive “soft landing.” But the unemployment rate has crept up recently, raising concerns that the soft landing could be in jeopardy.

Markets are muted after the data release. There was a shortlived wobble in both stock and bond markets in the immediate aftermath — a sign that while the numbers make a Fed rate cut in September likely, they may not be enough to push the Fed into a larger cut.

Lindsay Rosner, head of multi-sector fixed income at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said the data “cleared the way” for a quarter-point rate cut by the Fed in September, “while not completely shutting the door” on a larger, half-point cut.

Today’s inflation numbers “won’t rock the boat,” said Chris Larkin, head of trading and investing at E-Trade. “Now the primary question is whether the Fed will cut rates by 25 or 50 basis points next month,” he said, adding that data over the next five weeks that points to a slowing economy could prompt the Fed to cut more aggressively.

Shelter inflation accelerated modestly in July, at least on a month-to-month basis. Rents rose 0.5 percent, versus an 0.3 percent gain in June, and the government’s measure of homeownership costs also accelerated.

Housing is by far the biggest component of the price index, and it has been one of the most stubborn categories. So the pickup, though modest, won’t be welcome news for policymakers.

High housing costs remain a huge concern among voters, particularly young voters. Expect to hear a lot about that from Harris and her opponent, former President Donald J. Trump, in the final weeks before the election.

After a slight rise in apparel prices in June, it declined in July 0.4 percent. Prices for both new and used vehicles also declined.

Many major retailers, including Walmart, Target and Macy’s, will be announcing their quarterly earnings this week and next week. It will be interesting to see what those executives say about how they’re approaching pricing.

Food price increases remained relatively unchanged in July. Overall, food prices rose 0.2 percent over the month, the same rate they rose in June. Grocery prices rose 0.1 percent for the second straight month.

The numbers are out! Consumer prices rose 0.2 percent in July and were up 2.9 percent from a year earlier. “Core” prices, excluding food and fuel, were up 0.2 percent on a monthly basis, and 3.2 percent from a year ago.

This is the first time that overall inflation, measured on a year-over-year basis, has come in below 3 percent since March 2021.

Biden and Harris will almost certainly celebrate that milestone, Ben. They will also be happy that this report appears to be keeping the Fed on track for a rate cut next month.

We say every month that the inflation numbers are important for President Biden, and that’s true again today . But now they are also important for Vice President Kamala Harris, the new Democratic nominee . Voters remain anxious about prices . She would love evidence that price growth is fading fast .